The Importance of Pupil Voice

Do your pupils have a voice and actively participate at all levels of school life?

The basis for pupil voice is found in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which sets out the right of children to express an opinion and to be included in decisions that involve and affect them.

Pupil participation can happen in a variety of ways. Some of these are:

• As part of Assessment for Learning
• By involving pupils in school self-evaluation and assessment
• Groups such as school council, eco-council, healthy schools
• Developing resources and facilities (e.g. Sport, IT)
• Fundraising, links with charities and with the wider community
• Improvements to the school environment (e.g. school buildings, playground, toilets)
• Development of a whole-school environmental policy
• Involvement with staff recruitment
• Involvement with planning extra-curricular activities
• Involvement with planning, reviewing and implementing school policies
• Involvement with School Development Plan and School Budget
• Consultation mechanisms such as surveys, suggestion boxes and circle time

Benefits of Pupil Participation

• Improved pupil engagement and its impact on well-being, behaviour and learning
• Improved pupil-staff and pupil-pupil relationships
• Policies are based on the needs and suggestions of pupils and are therefore effective
• More inclusive schools, where all pupils are encouraged and supported to contribute
• Increased opportunity for pupils to develop personal, social and communication skills

How does your school consult with pupils and take account of their opinions and needs?

Many schools have a wide range of initiatives to consult with pupils and take aboard their opinions, experiences and needs – i.e. suggestion boxes, focus groups, school councils, assessment for learning, and whole-school consultations.

We can offer a flexible and affordable service to survey all the pupils of your school. Use our standard pupil voice or learning survey or customise the surveys to include any significant developments or issues within your school. The surveys can be analysed by ethnicity groups or significant groups to ensure that all groups of pupils have a voice and are involved in making decisions about their life in school.

See more here: http://www.forschoolseducation.co.uk/surveys/pupil-surveys/

For further information on the use of pupil voice please contact our Louise, Rob or Hannah on 0800 788 0444.

Pupils’ Participation in Observation

There is growing evidence to suggest that the more that pupils are involved in the learning process the more effective their learning is, for example in assessment for learning, peer and self assessment. Pupils are very aware of factors which help or hinder their learning in lessons and can play an important role in identifying them through observation. Involving pupils in the observation process could be another important step in developing pupil voice, giving an additional source of evidence in making judgements about the effectiveness of teaching.

As part of our Lessons Learned Framework, and in conjunction with schools, we have developed a framework and guidelines to involve pupils in the observation process.

For further information on the use of pupil voice please contact us on 0800 788 0444.