School Council

Every child has the right to be listened to and be able to say what they think about things.

United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child

At Oakwood and Greenfields, we believe that every child should be able to express their opinion on matters that are important to them and that they have a right to be listened to.

We actively encourage this through our class and school councils.

Every child is part of a class team who comes together to debate, discuss and make decisions through their own class council. Each class has its own charter that is co-constructed by the children and the adults and defines their expectations, rights and responsibilities.

Each week the children come together as a Key Stage to be part of our school council. At these meetings, the children and adults will talk about what is working well at school and discuss any issues or concerns that we have. Through respectful debate we will listen to each other, build on our ideas and challenge thoughts and opinions. Collectively we will work together to reach decisions for the good of our community and to ensure we uphold our values and rules. To make sure each class contributes and to ensure the decisions we make are respected, each class has School Council representatives to help lead class debates and provide valuable feedback to our school council meetings.

Our School Council works hard to behave in accordance with the British Values:

Democracy

Every child has the right to an opinion and decisions will only be made through collaborative discussion and shared, mutual agreement.

Individual Liberty

Everyone will have the right to express their own thoughts and opinions. We will think as individuals and make decisions based on balanced viewpoints and debate.

Mutual Respect

We will respect the right for everyone to have an opinion and to have a voice. We will treat each other with respect during debates even when we disagree. We will maintain politeness at all times and will always respect the decisions that are made.

Tolerance

When debating and reaching decisions we will understand each other’s differences and value each other’s opinions irrespective of gender, ethnicity, culture or belief. We will encourage equal participation and representation and consider how the decisions we make will affect all members of our community.

The Rule of the Law

Through our School Council we will seek to uphold our school values and our school rules. Decisions that we make through democratic agreement will be passed in school law and will be respected by all.

We are exceptionally proud of the work of our School Councils and how our children work together for the good of their school community. It is definitely a case of Together Everyone Achieves More at the Green Oaks Federation!