Polden Bower

Junior Leadership Team

At Polden Bower School, we are committed to pupils having a voice and influence over the decisions made across the school. We actively engage pupils as participants in their education and in making a positive contribution to our school and local community.

Junior Leadership Team (JLT)
The Junior Leaders are chosen through a recruitment process; application and interview. The JLT meet every half term with the Assistant Head Teacher and Link Governor to hear back from the school council and to agree future actions. They are the strategic team that direct and steer the work of the school council. 

Examples of work the School Council and JLT have been involved with:

  • Deciding the colours of the new school logo
  • Contributed to the design of the new school playground
  • Fundraising for charities such as Children in Needs, Red Nose Day and MacMillan Coffee Mornings
  • Applied for funding bids
  • Carried out surveys with the whole school
  • Came up with questions for the whole school pupil survey
  • Involved in all recruitment and selection processes
  • Researched and bought new playground equipment
  • Met with local councillors to campaign for improved local services and facilities
  • Co-produced anti-bullying policy and developed school charters.

  

Why have a school council?
There are many reason why we value having a School Council. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives. A school council can provide a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions which impact upon them. Experience from schools here and further afield shows that a school council that is supported and nurtured helps to improve many aspects of school life.

School Council
The School Council is made up of class elected representatives from each class, across the school sites. Their role is to represent the views of pupils in their class and Key Stage.

The School Council aims are for the pupils to have a voice within our school by:

  • Sharing good news about their class or individuals
  • Sharing problems and trying to come up with solutions
  • Sharing ideas about how to make our school better
  • Talking to their classes and finding out information to share

Every September members from each class are chosen either by the class teacher or by the other pupils to represent their class at the School Council meetings.

The School Council meet regularly and every representative of the School Council is given the opportunity to share what they have found out from their classes.  The School Council think about solutions to problems or improvements they would like and how they can raise money or get support to put their plans into action.

The children who represent their class at the school council:

  • Develop their communication skills
  • Work as part of a team to make changes and improvements
  • Develop problem solving and negotiation skills
  • Grow in self-confidence and increase their self esteem

The pupils meet every half term on their school site with the School Council Lead

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