Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives.  

A school council can provide a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions which impact upon them.

A school council that is supported and nurtured helps to improve many aspects of school life. It is an important and useful way for our school to provide leadership and development opportunities for their pupils.  

School councils are an excellent way in which to increase participation, teaching young people about democracy, local and global citizenship and accountability.

At St Augustine’s Primary school, we respect and value the fundamental British values of democracy and ensure the views and opinions of our pupils are expressed. At the beginning of September, the children elect school council members from Years 1-6. Pupils who would like to apply for the position are asked to complete and present a persuasive speech, poster or piece of writing to their classes. The candidates will then be voted for fairly and democratically by their peers. 

The elections for School Council are a good example of democracy; this means everyone in the class has the chance to be involved in deciding who will represent their interest in the school.

The School Council meets fortnightly to discuss issues raised by their peers and ideas to help improve our school even further. They meet every half term to select two super citizens from each year group that are representative of our half term school value.

The school council aims to bring about positive changes in our school. If you have any ideas or suggestions to help improve our school, please speak to your school council representatives, who will bring your suggestions to the school council meeting.

We will be electing new School Council members when we start back in September.