THE POWER OF STUDENT VOICEpower to improve…

BERNARD TRAFFORD

Student Voice: why?

ECM/Ofsted Right in principle School improvement

Every Child Matters

1.Be healthy2.Stay safe3.Enjoy and achieve4.Make a positive contribution5.Achieve economic well-being

Every Child Matters

1.Be healthy2.Stay safe3.Enjoy and achieve4.Make a positive contribution5.Achieve economic well-being

Student Voice: what?

Consultation Focus groups Analysis/surveys etc Working groups School Council Democratic participation:

inc. Teaching and Learning

Added Value of School Democracy

improved behaviour increased attendance reduced bullying better kept rules warm, mutually respectful relationships

between teachers and pupils (and also among both groups)

strengthened, shared school ethos creating a feeling of ‘our school’ among pupils and staff

raised levels of attainment, including hard-edged exam results.

Added Value of School Democracy

improved behaviour (2.safe) increased attendance (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve) reduced bullying (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve) better kept rules (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve) warm, mutually respectful relationships

between teachers and pupils (and also among both groups) (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve)

strengthened, shared school ethos creating a feeling of ‘our school’ among pupils and staff (3.enjoy/achieve: 4.contribution)

raised levels of attainment, including hard-edged exam results (3.enjoy/achieve)

School Council

Visible symbol of school’s commitment to student voice and democracy

Monitor of ethos Agent of change

(School Councils UK cartoon)

So why do councils so often disappoint?

“Case studies found that school councils were often limited by a lack of continual student interest, and that many school councils were badly organised and promoted. Teachers also attributed the ineffectiveness of school councils to a lack of leadership by students, a lack of support by senior management and a school ethos that did not encourage participation.”

(NFER Citizenship Longitudinal Study)

Why do councils run out of steam?

96% of English secondary heads say that their school has a school council

45% of secondary school pupils report being involved in school or class elections

(NFER Citizenship Longitudinal Study)

What’s are the obstacles to Student Voice?

1.People?2.Council?3.Wider Student

Voice?

Common causes of school council underperformance: senior staff

school ethos does not embrace student democracy

senior staff do not believe in or support the council

headteacher not seen visibly and actively to support the council

the headteacher doesn’t confront (or persuade in the face of) adult fears about empowering pupils

Time/energy not devoted to student voice

Common causes of school council underperformance: teachers

teachers are hostile to/fearful of the work of the council

teachers ignore the work of the council

class teachers/tutors ignore the work of the council – and the contribution needed from them

Common causes of school council underperformance: students students don’t know council is there students don’t know what council is for students don’t know what council does expectations of what can (or can’t) be

achieved are unreal or unclear people are shy: unwilling to take a

prominent role

Common causes of school council underperformance: the council itself

council doesn’t understand its role council petitions instead of engaging

actively with problems council works hard but successes are

invisible communication between elected

representatives and the grassroots is poor

More causes of underperformance: structure

the council structure and/or size are inappropriate

inadequate time given to council meetings

council meetings held irregularly and/or infrequently

council meetings not given high-status, protected time

feedback is poor

More causes of underperformance: structure

roles are not clearly understood training for representatives and council

officers is non-existent or inadequate boundaries and non-negotiable are not

understood the council lacks a credible voice because

– council members are appointed or imposed by staff rather than elected by pupils

– the council membership does not reflect the pupil body

– some minorities are excluded from representation or participation in the council

Making Student Voice work

Getting the elements in place Getting the brief right

Head’s support

Clearly engagedPromotes successesOvercomes teachers’ (and

others’) fearsDevelops real democracy:

doesn’t direct or select

Getting the brief right 1

Understanding roles: active, not petitioning

(School Councils UK cartoon)

Getting the brief right 2

Clarity and training Involvement at grassroots levelCommunication and staff supportClear understanding of roles:

another training need Clear boundaries

Structures and procedures

Elections: getting the right peopleSkills Structure and sizeTimeProtected timeTraining

Extend Student Voice

Surveys and promotions eg Healthy Schools: students as advocates

Peer support: students as counsellors Conflict resolution Anti-bullying initiatives Fixing events/festivals: students as organisers School newspaper/SV website/radio station/podcasts

etc Appointing staff: students as interviewers T&L: students as observers Student behaviour panels

Dangers of building student voice into school improvement

School starts to direct student voice instead of working with it

School Council ‘tasked’ School Council by-passed Focus/task groups drawn from ‘suitable’ students School Council loses control of personnel No room for dissent/negotiation Pressure to get results diminishes democratic

process

Control takes over from trust

Trust

If you think the worst of people and show it, they will often prove you right. If the systems we design are based on the principle that people cannot be trusted, then those people won’t bother to be trustworthy. On the other hand, if you believe that most people are capable and can be relied upon, they will often live up to your expectations.’ [Charles Handy (1997) The Hungry Spirit: beyond capitalism – a quest for purpose in the modern world]

Trust repaid

Dr Bernard Trafford

Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne

b.trafford@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk

www.bernardtrafford.com