Five Tips for New School Council Leads to Make Your School Council Great This Year
Starting as a school council lead can feel exciting - and, yes, a little daunting.
Whether you’re stepping into the role for the first time or simply looking for a fresh approach, these five tips will help you create a council that is inclusive, engaging, and impactful from the start.
1. Start With a Clear Structure
A well-organized structure ensures every student can participate - not just a small group of confident voices. Decide how you’ll gather ideas, make decisions, and take action, so pupils know the process from day one.
🎯 Action: Create a simple, visual flow chart that explains how ideas move from class discussions to decisions, so everyone understands and can follow the process.
2. Use Class Meetings to Involve Everyone
Class meetings are a powerful way to make sure all pupils have a say. Keep them short, engaging, and easy to run so they become part of everyday school life rather than an occasional event.
🎯 Action: Schedule short class meetings into your timetable every fortnight and provide ready-made prompts or debate questions to keep things fresh and engaging.
3. Pick Quick Wins to Build Momentum
Identify one or two achievable projects early on. Success builds enthusiasm, and quick wins show pupils that their ideas lead to real changes.
🎯 Action: Choose a project that can be completed within two weeks, like introducing a new game for break times or holding a themed non-uniform day.
4. Share Decisions and Celebrate Impact
Keep the whole school informed about what the school council is working on and what’s been achieved. Use assemblies, displays, or newsletters to showcase pupils’ voices making a difference.
🎯 Action: Create a simple ‘Progress Board’ in a busy area of school and update it after each meeting with decisions, progress, and photos.
5. Keep It Inclusive
Ensure your approach works for all pupils, including those who might need extra support to participate. This could mean adapting meeting formats, using different communication tools, or encouraging diverse representation.
🎯 Action: Rotate leadership roles so different pupils get a chance to chair discussions or take notes, and adapt tasks to suit individual needs.
💡 Want to see these tips in action?
Join our free webinar ‘Five Tips for New School Council Leads to Make Your School Council Great This Year’ today, Tue 2 September at 2:00pm.
Greg will share practical, tried-and-tested ways to run an inclusive and impactful school council - with ideas you can start using straight away.
👉 Book your spot here
