Case studies
School council case studies
How real primary, SEN, SEMH and international schools run a school council that hears every child. Told by the teachers who lead them.
“A school is not a school without children. It is their school. So why not give them the power to make those changes, but in a structured way.”
Lisa Taylor
Headteacher, Halling Primary School
“That's a lot of opinions. That's a lot of voices. That's a lot of children that are actually knowing that we're listening to them, which is why we do it.”
Hannah Jarman
Head of PSHE, Penn Fields School
“It's their school. It's not my school, it's theirs.”
Damien Cresswell
Associate Head, Parkhouse School
“If we can get our young people speaking about what they're needing to write or what they're going to read about, it just removes that whole anxiety and it removes that barrier.”
Danny Hart
Head of Literacy, The Observatory School
“The children are citizens now, and what they think now matters, and the change they make now. It's not all about making them ready for the world. Actually, they're living in the world now.”
Rachel Gray
Character Development Lead, Kells Lane Primary School
“It helps us to build that more connected inclusive school community, whether they just arrived in our school or they've been here for years.”
Louise Russell
Year 5 teacher and Primary Personal Development and Wellbeing Lead, The British International School, Budapest
“Debating has often been seen as quite stuffy and for a certain type of school, potentially. And I just want to make it inclusive for everyone, where you're from, what your ability is.”
Conor McSorley
Humanities Teacher, St Vincent's School