Tag: governors

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Involving pupils in headteacher recruitment

When Asher’s school was choosing a new headteacher it was essential to involve pupils in the process.

It should be redundant to say that pupils are central to everything we do in school and yet we often make some of the most important decisions without listening to them at all. When we were choosing our new headteacher it seemed essential to us that we should involve pupils in that process. We needed a headteacher who could communicate with children as well as with adults and was respected by the pupils as much as by parents and colleagues. We were very keen therefore to ensure that people from all parts of our school community were involved; so on the appointment panel we had parent, community, LA and staff governors. One voice was obviously still missing though, that of the pupils. It would not have been appropriate to have pupils on the panel making the final decision, but we wanted them to play a meaningful part in the process. I volunteered to work with the school council to prepare them and to be their link to the appointment panel.

Pupils from Welbourne
Pupils from Welbourne helping in our office.
At the time the NASUWT was making a lot of fuss about pupil involvement in appointments and other pupil voice issues. It seemed to me that the cases they referred to just showed bad practice in appointment processes, they did not undermine the need for pupils’ voices to be heard in that process. I was keen to show that with appropriate preparation this would be a useful, interesting and educational experience for the pupils and the appointment panel.

At all stages the appointment panel was clear with candidates, the governing body and pupils about what the process would be and ultimately who would make the decision: that responsibility lay firmly with the appointment panel.  Each of the candidates would give an assembly, meet with the school council and have a formal interview. What weight was given to these elements was decided by the appointment panel.

A couple of weeks before the interviews I met with the older members of the school council (from Y3 to Y6) and our headteacher. We did some work on the role of the headteacher, confidentiality, the pupils’ priorities for a new head and what questions they could ask to find if someone fit the bill.

The questions they came up with were brilliantly incisive and varied, ranging from, “what would someone have to do to get sent home” to, “what does bravery mean to you”. They practiced these questions on the headteacher and we discussed his answers.

On the day of the interviews each pupil had a sheet on which were the nine questions they had come up with to ask each candidate and a space to mark each answer and make comments. They also had all the attributes we had discussed (not just those voted top) written around their sheets for them to circle if they thought a candidate showed one of them.

The school council met each candidate individually, asked all of them the same questions and gave the candidates time to ask them questions too. After each one I collated the school council’s marks and got each school councillor to give some feedback on what they thought about the candidate, giving reasons. I noted these down to hand to the appointment panel later.

At the end of the day I reported back the data and views from the school council to the appointment panel. Having this all written down I hope helped me to do this faithfully and without favour. As I wasn’t on the appointment panel I don’t know what influence these views had on them, but they definitely surprised and impressed me and challenged some of my perceptions.

It also made a clear statement to the candidates that the governing body put pupils at the heart of our school and so helped us to recruit a fantastic headteacher who does too.

Further info

A good process for pupil involvement in staff appointments:
http://involver.org.uk/2010/04/pupil-interview-panels-getting-it-right/

Questions pupils ask during staff appointments:
http://involver.org.uk/2011/08/school-council-interview-questions/

Asher is vice-chair of governors at Welbourne Primary School in Haringey and a member of the Haringey Governors Association. This article was originally published in the March/April 2013 edition of Governing Matters (Access to NGA Members only).

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Student Governors

Did you know that young people are allowed to be Associate Governors in England and Wales?

Here’s why it’s a great idea and how to go about setting it up.

Created by Asher Jacobsberg at School Councils UK.

Use the ‘More’ button to print or download (‘save’) this resource.
Student Governors

05 Student Governors (England) School Councils UK Activity Guide Who are the governors? The governing body of a school is made up of volunteers from the community, Local council, staff and parents. The make up of the governors depends on what type of school you attend. The role of the governing body is to set the direction of the school by taking responsibility for many aspects of school life such as behaviour, appointment of staff and finances. The governing body meet regularly, and have the power to exert real change in school. democratic atmosphere. In other words – everybody has their say.” Kieron’s impression of the result of associate governors reflects the school’s overarching strategy of Student Voice. Emma Bates, also from year 9, attends the governors’ meetings and the teaching and learning committee, where issues from the school council are raised. Emma sees the value of student governors as an opportunity for: “the governors to get an insight into what goes on from a student’s perspective.” After all, as Emma points out: “who knows the school better than the students?!” As student governors are under 18, they are not part of the body corporate, meaning that they are not legally responsible for the school the way other governors are. Associate governors are not allowed to vote on decisions concerning admissions, appointment of governors, pupil discipline or the budget and financial commitments of the governing body. If an associate governor is under 18 at the time of their appointment, they cannot vote at all. It is still worth becoming an associate governoryour advice and ideas directly influence other governors’ decisions. What about the pupils? Since September 1 2003, under-18 year olds have been able to become associate governors of schools. This means that you can sit on your school, or another schools governing body. An associate governor is appointed to the governing body because they are adding specific skills concerning certain issues and as a student governor you are an expert on what it’s like to be a pupil! st What do they do? Student governors work with the governing body to support and develop all areas of the school. This involves attending governors meetings and committees. These structures are similar to the school council structures; the full governing body meetings have a chair and secretary, and create subcommittees to investigate and develop solutions to certain issues, for example behaviour, school improvement or bullying. Becoming a student governor means you are at the heart of decision making and responsibility for the school. School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org Hanham High School in Bristol has key stage 4 and 5 representatives from the school council as student governors. The students attend full governors meetings, and committee meetings. They are asked for their views on specific areas of the meeting agenda. Headteacher Peggy Farrington reports an unforeseen spin-off – increased governor attendance, more dynamic meetings and the improved governor contribution at the meetings – “I feel that governors are anxious to show the students that their work is important and that they are doing a good job!” Cheadle Hulme College in Stockport has an effective school council, whose members can become student governors. Year 9 student governor Kieron Barnes is enthusiastic about his position: “Being an associate governor is all about representing the students on the governing body. I think having students on the governing body gives a more First Steps If you want to embed pupil participation and student voice into the running of your school by having student governors, take the time to think through the following issues: Is your school council effective? To have successful student governors © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only) School Councils UK Activity Guide it essential to have an effective school council. If there are strong systems in place of consultation, discussion, action and feedback in the school, the better chance there is of student governors being practiced enough in participation and relaying information back and forth between staff and students. • • How do student governors fit into a wider strategy of pupil participation? What does the school need from the LEA? Keeping it going Taking responsibility for school is often hard and tiring- ask your governors about how exciting their meetings usually are! Communicate to the rest of the school what goes on in governors meetings. The topics raised there can really draw attention to your school council, and give a range of challenges for the council to tackle. The following actions can help you keep up the good work as a student governor: Consult with pupils, parents, staff and governors Developing student voice in school affects everyone that has a connection with the school. These groups of people should therefore be consulted about new directions. Your school council is well placed to communicate with the whole school community. Check status of the governing board The governing body has to agree to appoint student governors in order for them to become a possibility in school. The governing body will have to reconstitute to include associate members. For more information on reconstituting the governors, contact your local LEA. • • • • • • Assigning one governor to take responsibility for linking the governing body and the school council Regular meetings between the school council and the whole governing body, or one committee ‘School council matters’ included as a standing item on governing body agendas with a presentation of recent business by pupil councillors as a matter of course ‘Governor matters’ included as a standing item on school council agendas School council members being given observer status on governing body meetings. Create a plan of Associate Membership After consultations and meeting with the governing body, you should develop a plan of how student governors are going to work in your school; for example: • • • • How are student governors appointed? Which year group are student governors from? How long will the student governors serve? Does anybody need any support or training? What is the student governors’ relationship and feedback to the school council and the wider student body like? How are adult governors going to react to student governors? Which governors meetings shall the students attend when they start? School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org • • • To be a great student governor, remember there are other schools out there trying to boost student voice like you. Getting in touch with schools in your area to share resources, stories and advice can really improve participation in your school. More information on the role of governors can be found at http://www.governornet.co.uk © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only)
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School Councils and Community Relations

A brief guide on how to use your school council to link up with the local community and how to get the local community to help your school council.

This was produced by School Councils UK.

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School Councils and Community Relations

02 Getting Involved in the Wider Community School Councils UK Activity Guide What is the wider Community? All school councils will spend time discussing and dealing with issues within the school such as food, behaviour and facilities. Some are also concerned with things happening outside the school gates, as these will affect pupils who are themselves part of the wider community. The wider community includes people who may not be directly involved with school, such as: smaller group, a few members of the council as well as interested students from rest of the school, will take the lead on developing how to get involved with the community. Getting the picture: A good place to start is asking people in school who they see as making up the community; and where in that community they would like to get involved. Some ways this could be done is through class council meetings, assemblies and suggestion boxes, questionnaires or online polls. The school council can ask people from the community to run assemblies or talks to give people ideas. Examples of issues to get people thinking are: • • • • • • • • • Families of pupils Local residents Local businesses Other local schools Care Homes Community groups Police Local Council Member of Parliament • • • • • • • Swimming pool or cinema too expensive Poor bus service, especially in the evening Bad street lighting Police harassing groups of young people Young people being treated unfairly by shopkeepers Fear of crime creating no-go areas Taxi drivers refuse to pick up young people We can also look at the community in terms of issues, especially those concerning pupils. These include crime, transport, leisure facilities and the environment. Why bother with getting involved? In all areas, schools play a central role in their community and those within and outside the school can benefit from working together. The citizenship curriculum reflects the importance of schools engaging with the wider community, and many ideas for projects can be found within the schemes of work. The reputation of a school will be enhanced through its pupils’ involvement in community projects, and pupils can benefit from obtaining qualifications such as ASDAN awards, Millennium Volunteers or CSV. Putting ideas into action: Once the subcommittee has decided what they want to achieve, they can make contact with relevant people. Writing letters on school council headed paper are a polite introduction, asking for a meeting to explore the areas where you can work together. Some organisations such as the police may have a person dedicated to schools and education for you to contact. Research online will normally help you find the right person to talk to. You may wish to ask members of the community to support the school. This can be done in a number of ways: School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org How can the School Council help? Effective school councils act as the mouthpiece for the whole school. The school council can create a community subcommittee. This © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only) School Councils UK Activity Guide • • • Collecting supermarket vouchers, drop off points for vouchers in doctors surgeries, child care centres or community clubs. Volunteers to help pupils with aspects of teaching and learning in school or homework clubs. Appeals for help with school facilities and equipment- check the school development plan for ideas about what is needed. • Volunteering for community projects (many of these, e.g. Millennium Volunteers, need you to be over 16 years old) As with all school council projects, effective meetings and action points mean that people know what they have to do, when they have to do it and how to do it. Keep in Mind: The school can support the community in the following ways. • • • Fundraising for local causes. Raising awareness in school, through newsletters or lessonsworking with staff to find relevant curricula cross over with community projects. To keep your link teacher up to date on all events. Don’t forget that teachers, senior management, parents and governors should be consulted too. Its fun to be active! Find something you really care about in your area and make a difference – whilst having enjoying yourself and helping others. • Useful Contact Details Volunteering Neighbourhood schemes Other schools Members of Parliament www.yearofthevolunteer.org (2005) www.timebank.org.uk www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ican www.communitymatters.org.uk School Councils Network. www.schoolcouncils.org www.locata.co.uk/commons SCOTLAND www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp WALES www.wales.gov.uk/who/constit_e.htm NORTHERN IRELAND www.niassembly.gov.uk Care Homes Local Council Residents groups Police www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/hss/index.asp www.nameofcouncil.gov.uk www.tpas.org.uk www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk www.police.uk www.connexions-direct.com (England Only) Regional Coordination Unit www.rcu.gov.uk www.lhsp.org to get local contacts www.millenniumvolunteers.gov.uk www.asdan.co.uk www.awardsforall.org.uk/ www.volunteering.org.uk School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org Connexions Local Initiatives Healthy Schools Awards Funding © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only)
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Lanzarote vs. case studies

So Asher’s away in Lanzarote in 35 degree heat with the family, and I’m spending Saturday writing up good pupil voice case studies.

Lanzarote
Lanzarote

It’s all good though, there’s a lot of very good practice out there that other schools could learn from and it’s good to be doing some concrete research on pupil voice that works. Trying to understand why is the next step, what are the ingredients in those schools which have enabled success.

Also been doing some work on the website. Thanks to Tim the Intern for his HTML help = legend.

Two useful sites to flag up – if you’re a Governor, David Sassoon produces a very informative website at http://www.governorsagenda.co.uk/.

Finally, if you’re in East London, there’s a great new project helping to empower young people who are at risk of exclusion through an urban beekeeping social enterprise. Very interesting. Take a look at http://www.thegoldenco-op.com/.

Have a great weekend. Greg :o)