How this SEMH school used a school council model to build confidence and real-world skills
Teacher: Damien Cresswell, Associate Head
School: Park House School, part of Keys Group
Smart School Council user since: 2021
Location: Barnsley, UK
Why they needed a different approach to pupil voice
Before using Smart School Councils, pupil voice at Park House followed a more traditional path: a small student council, often filled with the same confident voices and unrealistic suggestions.
“It never really had a true impact,” Damien explains. “It wasn’t preparing students to pursue ideas or make real change.”
As a specialist SEMH school serving up to 24 students with social, emotional and mental health needs, Park House needed a more inclusive model - one that gave every student the tools to communicate, participate and be heard.
What they did to build an inclusive, SEMH-friendly model of pupil voice
Damien discovered Smart School Councils while researching inclusive models online and was immediately drawn to its whole-school, structured approach.
Rather than sticking to one-size-fits-all implementation, Damien worked closely with Karen from the Smart School Councils team to adapt the programme for a specialist context. Together, they explored how to mould the tools - like Class Meetings, Communications Teams, and Action Teams - to fit the unique needs of SEMH pupils.
One key adaptation: fortnightly Class Meetings in small tutor groups of five, making participation less daunting and more focused. These meetings blend global questions (like climate change or political leadership) with local action - helping students understand how their voices connect to change in their own school and community.
“The structure builds their confidence and listening skills. It’s teaching them how to engage with conflicting opinions respectfully,” says Damien.
The school is also planning to scale pupil voice across all 25 Keys Group schools, collecting insights across settings and enabling group-wide discussions.
What’s changed since launching Smart School Councils at Park House
✅ Students now regularly practise respectful debate and active listening
✅ Class Meetings support both verbal and less confident students to take part
✅ Pupils are learning to link global issues to local action
✅ Teachers are seeing improved communication and empathy skills
✅ Pupil voice is being explored at a group-wide level, creating a shared culture across multiple schools
“It's not my school - it’s theirs,” Damien says. “We’re not going to have an impact unless we’ve got the pupils on board.”
Top Tips from Park House School
🔹 Use tutor groups to make discussion more manageable and inclusive
🔹 Link debates to real-world issues to encourage relevance and engagement
🔹 Work with your Smart School Councils contact to adapt the model to your setting
🔹 Build gradually - confidence and communication take time to develop
🔹 Think big: explore how pupil voice could be scaled across a wider group
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