School Council 

At Chesham we are proud to have pupil representatives from each class who take part in class and School Council meetings. These councils are in place so that pupils have a voice and are involved in decisions about the school that affect them.

Through class council all pupils have the opportunity to raise issues, share ideas and take part in discussions that involve all their classmates in reaching a democratic solution. Wider issues that arise at class council may be discussed further at the full School Council, ensuring as many pupil voices as possible are heard. Pupils at Chesham know that this is their school and that their thoughts and ideas matter.

Class council representatives should be nominated and then voted by their classmates not their teachers, once in September, then again in February. The two successful candidates will represent their class at the full School Council each week. Previously successful candidates are allowed to stand for re-election during the year and as they progress through the school. At the first meeting of the full School Council another election is held to choose the members of the executive committee - chair person, vice chair person and two secretaries.

Class council meetings should be held every other week. The meeting takes 15-20 minutes and should be chaired by different members of class each time with the class teacher modelling and coaching if necessary - the long term aim is that the pupils can do this virtually unaided.

During the week, children from class put their suggestions forward by writing them on a slip of paper which goes in to a prominently displayed class council suggestion box. Younger children in foundation stage and year one can suggest their ideas verbally in class.

At the class council meeting the chair will raise the first item and invite the person who wrote it to explain their point of view in more detail. The chair then invites the rest of the class to discuss the matter and reach a resolution. If the resolution can be reached by adjusting something in class then it need not be taken to the full School Council. If the resolution is something that the class feels should be shared with the School Council to allow further discussion, then it is written on the school council issues sheet and put in the school council box in the hall. Repeat the above process for each issue.

During the full school council, issues discussed and resolutions will be minuted by the secretaries, who will then produce a school council newsletter. These will be distributed to classes and to other members of the school community during the following week. The newsletter is read out either by the class teacher or school council representative at the start of the next class meeting. Members of the school council will take issues raised and their ideas to discuss further with relevant members of staff and report back their findings at the next week’s School Council.

BELONG, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE, SUCCEED!