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Perspectives
on the School Council and pupil participation within
it
Given
the early stage of the Council's development, it is
not surprising that views are mixed.
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 I
have been a member of the Pupil Council since
my first year at Baldragon Academy and I would
say that it has gone from strength to strength.
Events are starting to become organised more by
pupils than teachers. Pupils are starting to participate
more in making decisions in the school. We have
had input to the new School Bullying and Racism
policy, and discussed issues about school buses.
I feel that, although the Pupil Council is a good
idea, many of the teaching staff still need
to recognise this and more of the pupils need
to become involved.
S5
Pupil (Pupil Council Officer)
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I
think that the Pupil Council has achieved positive
things in the last year, for example new benches,
which have been dotted about the school. However,
during the year, many good suggestions have been
made by Year representatives and no action has
been taken. This, I feel, gives off the impression
that the Council at Baldragon Academy has not
made any changes to the school. However, I do
think that over the next few years the Council
will become more successful if the Rector is willing
to introduce
more of the ideas from the pupils.
S6
Pupil (House Captain and Pupil of the Council
Representative)
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The
Pupil Council is a good method for involving pupils
in the forms of the democratic process. It provides
those involved with good inside information about
both the positive and negative aspects and with
the realities of negotiations. However, the profile
is not high and many pupils beyond those immediately
involved appear to have little or no understanding
of the role of the Pupil Council. Indeed, many
have little interest and perhaps do not perceive
its personal relevance. Despite this, the council
is in its infancy and it it establishes itself
over the longer term with a clearly defined role
and a degree of effectiveness, then perhaps the
pupil body as a whole
will come to see its worth.
Modern
Studies Teacher
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Over
the past year, I have heard very little about
the work of the pupil council and little of this
came from official sources. There appears to be
a large communication problem between council
and non-council pupils. That said,
I'm sure the meetings are useful.
Pupil
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Barriers
to participation and the struggles ahead
Despite
all the good will and recognition of the importance
of pupil representation, there are still many barriers,
as the comments above plainly indicate. Baldragon School
Council and probably those of many other schools will,
like national democratic institutions, have to 'earn'
their place if the wider population if to engage itself
with them.
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Young
people are not accustomed to being consulted and
do not use it to their advantage. Many also regard
the consultation as tokenism. |
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There
is a fear among adults in and out of school of giving
young people too many rights and not enough responsibilities
and many are uncomfortable with change. |
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The
importance of pupil participation is affected by
relying on lunchtimes and after-school rather than
making activities part of the school day, integral
to the curriculum. |
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Enfranchisement
of the confident and vocal members of any community
may unintentionally reduce motivation and opportunities
for others, especially perhaps those who most need
their voices to be heard. |
The
new School Council, with its pupil members, has done
a lot in its first eight months but there is clearly
still more to be done to communicate this to the pupils
and staff directly involved and to address the issues
implicit within the comments above. Continuing involvement
of existing enthusiasts among pupils and staff is important
but wider interest and involvement is essential for
growth and fuller pupil participation. Pupils involved
currently should be proud of what they have achieved
but we need to get young people keen to be involved
rather than having to be persuaded of the benefits.
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This
is the final Case Study of four during the 2001-2002 session
on the theme of 'Overcoming Barriers to Participation'. One
of the main ways that many schools seek to increase pupils'
participation in school life is by developing a School Pupils'
Council, or a School Council that has pupil and staff members.
In this Case Study, Baldragon Academy gives a frank and self-critical
account of how they tried, and are still trying, to ensure that
their School Council truly is representational and participative
in ways that are meaningful and motivational to all pupils.
As most schools that have Councils can verify, this is not an
easy task, nor one that, once achieved, can simply be left and
expected to flourish! The most significant barriers to previous
progress in Baldragon Academy were many pupils' perceptions
of the Council as being both an elite activity and ineffective
in achieving what pupils considered to be their priorities.
Competing heavy demands on staff time also resulted in few staff
giving their supportive commitment to its development.