Tag: Strategy

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Citizenship SchoolCouncilsUK-archive

Derbyshire New Model for School Councils

Pupils and Politics is a document from david Holmes at Derbyshire Healthy Schools which aims to change the structure of school councils across the county. The new model uses the language and structures of the English parliamentary system in an attempt to teach young people about English democracy as well as providing a workable school council. Within the cabinet there are people with responsibility for different departments which are the sub-committees.

More info is in this document: file:///S:/Training/LA%20&%20Other%20Consultancy/Local%20Authorities/A-E/Derbyshire/Pupils%20and%20Politics.pdf

If you are unable to access if from the above link, please email me and I will forward it to you.

Jess L (5/9/08)

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SchoolCouncilsUK-archive

Speech, Language and Communication

The DCSF has just published the Bercow Review into Speech, Language and Communication. In a nutshell it concludes that some children are failing to develop the neccessary skills in this area.

It suggests, amongst other things, that Sir Alan Steer looks into how these skills can be developed in every primary school class room. I think we need to be lobbying to say that one way is through properly resourced and trained class teachers facilitating class councils.

More info here: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/bercowreview/

Asher

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SchoolCouncilsUK-archive

What are we doing about DIUS?

Just reading a little bit from HH talking about the fact that the Diplomas that are being introduced for 14-19 year olds are apparently the responsibility of the DIUS (Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills), not the DCSF.  The DCSF has repsonsibility for everything up to the age of 13, but then after that there is a great deal of shared responsibility.  It seems to me that all of our current work is still focussed on the DCSF, I think we need to see if there is scope to engage with DIUS.  If we want to do anything with 14-19 institutions (e.g., sixth-form colleges, FE colleges) we really have to work through DIUS as they are not under the DCSF at all (I think).  Whilst this is of course frustrating and confusing it could also open up more lines of funding and more areas of work to explore.

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Citizenship SchoolCouncilsUK-archive

Youth Citizenship Commission

One of the articles I found on Voice It1 (see previous post), written by one of the student ‘journalists’ was about the newly created position of Chair of the Youth Citizenship Commission.  This commission will:

  • Examine what citizenship means to young people.
  • Consider how to increase young people’s participation in politics; the development of citizenship among disadvantaged groups; how active citizenship can be promoted through volunteering and community engagement.
  • Lead a consultation on whether the voting age should be lowered to 16.

It has a small budget attached (£6m).  I think we should try to get a meeting with him and see whether he will support the Standard (and maybe more).
Full article >>

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SchoolCouncilsUK-archive

Technology and participation

I’m going to be facilitating this seminar, it looks pretty interesting:

The Learner Voice and Technology workshop will be held on Tuesday 26th February at the Futurelab Offices in Bristol. http://www.futurelab.org.uk/about_us/contact_location

The workshop aims to explore the potential of technology to engage learner voice in the primary, secondary and FE/HE sectors.

We will take as our starting point the methods already being used across these sectors with and without technology.

To help get a feel for this event I would read our Handbook on Learner Voice that we completed 2 years ago… http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/learner_voice.pdf

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involver blog

Ofsted interviewing school councils

I was just having a look on the TES’s forums and this issue seemed to be quite popular.  Is it something we could produce a resource on?  I’m sure it’s something teachers would really value.  Maybe it would just be a short one that could be downloaded for free (if people give us their email address).

The foum thread is here: [TES] What questions will Ofsted ask my School Council?

I will also be monitoring this thread: [TES] How can I evaluate the effectiveness of  my school council?