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Action Planning Form

A simple form to help you plan your project and then make sure it’s running smoothly.

Once you’ve set your aims using the SMART Matrix, write down each of the tasks that will make up your project.
Who is going to be responsible for each one?
When does it need to be done by?
What help will you need?

Created by Asher Jacobsberg at School Councils UK.

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Action Planning Form

School Councils UK Training Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only). © School Councils UK 2007. Action Planning Form Name of project What needs to be done? (page 1) Date project ends Who will do it? What help/materials/information is needed? When should it be done by? Tick when done E.g. Book school council training School Council Co-ordinator Find out dates on www.schoolcouncils.org, get approval from school, book by email or fax. Next week (add in today’s date!) School Councils UK, 3 Floor 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU Tel 0845 456 9428 Fax 0845 456 9429 Email info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org rd School Councils UK Training Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only). © School Councils UK 2007. Action Planning Form What needs to be done? (page ___ ) Who will do it? What help/materials/information is needed? When should it be done by? Tick when done School Councils UK, 3 Floor 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU Tel 0845 456 9428 Fax 0845 456 9429 Email info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org rd
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Action Planning Tips

Whether you’re planning an event, a campaign or a project, you need to plan! Break your plan into small steps which will keep you motivated and on track, and be SMART.

These tips will help you understand what an action plan is and what SMART targets are.

Created by Asher Jacobsberg at School Councils UK.

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Action Planning Tips

School Councils UK Training Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only). © School Councils UK 2007. Action Planning Tips Whether you’re planning an event, a campaign or a project, you need to plan! Break your plan into small steps which will keep you motivated and on track, and be SMART. Action Points What are you going to do? How are you going to do it? When are you going to do it? Where are you going to do it? How will you know when it’s been done? SMART Targets Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-limited School Councils UK, 3 Floor 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU Tel 0845 456 9428 Fax 0845 456 9429 Email info@schoolcouncils.org www.schoolcouncils.org rd
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School Councils and Ofsted Inspections

How your school council help you prepare for an Ofsted inspection and completing your SEF.

Whilst some of the references to legislation are a bit out of date, the principles underlying this fact sheet are still good.

Created by School Councils UK.

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School Councils and Ofsted Inspections

01 Involving the School Council in Ofsted Inspections School Councils UK Activity Guide What is the new Ofsted Framework? The 2005 Inspection Framework provides a radically different system for school inspections. The main differences are: • • Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Learners, individually and collectively, are consulted when key decisions affecting them have to be made and their views are listened to Action is taken to reduce antisocial behaviour, such as bullying and racism • • • • • • Short inspections of no more than two days and smaller inspection teams Short notice (normally 2 days) of inspection to avoid unnecessary preparation Three years as the usual period between inspections Strong emphasis on self evaluation as the starting point for inspection Required input from pupils, parents and other stakeholders A common inspection framework for all schools and post-16 colleges. • How can pupils help the school prepare for inspection? Pupils can help assess levels of participation by looking at the criteria above and organising a survey. Ofsted have provided some useful tools to evaluate participation. In the new self evaluation forms, school leaders are asked specific questions about how the views of learners are obtained. In addition, they are asked to give specific examples of how these views have affected decisions. It is suggested that the school development/improvement plan is communicated to students in a way they can understand and discuss. Pupil questionnaires are also available which ask questions such as ‘do teachers listen to your ideas?’ (primary) and ‘is this school interested in the views of its pupils?’ (secondary). School Councils UK also have tools available for assessing the effectiveness of a school council. This information will be useful for inspectors and will in itself show the school is serious about listening to the views of learners. What is being inspected? Subject to legislation, inspectors must report on: • • • • the quality of the education provided in the school how far the education meets the needs of the range of pupils at the school the educational standards achieved in the school the quality of the leadership in and management of the school, including whether the financial resources made available to the school are managed efficiently the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils at the school, and the contribution made by the school to the well-being of those pupils. • • How will pupils be involved in the inspection itself? In addition to evidence above, inspectors will talk to pupils during their visit. Ofsted have suggested that inspectors meet with members of the school council. The council could do one of the following: School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org wwwww.schoolcouncils.org What level of pupil participation are inspectors looking for? Inspectors must evaluate the school according to the five ‘Every Child Matters’ criteria. These include ‘The extent to which learners make a positive contribution’ and inspectors are looking to see that: • Take the inspector on a tour of the school, explaining what the council has been doing © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only) School Councils UK Activity Guide • • • Do a presentation for the inspectors, explaining the structure and function of the council. Invite the inspectors to observe a school council meeting, and ask questions to council members Prepare a portfolio of evidence for inspectors such as minutes, letters, surveys and photos outlining the work of the council Staying safe • • Are pupils taught about key risks and how to minimise them? Are there things in or around school which make pupils feel unsafe? Enjoying and achieving • • • • Is support given to pupils with poor behaviour and attendance? Do pupils feel that their personal and academic development is monitored? Are pupils fully involved in planning and evaluating citizenship education? Is there a system whereby pupils can evaluate teaching and learning, and make suggestions in confidence about particular lessons? How can the council be involved after the inspection? One of the most interesting aspects of the new inspection framework is that inspectors will be writing a brief letter to pupils giving the main findings of the inspection. This will be addressed to the school council and written in a language that is accessible to the pupils. Ofsted expects schools to ensure that all pupils are made aware of the findings of the inspection. The school council could be asked to present these findings to the rest of the pupils. This could be done in classes by representatives, or in an assembly or through a special newsletter. Pupils may also wish to respond directly to the inspector on any aspects of the report that they feel are inaccurate. The work then begins for pupils to help tackle some of the issues that inspectors have raised. Their views on the inspection judgement can help to form part of any improvement plan which the governors may produce. It may be helpful for pupils to look at the five criteria within ‘Every Child Matters’ for schools and how things could be improved: Making a positive contribution • • Are pupils helped to develop stable, positive relationships? Are pupils, individually and collectively consulted when key decisions are made, through form councils, the school council or by other means? Does the council allow for pupils to give their views and for these to be taken into account? Has the school council reviewed school policies such as behaviour and attendance? • • Achieve economic well-being • School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org wwwww.schoolcouncils.org Being Healthy Are pupils given opportunities to develop their enterprise and financial skills, and to work in teams? • • • • Are pupils encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise? Are pupils discouraged from smoking and substance abuse? Do pupils know about sexual health risks? Are pupils encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily? Further Information Copies of all Ofsted documents available at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk Gideon Lyons © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only)
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Advanced School Councils Ideas for School Improvement Research Summary of Findings

A brief summary of the findings of School Councils UK’s 2007 action research project, which looked at how far a selection of London secondary schools could take pupil voice with dedicated support.

Created by School Councils UK.

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Advanced School Councils Ideas for School Improvement Research Summary of Findings

School Councils 6 School Improvement Advanced School Councils ideas for school improvement Contents & Introduction Contents Behaviour sub-councils Introduction 3 4 5 6 7 In 2004, School Councils UK commissioned the first in-depth action research project to explore the potential of genuine pupil participation to improve schools. School Councils UK aims to share the key ideas and findings from the project with schools. The final report was released in September 2007 and is available from School Councils UK or on-line as a free download at www.schoolcouncils.org. The project manager, an experienced teacher, worked with researchers in eight London secondary schools between September ‘04 and July ‘07. Staff, students and their School Councils were encouraged to innovate, explore and push the boundaries over the three years. Pupils created their own behaviour panels, were involved in staff appointments, began researching teaching and learning through lesson observations and established sub-councils with specific remits, in addition to more ‘traditional’ School Council work. Teaching & learning sub-councils Heath & well-being School management Summary of recommendations 2 • One school created a behaviour panel, made up of students. The panel worked to identify types and instances of classroom disruption through observation and surveys. • Students were trained to support disruptive youngsters through peer mediation and by helping them to set targets for improved behaviour. They also tackled issues such as bullying and vandalism in their schools. • Students were asked to help in the creation of behaviour policies. • Students ran workshops to share good practice with other schools. 66% of schools saw an improvement in relationships between students 58% of schools reported an improvement in relationships between staff and students Behaviour sub-councils Peer mediation helps because … it gets rid of the problems and the violence…these two students they’d been fighting on several occasions and the teachers have tried and tried and they’ve never been able to sort them out … I’ve tried, the first time, and I’ve been able to sort it out … and I think that’s Student – Peer Mediator a big achievement. I used to get in trouble all the time. And I was a bit of a bully, and that’s why people respected me coz I was doing that….but I don’t wanna leave school knowing that I’m known as the bully that everyone respected because he done bad things. I wanna be known as the guy that was responsible because he done something constructive and helped others and left a good message. Student – Peer Mediator I think mentoring is a big thing … what I’ve realised is that the Year 7s in my form, they can open up about anything. If they can’t say it to the tutor, they can say it to me. Student – Class Councillor 66% 58% 3 Teaching and learning sub-councils • Students were trained in research techniques that allowed them to conduct systematic, targeted lesson observations. • They provided feedback and data to teachers following observations; for each observation a specific, pre-agreed aspect of the teaching was highlighted, observed, data collected and then discussed by teacher and observer. • Their work informed pupil-led INSET for staff. 65% of teachers in the schools involved in lesson observations thought that the School Council made a positive impact on teaching and learning compared to 39% in schools without teaching and learning sub-councils I wanted the children to be very aware of the emotional risk that the teachers were taking by inviting a dialogue about their teaching. The children responded very well and began, straight away, to see the teachers as people with emotional needs. Project Manager Teaching has been improving, our lessons have been improving so I think that has got to be the greatest thing we’ve done. Student observer Obviously their training made it clear to them that they couldn’t give a grade to a member of staff or say that’s a bad teacher, that’s a good teacher, but all the students came back with very positive feedback on the teacher they saw. Teacher I think the staff think they we’re doing quite a good job to help them with their learning. School Councillor 65% 4 • Through regular class council meetings every student had the opportunity to have their voice heard. • Involving pupils in the decision-making of the school boosted self-esteem; students felt they were listened to and that their views were taken into account. This encouraged a sense of ownership and pride in the school. • Environmental sub-councils improved areas of the school such as public areas and outside spaces. • School Councils developed pupils’ life skills in listening, negotiation, compromising and debating. Health and well-being 66% of schools saw an improvement in relationships between students The School Council also has the capacity to turn so-called ‘lost children’ or those well on the way to being lost into leaders, we tap the skills that they use to become rebels and rabble rousers and we make charismatic leaders out of them. Teacher They gain understanding of how to express themselves, how to listen to other people, they develop skills from being in meetings and from communicating with their peer group. Teacher I think it’s important to be on the School Council because it makes you feel that you belong to the school. School Councillor 70% saw a positive impact on self-esteem 66% 70% 5 School management • Students were involved in staff appointments. • Students observed and commented on lessons taught as part of the interview process. • Students joined Senior Management Team discussions. • Student Governors joined Governors’ meetings. 71% of teachers saw an improvement in decision-making 58% reported an improvement in relationships between staff and students Recently, the School Council were involved in selecting Directors of Study … they were absolutely professional, they asked questions that were straight to the point, if they needed further detail they asked for that as well. If you weren’t actually watching the students, and you were just listening to them, they could easily be mistaken for adults. Teacher The Head Teacher, she’s all up for us having our School Council and everything, coz, when we have our meetings she always comes to us and says well done and she’ll tell us to our face why things may not happen. School Councillor The effects, in terms of teaching and learning, outside the effects that it has on individual students, has been wonderful, has been pretty significant in the few years that we’ve involved students actively in governance. Deputy Head Teacher We can make the school a better place. School Councillor 58% 71% 6 • School Councils could usefully be made compulsory in schools, but only if they are timetabled and funded. • School Council work should be accredited. • School Councils should have a central role – not merely consultative – in helping to formulate and create policy. • School Council work needs monitoring as does any other area of curriculum and learning. • Key achievements occurred when students were accepted as ‘professionals’ who could make valuable contributions to the school because of their considerable experience and expertise on teaching and learning, on behaviour and on school climate. • School Councils need the direct oversight and validation of the Head Teacher. • There need to be clear lines of communication from the School Council through Class Councils, Year Councils, and executive groups so that an individual voice can be heard and quick feedback given. Recommendations Personally, I am convinced that there is no such thing as a ‘little bit of democracy’ in schools – just as it is, in my view, undesirable to have a little bit of student voice. In my experience, what staff perceive to be a little bit leads to pupils feeling frustrated and despondent at the ‘pointlessness’ of it … You either trust and believe in involving students in decision-making or you don’t. Project Manager 7 Our overall conclusions are that if the building blocks are there … then School Councils can make a difference and can improve a school and the lives of the people in it. Research Team, Birmingham University Teachers have nothing to fear and everything to gain from research on the effectiveness of pupil participation. Young people’s active engagement in school life is the best way of preventing alienation and disruption and enhancing achievement. General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers Steve Sinnott, To buy a full version of the report or to download a free electronic version, please contact School Councils UK, www.schoolcouncils.org. Extracts taken from The London Secondary School Councils Action Research Project 2004–2007 funded by Deutsche Bank and The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and “School Councils 6 School Improvement” produced by the Centre for International Education and Research, School of Education, University of Birmingham, September 2007.
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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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Getting Your Point Across

At some point your school council will need to go and talk to adults. You might be proposing a project or event, asking them for help, or making a complaint.

You need to do this in a professional way. This guide will help you prepare what you need to say.

It includes a guide for a 10-minute pitch.

Created by Asher Jacobsberg for School Councils UK.

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Getting Your Point Across

03 Getting your point across to adults in school School Councils UK Activity Guide Who do you want to get your point across to? As a school council, effective communication is crucial and you’ll need to get yourselves heard by many different people. This activity guide deals with one group that can be particularly difficult and daunting – Adults. There are many groups of adults who can help your school council to achieve its aims, and some of these are: Find out when the deadline is for things to be put on the agenda for other people’s meetings. Make sure you send an update to the chair a week or so before this date, then she or he can decide to put on the agenda ideas you have brought up. Try to arrange a regular time when the school council makes a general, introductory presentation at one of their meetings. This may only be once a year, but it will make sure that all your partners are aware of the hard work that the school council is putting in. Then when you come to ask them for something they see you as a serious, hard-working body, not just a group making demands out of the blue. Invite people from the other committees to your meetings occasionally. Make sure they come to meetings (or parts of meetings) that are relevant to them; don’t have them just sit in the corner. For instance, if you were discussing what to do with the school council’s money, you might invite the treasurer of the governors for advice, or to explain to him or her how you intend to raise some money for the school; you may invite the pastoral care sub-committee to a meeting where you will be discussing a new scheme to address bullying. • • • • Senior Management Team School Governors/School Board PTA/Friends Staff teams (including nonteaching/site staff) Why are these people important? Whilst it’s great to be getting things done on your own, the more people you can get involved, the more resources you will have access to. The people mentioned above may have valuable experience or advice to give and will generally be very willing to help, if you let them know what you are doing! How do we create a good relationship with other groups? Set up an agreed process for keeping them informed. If they know that you are being active they will look to you for support and will seek to support you. If they don’t know what you’re doing, they can’t be helpful or impressed. The process you set up should include people whose responsibility it is to be the contact for each group. This may be the school council chair or secretary, or it may be someone whose role is ‘governor liaison’/’local council liaison’, etc. There needs to be a set time when written communication goes out. This may be after every school council meeting or once a term, you need to find a balance between keeping people informed and bombarding them with information. School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org wwwww.schoolcouncils.org © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only) School Councils UK Activity Guide How do we go about making a Proposal? Your proposals should be ‘SMART’: Specific – Rather than saying ‘we’re a bit bored at lunch times and so we want some better stuff’ it should be ‘because there is nothing to do at lunch times people mess around and it creates an unpleasant atmosphere. We have done a survey to find out what would entertain people. The top suggestions were common room, access to the football pitch, and some new sports equipment.’ Measurable – how are you going to know if it is a success? This isn’t just saying whether the thing was completed (‘we got new sports equipment’), but if the whole project was a success (‘since we got new sports equipment 60% of people have used it, 85% of people feel the playground is a better area to be in. Action-oriented – ‘We are going to do a survey; hold a disco; speak to the head; etc.’ rather than ‘we think something should be done about…’ If Section Introduction Background What do we want and why do we want it? Content Suggestions • • you aren’t specific about what is going to happen, or what needs to be done, nothing will. Realistic – can it really be done? if you know the school is strapped for cash, but you think you really need some new sports equipment, rather than arguing for a swimming pool, you might better spend the time putting the case for some new netballs and football goals. Time-limited – set deadlines, so you can see whether progress is being made. Who is going to do what by when? ‘Someone is going to find out what year 9 think about the GCSEs available’ will not get done, ‘By next meeting Hassan is going to find out what year 9 think about the GCSEs available’ will do, or Hassan’s in trouble come next meeting. Here’s an example of a presentation: Time 1 min 2 min 3 min Thank you for sparing the time to see us. Our names are… and we are… We want to ask for your support in building an effective school council. We have been discussing why an effective school council is a good idea and we think… In order for the council to succeed, we would like you to ensure the following elements are in place (e.g.): • References to the council in school documentation such as the School Development Plan and prospectus • Time made available in tutor groups/classes and assemblies for feedback and discussion about school council issues • Opportunities to be involved in a range of school issues such as behaviour, lessons, community links…etc • A budget made available for school council administration and training We hope to launch the form/year councils on … and we would like to know everything is in place before this As well as forming a key part of our citizenship education, school councils can make a real difference to many parts of school life. We feel we can help to improve lessons, behaviour and facilities by creating a forum for students to express their views. Research has also shown that where pupils are actively participating in the life of the school, it can have a positive impact on academic attainment and exclusions. To summarise… Thank you for your time…Do you have any questions? School Councils UK 108-110 Camden High Street, London NW1 0LU 0845 456 9428 info@schoolcouncils.org wwwww.schoolcouncils.org When do we want it? What are the benefits? 4 min 5 min Conclusion 6 min © School Councils UK 2005. Please feel free to reproduce this resource with acknowledgement (non-commercial use only)