St Mary's hosted the Pupil Voice for the Trust schools in July 2022

Pupil Voice February 2022

I like being a Christian and learning about God.

I like St Mary's because I like being with my friends and Forest Schools.

I love being at this school because it makes me happy.

I like my school because my teachers are kind.

What I like about St Mary's is that if you have a problem, then the teachers will solve it and it is a small school so it is very calm.

What I like about St Mary's is that it's not crowded and everyone gets noticed.

What is the Pupil Voice and why it is important

The basis for pupil voice is found in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which sets out the right of children to express an opinion and to be included in decisions that involve and affect them.  

Pupil participation can happen in a variety of ways. Some of these are:

• As part of Assessment for Learning
• By involving pupils in school self-evaluation and assessment
• Groups such as school council, eco-council, healthy schools
• Developing resources and facilities (e.g. Sport, IT)
• Fundraising, links with charities and with the wider community
• Improvements to the school environment (e.g. school buildings, playground, toilets)
• Development of a whole-school environmental policy
• Involvement with staff recruitment
• Involvement with planning extra-curricular activities
• Involvement with planning, reviewing and implementing school policies
• Involvement with School Development Plan and School Budget
• Consultation mechanisms such as surveys, suggestion boxes and circle time

Benefits of Pupil Participation

• Improved pupil engagement and its impact on well-being, behaviour and learning
• Improved pupil-staff and pupil-pupil relationships
• Policies are based on the needs and suggestions of pupils and are therefore effective
• More inclusive schools, where all pupils are encouraged and supported to contribute
• Increased opportunity for pupils to develop personal, social and communication skills

Priorities for the Pupil Voice Group

• Gather pupil views on our new core Christian values
• Present these to Mrs Walker, Headteacher
• Work in collaboration with Mrs Walker to develop new signage around the school
• Do a site walk to identify areas of improvement
• Share the School Development Plan and then feedback to their class bases
• Support the Headteacher and Office Manager in recruitment of a new member of staff
• Lead the way for Collective Worship in their class as well as whole school Collective Worship