– Promoting Children’s Rights and Voices

At our school, we are proud to be working within the Rights Respecting Schools framework, ensuring that children’s rights are respected, protected and promoted in everyday school life. Our School Council is a key way we uphold children’s right to be heard and taken seriously (Article 12), and to participate actively in shaping their school environment.

The council is made up of elected representatives from all Key Stage 2 classes. Each member is voted in by their classmates, promoting Article 15 – the right to join groups and take part in meetings.

 

Aims of Our School Council

Our School Council supports several articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC):

• Article 12 – Every child has the right to express their views and be listened to in all matters affecting them.
• Article 13 – Children have the right to express themselves freely and share their ideas in a respectful environment.
• Article 29 – Education must develop children’s talents, personality and respect for others.
• Article 15 – Children have the right to form and join groups or organisations and to meet with others.

Through their work, our councillors:

• Empower fellow pupils by giving them a voice in school decisions
• Strengthen our sense of community and mutual respect
• Promote responsible citizenship and respect for rights

Who’s Involved?

School Captains x 2 (Year 6)

Deputy School Captain (Year 6)

Two members each from Years 5, 4 and 3

All representatives have been fairly elected by their peers, in line with Article 12 and Article 15.

Responsibilities of a School Council Member

Each member helps make our school a better place for everyone by:

• Attending regular council meetings
• Sharing suggestions and ideas from their class (Article 12)
• Feeding back decisions and actions to classmates
• Encouraging class discussions and voting on important school matters
• Helping to plan and run charity events and campaigns (Articles 26 & 27 – the right to help if in need and to a good standard of living)
• Promoting care for our school and wider environment (Article 29)

Qualities of a Rights-Respecting Councillor

• Reliable and committed
• A proud representative of our school
• Respectful and a good listener (Article 2 – no discrimination; all children’s views matter)
• Able to represent the majority view even when different from your own
• Willing to give time to this role
• Enthusiastic, kind, patient and respectful (Article 29 – developing social and moral responsibility)

School Council Charter – Our Rules

All members agree to:

• Be respectful and listen to others (Articles 2, 12 & 13)
• Actively take part in meetings (Article 15) 
• Be a positive role model and follow the school rules
• Be polite and courteous at all times
• Feed back to their class after each meeting
• Help improve and support our school community for everyone

Linking with Key Stage 1

As part of our commitment to inclusivity and pupil voice across the whole school:

• Year 5 and Year 6 councillors meet with children in Years 1 and 2
• They gather younger pupils’ ideas and share School Council news
• This ensures all children, regardless of age, have the opportunity to express their views (Article 12)

By participating in the School Council, our pupils become active citizens, learning about democracy, fairness, cooperation and respect for rights – all core values of both our school and the UNCRC.