Hello
I actually thought Bill Gates seemed quite cool.
Charitable, smart and kinda normal for being so rich.
But on Christmas day, Bill Gates decided to block our charity's site.
I don't think it was actually him, but his browser Microsoft Edge.
But it wasn't such a big problem during Christmas. Tucking into your big festive dinner, settling in to watch Wallace and Gromit. *Who cares, right? *
But when schools came back, it started to be a problem. Loads of schools couldn't do their class meetings. Fully blocked. Teachers emailing and calling. Disruption and stress. *The last thing *we all need.
After a full two weeks of calling Microsoft, we finally got the problem fixed. Then we noticed something.
Every teacher who contacted us was** just trying to help**.
They wanted to make sure we knew about the problem. They weren't angry.
So I'm starting the year thanking you and our amazing community. You're helping us through a long, chilly and gremlin-filled January.
You rock.
How do I think about school councils in 2025?
I've recorded a quick video on how I think about school councils and pupil voice in 2025.
🎓 Shout Outs
Huge shout out to Whitefield Primary, Liverpool. Their school councils is involving the whole school in what to do with wet playtimes. I love this tweet...can you imagine how much wet play there would be in Liverpool? :)
Highcliffe Primary in Guisborough have won our first ever book competition. Here's some of their pupils with their winning books.
🎈 Smart School Councils News
We've updated our Member Guide - it's super easy to get started on the programme. Take a look here.
Parnering with the Electoral Commission at the moment, to help SEN schools debate the electoral process. Sneak peek from St. Vincent's here.
**Huge news, **we've moved our official address to Warrington. Don't pop in for a cuppa though, we're still remote.
Wishing you a great start to 2025.
And if you're reading, Bill. *I forgive you. *
Greg, Founder @ Smart School Councils