Approaches to Reduce Bullying

School Councils

"With citizenship on the timetable, I hope to see many more school councils for older pupils."
(Tony Blair, Prime Minister)

What Are School Councils?

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SCHOOL COUNCILS UK

School Councils are about involving young people in the life of their school. Traditionally pupils were viewed as passive learners, with their sole purpose being to get their qualifications and move on. In recent years, this role has been changing as society begins to recognise the rights of young people. Schools are beginning to listen to the views of pupils, and this has been seen to have a number of benefits to both staff and pupils.

In schools of several hundred pupils, 'listening to their views' is easier said than done. School Councils are the term given to structures which facilitate this communication, and enable young people to take responsibility for aspects of school life previously considered 'out of bounds'.

While every school is different and therefore every school council is different, we would give the following definition to describe a school council.

School councils make a positive contribution to every aspect of the school community. They:

• improve academic performance
• reduce bullying and vandalism
• reduce school exclusions
• improve teacher-pupil relations

The Benefits of a School Council

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SCHOOL COUNCILS UK

developing life skills

Pupil councils provide a basis for active learning of important life skills, such as speaking and listening skills, teamwork, emotional literacy, problem-solving, moral reasoning skills, self-esteem and self confidence.

Pupil council experiences provide a dynamic foundation for learning about citizenship.

Young people and children acquire skills which help them to become resilient to negative experiences.

School and class councils enable pupils to have a voice and to understand that their opinions count.

improving behaviour

Positive peer leadership develops and the responsibility for maintaining good behaviour is shifted away from teachers and towards members of the classroom and school community.

Pupils become able to resolve conflicts amongst their peers.

Disruptive behaviour, vandalism, truancy and exclusions reduce.

reducing vulnerability and stress

There is improved communication between pupils and teachers, senior management and governors.

The school develops into a community where pupils and teachers work in partnership towards shared goals.

building the school community

Building the school community
Improvements in behaviour have a positive impact on teachers' stress levels, teacher-pupil relationships and the learning environment.

Peer mediation enables pupils to support vulnerable classmates, so promoting an inclusive and caring community where all pupils feel valued and safe.

How To Set Up A School Council

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SCHOOL COUNCILS UK

1. Give it time. You should not expect instant success, and many successful councils struggled for several years before finding the right formula for their particular school. When things go wrong, the important thing is to find out why, and to get it right next time.

2. Provide training, meetings, discussions, planning events. These are not easy and pupils will need guidance and support. Just like with the school football team or orchestra, practice makes perfect.

3. Build from the bottom. By encouraging all classes to have short, weekly meetings you will be allowing all students to share their ideas, and when elections take place excitement will be high. This will also overcome the 'elitist' label that is attached to some school councils.

4. Start small. Building a new swimming pool is probably not the best project for a newly elected school council. Confidence and success will come through small achievements like a suggestion box, a noticeboard or a simple sponsored event.

Pupil Support

Regular class/ form council meetings are the logical first stage. They help all pupils to develop the skills they need to play their own part in an effective school council system. They can be used to establish committee skills, and can be used for introductory pupil council training sessions.

The form/class meetings give everyone a chance to develop the confidence to take part in the school council activities. Involving all the pupils from the beginning will help to ensure that everyone has a chance to develop the skills and understanding required by citizenship education.

When the school is ready, move onto launching a whole school council and year councils.

Preparing To Launch The School Council

You will need a group of people responsible for the launch of the school council. One of the objectives of having a school council is to involve pupils in improving the school and so it makes sense that pupils are involved in this group.

Set up a working party that involves a small number of pupils and the school council link teacher. The working party will be responsible for preparing for the school council elections, e.g.:-

• publicity, e.g. a poster count-down campaign, announcements in
• assembly, an election newsletter
• PSHE discussion about what a school council is and what it is for
• arranging tutor time to explain the nomination and election process
• arranging training for class representatives, and the school council executive (i.e. chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and treasurer)
• involving pupils in the working party may mean that the process of setting up school and class councils takes a bit longer. However, pupils will make valuable contributions to the decision-making and it is best to begin as you mean to go on. The working party will also help to demonstrate to staff that pupils react with maturity when given responsibility.

When The School Council Becomes Active

Set up sub-committees that involve unelected pupils as well as school council representatives. This helps to involve more people in school council activities. These sub-committees can be involved in a variety of activities, e.g. researching an issue, finding out about pupils opinions on an issue, designing posters for a school disco, co-ordinating a peer mediation group. Mini-committees are normally accountable to the main council.

Training and Resources

School Councils UK provide training for school staff. They also provide a range of resources including:

• Primary School Councils Toolkit
• Secondary School Councils Toolkit

• Safe and Sorted Video - School and Class Council expereience
• Voices of Reason Video - School Council experience

• Badges
• Caps
• Wallcharts

Contact School Councils UK

2nd Floor
Lawford House
Albert Place
LONDON
N3 1QB
UK

Tel: 020 8349 2459
Fax: 020 8346 0898

E-mail: info@schoolcouncils.org

www.schoolcouncils.org

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