We involve young people in democracy, not just tell them about it. We partner with charities, trusts and national institutions to reach pupils who are too often left out.
How do you support young people with additional needs to understand democracy and feel confident taking part in elections?
We worked with the Electoral Commission to deliver structured debates with young people aged 14 to 24 in special educational needs settings across England.
Small-group debates, accessible materials and clear language let students build confidence and understanding at their own pace, supported by trusted school staff.
Confidence in how to vote increased significantly, with more young people able to understand the process and express their views on electoral accessibility.
How do you create a consistent, inclusive approach to pupil voice across many schools, without adding to staff workload?
We partner with Keys Group, Cidari and the Diocese of Sheffield Academy Trust to support trust-wide pupil voice through shared tools, training and reporting.
A common framework made it easy for schools to embed pupil voice consistently, while centralised reporting supported trust-level insight and oversight.
Trust leaders gained clearer visibility of engagement across schools, with more pupils involved in real discussion, not just elected representatives.
How do you hear from young people across the UK, not just a small group of youth representatives, on big decisions about Parliament?
We worked with the Restoration and Renewal Programme, involving schools in themed debates that reached thousands through youth-led discussions in class.
Schools slotted the debates into their regular meetings, enabling large-scale participation and more representative insight than traditional youth panels.
Thousands of pupils engaged across all four UK nations, with their views feeding into Parliament's public engagement work.
How do you improve oracy, confidence and participation for children experiencing disadvantage, at scale?
With support from UBS, we expanded The Big Debate Club to reach thousands of pupils nationwide, focusing on disadvantaged, SEN and PRU settings.
Short, engaging digital debates fitted easily into the school week, while work with pupil presenters built confidence and speaking skills.
Thousands took part in weekly debates, with measurable improvements in speaking, confidence and participation, especially among disadvantaged learners.
"What Smart School Councils are doing is a powerful demonstration of what is possible everywhere, when people, even children as young as four, are given a meaningful opportunity to make their voices heard."
Brian Eno, musician
We would love to hear from you.