Inspiring schools

INSPIRING SCHOOLSCASE STUDIES FOR CHANGE

TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF PUPIL PARTICIPATION

PROF. LYNN DAVIES, DR CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS AND HIROMI YAMASHITAWITH KO MAN-HING, AUBREY

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CONTENT

2. INTRODUCTION BY CARNEGIE YOUNG PEOPLE INITIATIVE AND THE ESMÉE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

6. INTRODUCTION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

10. FOUR DWELLINGS SCHOOL, BIRMINGHAM

20. ST JOSEPH’S RC COMPREHENSIVE, SOUTH TYNESIDE

30. CITY ACADEMY, BRISTOL

38. STOKE DAMEREL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PLYMOUTH

48. IMPINGTON VILLAGE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

60. ASHLEY SCHOOL, CHESHIRE

72. GREIG CITY ACADEMY, LONDON

82. APPENDICES

Inspiring Schools: Case Studies for Change, is the third in a set of reports commissioned by the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation on pupil participation in decision making. It is targeted at schools and illustrates the different approaches which have been used to embed pupil participation.

The Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation have come together to help policy makers and practitioners achieve a better understanding of the impact of pupil participation in schools. We have identified three key questions to enhance knowledge of the work in this field:

1. What evidence is there for the impact of increased pupil participation on students, schools or the wider community?

2. What approaches are used by schools to increase pupil voice?

3. How can we best support schools that want to develop pupil participation?

This publication addresses the second of our three questions. All three of our Inspiring Schools publications have been produced by Professor Lynn Davies team at the University of Birmingham’s Centre for International Education and Research. For this publication, her brief was to report on secondary schools in England which had developed innovative approaches to pupil participation as part of whole school policy.

The schools that we chose as case studies are not necessarily examples of best practice, but offer some insight into the challenges of developing pupil participation and how these were overcome. We are pleased with the variety of schools and the quality of activity the team at Birmingham successfully identified.

The schools were visited in Autumn 2005 and interviews were conducted with teachers and students. We were impressed and heartened by:

• the sense of pride amongst staff and students involved in pupil voice work;

• the increase in levels of trust between teachers and students;

• improved behaviour in the school;

• improved relationships between the school and the wider community.

These findings contribute further to growing evidence that pupil participation has wide benefits for students, schools and the wider community.

We are aware that we can only learn so much from one visit, and that these case studies are a snapshot of what is happening in these schools. We are very pleased that each of the case study schools is happy to share their contact details with anybody who wants to find out more.

The report is based on the information that the schools chose to share. We are grateful to them for their honesty and frankness about their achievements and the challenges ahead. We hope that their stories will motivate other schools to develop their own pupil participation strategies.

At the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, we believe that Davies’ three reports enhance our understanding of the value of pupil participation and its benefits for students, the whole school and the wider community. As pupil participation increases in schools it moves closer to being a part of everyday practice.

INTRODUCTION BY CARNEGIE YOUNG PEOPLE INITIATIVE AND THE ESMÉE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

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INSPIRING SCHOOLS: CASE STUDIES FOR CHANGE

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OTHER REPORTS IN THIS SET

This report is one of three publications that the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation have commissioned Davies et al to produce. The other two reports are:

• Inspiring Schools: Impacts and Outcomes (available to order from the Carnegie Young People Initiative).

• Inspiring Schools: A Literature Review (available to download at www.carnegie-youth.org.uk).

FURTHER WORK

The Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation are conducting a series of pilots which will lead to a resource, offering practical guidance on how to develop a participation strategy in schools. We have also partnered with Save the Children to produce an online resource,signposting schools to existing pupil participation projects. A website will launch in June 2006, www.participationforschools.org.uk

CARNEGIE SCHOOLS ADVISORY GROUP

This work was supported by an Advisory Group chaired by Professor Jean Rudduck from Cambridge University. We are very grateful to Jean and other members of the Advisory group for the time and energy they committed to this work.

Other members of the advisory group are:

Amy Ark Save The Children Tom Burke Member of The Carnegie Young Person Advisory Group Liz Craft QCA Lynn Davies University Of Birmingham Lee Jerome Anglia Polytechnic University David Kerr NfER Jan Newton DfES Sally Stenton Freelance Consultant

ABOUT THE CARNEGIE YOUNG PEOPLE INITIATIVE

The Carnegie Young People Initiative (CYPI) is a programme of the Carnegie UK Trust and exists to improve policy and practice around young people’s participation. It set up the Participation Worker’s Network for England which provides support for practitioners and opportunities for networking online and at events. The Network is a strand of participationworks.org.uk set up by a partnership of organisations, including the Carnegie Young People Initiative.

The Carnegie UK Trust is an independent foundation set up Andrew Carnegie. One of 23 Carnegie Institutions and Foundations worldwide, it is dedicated to supporting progressive social change. Recently, the Trust has funded a number of projects that support student involvement in decision making. These include the IPPR’s Teenage Governors pilot project, Citizenship Foundation’s Youth Act pilots, and the development of the English Secondary Students Association.

ABOUT THE ESMÉE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the UK, making grants to organisations, which aim to improve the quality of life for people and communities. The Foundation distributes about £30m of grants per year in four areas: Arts and Heritage; Education; Environment and Social Enterprise and Independence. Within its Education programme, the Foundation prioritises new approaches to education and work with hard-to-reach learners. Over the past two years it has taken an increasing interest in projects that give pupils and parents a greater say in educational decision-making. Examples of recent work include a grant to School Councils UK to improve the effectiveness of councils in London secondary schools and a grant to Coram Foundation to increase young children’s involvement in planning early years’ services. Raji Hunjan Director of Schools and Democracy, Carnegie Young People Initiative

Hilary Hodgson Education Programme Director, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

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As part of the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation programme of work on pupil participation, we were asked to identify case study schools in different contexts in England, which demonstrate good practice. The purpose was not necessarily to highlight best practice, but to explore varied and pioneering approaches.

This publication describes approaches in seven schools across England, which have tried to embed pupil participation. The schools were identified through existing literature and with help from the Carnegie Schools Advisory Group. The visits to case study schools took place during October and November 2005. Individual or group interviews with teachers and students were conducted, and where possible, we observed student participation activities. (Questions for the case study schools – Appendix 1).

Our case study schools offered interesting aspects of student participation in the areas of:

• Leadership

• Power and trust between students and teachers

• Innovative assessment of participation

• Community Partnerships

These schools adopt a wide variety of frameworks and participation activities, including school councils, committees, teaching and learning discussion groups, and in one project, more than 1000 students using an on-line voting system.

As well as good practice, each case study gives some insight into the challenges schools face, as well as aspirations for the future. At the end of each case study, we list advice and tips suggested by the students and teachers. We hope that this information will inspire other schools to identify similar challenges and begin their pupil participation journeys.

The Centre for International Education and Research team, at the University of Birmingham, would like to thank members of staff and students at the following schools. We appreciate their honesty and readiness to share their learning will others.

INTRODUCTION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

• Ashley School, Cheshire

• City Academy Bristol, Bristol

• Four Dwellings High School, Birmingham

• Greig City Academy, London

• Impington Village College, Cambridge

• St Joseph’s RC Comprehensive School, South Tyneside

• Stoke Damerel Community College, Plymouth

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NAME OF SCHOOL

Four Dwellings School, Birmingham

St Joseph’s RC Comprehensive, South Tyneside

City Academy, Bristol

Stoke Damerel Community College, Plymouth

Impington Village College, Cambridge

Ashley School, Cheshire

Greig City Academy, London

PARTICIPATION FRAMEWORK

Teaching and Learning Discussion Groups, school council and Youth Marshals

School council which links into South Tyneside wide youth participation strategies, research as a method for consultation

Student/adult panels which develop course curricula, Students’ Forum, young enterprise

Citizenship Education, Junior Management Team, Student Leadership Rainbow scheme

School council and committee structure, research and consultation

School council and committee structure in a special school context

Community participation, mentoring, school newspaper

ENABLING FACTORS

Role of Head, Every Child Matters framework, training for new staff

A group of committed teachers, involvement of non teaching staff, willingness of school council members to consult widely with all students

Space on the timetable, a staff member with responsibility for planning participation activities

A committed group of teachers, a Citizenship Co-ordinator, an enthusiastic Head

Committed staff and involvement in national pilots

Commitment of Deputy Head, funding, dedicated space

Involvement of outside agency, support from the Head, culture of respect and friendliness

PERCEIVED IMPACT

Academic achievement, greater trust between teachers and students

Better decisions are made in the school, better relationships achieved between students and young people outside the school.

Raised self-esteem and confidence, communication, teamwork and business skills

Better relationships between teachers and students

Improved student behaviour, increase in confidence

More parental involvement, better behaviour and improved teaching

Better relationships between the school and community, more motivated students.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CASE STUDY SCHOOLS

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THE FOUR DWELLINGSHIGH SCHOOLBIRMINGHAM

SYSTEMATIC PUPIL INPUT INTO TEACHING AND LEARNING

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DESCRIPTIONFour Dwellings is a Specialist Science College in Edgbaston, Birmingham. It is a comprehensive school that is part of a network of local secondary schools, and provides cross school courses and services, for example 6th form lessons, vocational courses. It is an 11 to 16 mixed school with 517 pupils; two third of the students are white British heritage and others mainly of African-Caribbean heritage. The 2001 Ofsted report describes many of the areas from which the school draws its pupils as ‘deprived’, and praises ‘the school’s good level of personal support for pupils’. The school works closely with the community as part of an Education Action Zone initiative, and is open seven days a week to provide courses and facilities for members of the community.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOLThe school’s main purpose is to ‘make life better for all’. Its values and activities are not just about academic achievement, but also students’ welfare and education for communities. Student voice is seen as a key contributor to preparing students for adulthood and life beyond school.

The Headteacher at Four Dwellings believes in ‘distributed leadership’, which means creating opportunities for members of staff to be leaders in their own field. As a result, there are members of staff leading on community projects and students’ participation. A key element of this distributed leadership is the ‘no blame culture’ which is talked about by the Head and members of staff, as well as being receptive to new ideas is essential. If a staff member or a student wants to try something new, the school will think of ways to accommodate this, because

“they would never come with any request again in the future, once you once say ‘no’ to them” (Bernard Smith, Headteacher).

COMMITMENT TO PARTICIPATIONThis school stands out in its commitment to pupil participation because of its three pronged approach: Teaching & Learning Discussion Groups, School Councils and Youth Marshals. These are described in turn below.

FRAMEWORK FOR PARTICIPATION

TEACHING & LEANING DISCUSSION GROUPS

One of the most interesting participation practices at Four Dwellings is the series of students’ meetings called Teaching & Learning Discussion Groups. The Discussion Groups are made up of 12 volunteers from each year group, and meet once every half term to discuss issues relating to teaching and learning. The 12 members in each group are randomly chosen by a teacher according to gender, ethnicity and ability, with representation from all the tutor groups. This was recognised as good practice by the students we interviewed (see ‘recommendation to other schools’ section).

In 2004/5, the Discussion Groups, together with teachers, reviewed the School Improvement Plan, focussing on behaviour, feedback assessment, professional development and extended schools. This has raised the profile and perceived importance of pupil participation in the school, particularly amongst teachers and governors. The Teaching and Learning Discussion Group is currently discussing student (and teacher) behaviour and is planning to focus on ‘assessment for learning’ in the near future. Discussions about

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teaching and learning have been very constructive for both teachers and students, and one teacher we interviewed said,

“Benefits are immense, in order to make progress, learners need to be actively involved and take responsibilities for their learning. They can’t possibly do this if they are dictated to all the time”.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

A second pillar of the school’s participation framework is the school council which has formal meetings twice every half term. It is important to note that the school council is separate from the Teaching and Learning Discussion Groups, with a different set of students involved in its work. It discusses general issues at school including improving the toilets, the canteen, lockers, the school shop (which is linked to the enterprise education and healthy school initiative), and anti-litter and smoking initiatives. One of its recent achievements was to stop chips and fizzy drinks being served at lunch time.

YOUTH MARSHALS

The third pillar of its participation framework is the school’s Youth Marshals scheme. This is made up of Year 11 students who are employed by the School Support Services (a team of learning mentors and teaching assistants at the school). Their main aim is to prevent disruptive behaviour amongst their peers and to act as points of contact for students in cases of conflict and bullying. This is achieved primarily through a peer mediation approach. The Youth Marshals are trained to be approachable and are easily recognisable because of their blue jumpers. Youth Marshals are very popular with students, and the Marshals we interviewed genuinely believed that

they were providing a vital service. Youth Marshals also act as a buffer between students and teachers which sometimes helps to resolve misunderstandings between them.

STUDENTS’ NEWSLETTER

There are other opportunities for more students to be involved in pupil participation activities. For example, there is an independent group of students who create a students’ newsletter and consequently provide another forum for students to express their views.

ENABLING FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION The main factors for effective participation at this school are the Headteacher’s role in empowering and devolving responsibilities to staff and students, the creation of a ‘no blame culture’ and a shared understanding among staff that

“Students can make positive contributions and comments about teaching and learning as well as teachers” (a teacher).

The DfES’s ‘Every Child Matters’ framework has also given a clear focus and rationale for student participation.

In addition, to build capacity new members of staff are supported in developing their understanding of student participation. One way of doing this is through staff training and inset days where workshop sessions are planned to ensure that those members of staff familiar with student voice activities work with those who feel less confident.

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PERCEIVED IMPACT The school conducted a small piece of research at a Year 11 residential to look at the impact of participation on students. This research was able to make a link between being involved in decision-making and academic achievement. It also found that students who created their own learning resources achieved better results in tests. Teachers were able to use the results of this research to promote the value of involving students in teaching and learning issues to other teachers and senior managers, as well as to students themselves.

When we visited the school and spoke to some of the students, they told us that they felt more trusted by the school since their involvement in student voice projects. Students felt that the school listened to them and that they could see changes as a result of their involvement. They said, “the school treats us like adults”.

ISSUES/NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTThere are more students enthusiastic about being part of the Teaching and Learning Discussion Groups than there are places. The issue is how to keep the Discussion Groups a manageable size whilst creating opportunities to get more students involved in consultation and decision making about teaching and learning. The school is therefore looking to develop a system where each representative from the Discussion Group works on an action plan with their individual tutor groups.

At the same time, as a part of ‘assessment for learning’, the school is looking to give training to students to become observers and assessors of lessons. This will create more opportunities for other students to get involved.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS This advice is based on discussions with a teacher, the Assistant Headteacher and the Head.

• Please come and visit us and see what we are doing (a teacher).

• First of all, please talk to a group of children. Anybody who really wants to know anything about a school, just talk to a group of children. They tell you things honestly and they are very polite and supportive (headteacher).

• Set up a Teaching and Learning group of adults, with representatives from teaching staff including teaching assistants. Then set up an equivalent body of students. At this school, interested pupils and staff meet voluntarily, twice every half term. It is best to keep it voluntary, so that people come because they want to, not because they have to. Having a chair who is a junior member of staff is strongly recommended, so that pupils feel more comfortable with the discussion. Try to catch up with those who have missed particular meeting afterwards. Every end of term, the Discussion Group at this school has evaluative discussions. ‘For you as a teacher, for your professional development, it is extremely important to listen to the views of students. Good classroom teachers regularly ask for feedback from students’ (a teacher).

• During a teaching and learning discussion, avoid being subject-specific or teacher-specific, except where there is particular problem linked to a particular subject. Focus on what we all can do for learners rather than asking responsibilities and blaming teachers. ‘I think it has to be done sensitively. We are in a vulnerable position as teachers in many ways, but we’ve got to listen to students – they are customers’ (a teacher).

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• Sometimes you have to be firm with teachers who might want to negotiate the timetable.

• One member of staff needs to take an overview and make sure that projects are completed.

• Teachers and students interviewed thought that picking a group of students randomly sometimes works better than always having elections.

The following is part of the discussion with students (Year 7 - 11).

A: Don’t have only good or clever kids [in representative bodies], have a mixture, have a whole bag of it. If you only have good kids, you won’t get exactly what’s going on in the school.

B: I don’t agree with elections, it just doesn’t work. We just vote for friends, as she said it would be nice to have a mixture, but we wouldn’t have a mixture, we just vote for friends.

Q [interviewer]: How could we choose them better then?

A: Just put all the names in the bag and pick one. If it is up to the teachers, you know they would choose only good kids, and if it is up to the students, they would only choose friends.

C: I think the Discussion Group is a mixture, there is a good mixture, so teachers can choose a good mixture if they want to.

D: Everyone volunteered for the Discussion Groups and teachers picked the students.

E: Yeah, we have a student who is on the Discussion Group; he is not particularly well behaved, so it is not always that teachers pick only good students.

F: [School councillors also should be picked up randomly] because in the Discussion Groups even though there are kids who badly behave, it gives them a chance to maybe not totally change, but to change a behaviour towards teaching and learning.

D: And if they are shy persons, joining discussion groups or school councils would give them a chance to build a confidence to give their opinions.

ADDRESS AND CONTACT Ms Ela McSorley (Assistant Headteacher) Four Dwellings High School Quinton Birmingham B32 1RJ Tel: 0121 422 0131 Email: [email protected] Web: http://web.fourdwellings.bham.sch.uk

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ST JOSEPH’S RC COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

SOUTH TYNESIDE

STUDENTS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN SCHOOL POLICY

A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION CREATED BY THE STUDENTS: ST JOSEPH’S RC COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

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DESCRIPTIONSt Joseph’s is a comprehensive school with about 1,500 students, and a large sixth form in South Tyneside. The majority of students are from white British heritage, with a small number from other backgrounds, and the national average level of free school meals subscribers. The school was described by Ofsted in its 2005 report as an ‘extremely effective school’ and was particularly praised for the support given to its pupils; ‘Great emphasis is placed on ensuring that every child feels important and results in them feeling valued, well cared for, safe and having high levels of self-esteem…They engage in a wide range of activities beyond the classroom, such as clubs and trips, locally, nationally and internationally, developing confidence which helps them to prepare effectively for life in the wider world’.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL As part of its Leading Edge status, and Specialist Technology College status, St Joseph’s is very keen to share good practice with other schools. The school is deeply involved in the local 14 to 19 education initiatives and works in partnership with other schools in the area to develop a curriculum to suit the needs and requirements of all young people in South Tyneside. The practice of student consultation and participation is a key part of this.

COMMITMENT TO PUPIL PARTICIPATION St Joseph’s is keen to involve students directly in a range of whole school policies. This involvement has led to real changes in the school, which are appreciated by teachers and students.


THE SCHOOL COUNCIL

St Joseph’s has an established school council, with representation of students from all year groups, elected directly by students at the beginning of the academic year. New council members are supported by more experienced members, and there is a clear message that all students are listened to and taken seriously. The 2005 Ofsted report noted that

“The school council works tirelessly to represent the views of pupils. Pupils feel well consulted as a result, while recognising that it takes time to make changes”.

The council is also a member of the South Tyneside School Council, a network established to give all school councils in the area an opportunity to communicate directly with local elected Councillors, and influence decision making processes. This is achieved by linking the South Tyneside School Council to South Tyneside’s Youth Parliament, which involves not only schools, but also youth agencies. It is also linked to the National and European Youth Parliament. This work has the commitment of the local authority, and is supported by a local development worker/ participation officer. Embedding St Joseph’s school council into South Tyneside wide youth activity is supported by the school. As one teacher said,

“Staff have opportunities to discuss issues with other teachers outside of the school, students also need those opportunities. There is also a social element – the opportunities for students to mix with young people from different parts of the town. They often have misunderstandings towards each other”.

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PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIESCHANGING HOMEWORK POLICY

This is an important example of how student involvement has led to real change that has benefited the whole school.

The Senior Management Team (SMT) had already begun work on a redraft of the school’s homework policy when teachers successfully argued that students needed to be involved in the process, especially as this policy would affect them directly. The Senior Management Team therefore agreed that the school council should get involved.

The task was taken on by the school council and members were keen to collect the views of all students in the school. They designed questionnaires about homework which were distributed to all students through year councillors. Once the results were collated, they were presented to all the students at an assembly and then to the Senior Management team. What was interesting about the results was that it was the first time both students and teachers really understood the amount of time students were expected to spend on homework across all their subjects. It also found that the homework tasks were not always challenging or relevant to the work being done in lesson time.

Significant points made by students to improve the homework policy included the following.

• Choose tasks that will raise interest

• Link homework with school work to make it easier for pupils to complete

• Mark homework promptly to ensure pupils get feedback from their homework at an appropriate time

• Make marking meaningful – a tick does not provide pupils with a sufficient feedback to ensure that they can improve or maintain their quality of work

• Make homework more interesting and fun – creating and designing are much more effective than the simple question and answer.

Following on from these findings and recommendations made by the school council, the homework policy was re-written to ensure that the type of homework set was varied and the amount given was more ‘reasonable’.

CHANGING THE ‘BANDING’ SYSTEM

There had been some concern about the effectiveness of the ‘banding system’ in the school, where classes were divided according to the abilities of students. A member of staff was therefore asked to conduct a piece of research in consultation with students, teachers and parents. It was found that the banding system was having a negative effect on students’ motivations. A teacher explained, ‘It is surprising how early on, students label themselves when they are put in different bands’. After much negotiation, the school changed to a ‘mixed ability class’ system two years ago. The school is still monitoring the process by talking to students and asking their opinions on the new system.

Whilst we have chosen to concentrate on the two examples given above, there are other areas of participation:

• South Tyneside 14-19 initiatives: various members of staff get involved in the local 14-19 initiatives, such as the Curriculum Action Group in South Tyneside. The Curriculum Group, for example, has conducted surveys on young people’s preferences and expectations of the post 16 curriculum through Connexions

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(targeted mainly at Year 11 students). Based on this result, local schools are constantly reviewing and adding new modules and courses for students. At this school, ‘Critical Thinking and Sociology’ lessons were introduced in the 6th form, as well as Performing Arts and Engineering courses.

• J8: A group of students won a competition by creating a manifesto for the young people’s G8 summit (J8) on the issues of global warming. A group of students were involved in a debate with young people from eight other schools in UK and from seven other countries at the J8.

• Anti-racism week: students learnt about refugee & asylum seekers, and held a North/South night which included South African and Irish dance.

• Fund raising activities for sustainable energies, the peace communities in Columbia and an education project in Thailand.

• Community link programme with some charitable activities.

ENABLING FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION There are three key factors that have led to the success of student voice in St Joseph’s School, the first is the commitment of a key group of teachers, the second is the involvement of non teaching staff, and the third is the work of student councillors on consulting widely with other students.

Some of the teaching staff already had an understanding of the value of research in achieving change, and wanted to extend this strategy to involve students. This was appreciated by other staff, including SMT, who could see that pupil participation through research was leading to positive changes in school practice.

The teaching staff are also supported by enthusiastic learning support staff, some of who come from a youth work and Connexions background. The members of support staff contribute to developing and encouraging student voice activities in partnership with teaching staff.

In addition, students themselves have played an important role in enabling effective participation. School council members have adopted methods that enable them to consult widely to ensure that all students are part of the decision making process. The councillors also give feedback to all students at school assemblies. They are proud of what they have achieved and genuinely believe they are involved in influencing change.

PERCEIVED IMPACTWe were able to speak to a group of students that presented at a seminar event organised by the Carnegie Young People Initiative. These students spoke very positively about what they saw as the benefits of being involved in school decision making. For example, in reference to the homework policy consultation, they believed that their findings were of real benefit to both teachers and students. Teachers were pleased because they were getting more homework in on time and had less marking; students because homework was now more varied, more relevant and therefore much more enjoyable. Students who participated in other participation projects (e.g. J8) thought that the experience gave them confidence and the

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opportunity to meet young people from different parts of the country and the world. The involvement of South Tyneside School Council also promised to create better understandings and relationships among young people across the region, who tend to isolate themselves and have stereotypes about young people in other areas. Teachers and the Senior Management Team think that students could provide valuable contributions to environment and teaching and learning issues at school.

ISSUES/NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTAt St Joseph’s, there is recognition that there is always room for improvement, and the school is currently evaluating the work of school council and the re-launch of it. Discussions are focusing on the best use of the weekly assembly of the tutor group representatives (around 100 pupils at one time) and tutor group time.

There is some concern that pupil participation may distract Year 10/11 students from their GCSE work, so as an experiment, these year groups will be asked not to participate in activities that take them out of lesson times. At the same time, Citizenship Education and PSE are delivered together, which limits the time spent on participation projects. This raises the issue of developing student voice projects within a crowded curriculum.

It is also felt that it is sometimes difficult to make time to collate student opinions and involvement on all policies and that it could slow down the decision making process at the senior management level. This is an ongoing challenge which is dealt with on ‘case by case’ basis.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS• Keep all structures simple and manageable and ensure both

teachers and students understand their roles and responsibilities.

• Ensure you have the support of the Senior Management Team.

• There should be joint training for pupil representatives and supporting staff to ensure a coherent approach and a shared positive ethos. (“accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative... don’t mess with Mr Inbetween” a teacher).

• Regular council meetings. One teacher said, “There are still weaknesses in our school council, but we kept the consistency of coming together every Friday with not just 60 representatives, but all year group students, so we have opportunities to feed back and pick up other students’ opinions”.

• Actively seek discussion and debate of issues with all pupils in the school through tutor group meetings.

• Engage student council in areas where they can have, and be seen to have, a positive impact (including school policies).

• Make sure everyone (pupils, staff, parents, governors etc) knows about their successes.

ADDRESS AND CONTACT:Ms Annette Thompson (Assistant Headteacher) St. Joseph’s RC Comprehensive School Mill Lane, Hebburn Tyne & Wear, NE31 2ET Tel: 08444 772 500 Email: [email protected] Web: www.stjosephs.s-tyneside.sch.uk

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THE CITY ACADEMYBRISTOL

LIKING PARTICIPATION TO COURSE CURRICULA

50 STUDENTS FROM THE MUSIC, MEDIA AND ART DEPARTMENT, AT THE CITY ACADEMY BRISTOL, GOT TOGETHER AND CREATED THE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ORDER DVD FOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.

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DESCRIPTIONThe City Academy is a multicultural school for boys and girls in Bristol. It is independently funded by the DfES and obtained Academy status in September 2003. This inner-city school currently has 1247 students from the ages of 11 to 18, of which 60% have white British heritage and 40% have Asian, Black Afro-Caribbean, Black African, East European and other heritages.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL The school sees participation as a way of making school a more attractive place to be and create a “sense of belonging” among students. A teacher commented,

“Here in the City school, first students might not come here [in the morning] and second it’s so easy to walk away. We need to pay huge effort to stop that happening. If they feel they are a part of something, they are less likely to do that, we need to create a sense of belonging - a part of that is to include them in decision making. Now some of the students do not leave here even when the day ends”.

COMMITMENT TO PUPIL PARTICIPATION This school provides a good example of linking student participation directly into the course curricula. The school values the voices of students in creating better and more relevant courses for future students. The school also provides opportunities for student led community participation projects.


STUDENTS’ FORUM

The Students’ Forum is the re-launched school council, and is currently assessing the best use of the whole year group assemblies which take place every half term. It is exploring how the Friday morning meetings in home classes could be more beneficial (these home classes are called a ‘learning family’ with a teacher and 10 to 12 students). One student from each learning family attends a year group meeting as a representative. The representatives from year group meetings attend the Students’ Forum to discuss whole school issues.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE

There are a number of projects in the school that link student participation to business enterprise, one such example is described below. This approach enables the school to link student voice to real and tangible outcomes, and appeal to a more diverse group of students.

PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

FINANCE ACADEMY

Finance Academy is a 6th form specialist course currently with 12 students. The unique thing about this academy is that it has a decision making panel of 6 people which consists of a student representative, members from industries/ business and the governing body. The panel discusses and decides on the content of the academy curriculum, and students’ feedback on the current curriculum and future suggestions are taken seriously and discussed

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at the panel meetings. The student rep and the rest of students meet before the panel meetings, and discuss issues which are fed back to the panel.

BIG PROJECT

This project started in the 2005/6 academic year, and is a one year post 16 programme for students with disabilities. Similar to the Financial Academy structure, a representative student attends the Management Forum which manages the content of the BIG project curriculum. The curriculum has three areas including work-related learning, life skills learning and numeracy and literacy. The portfolio of qualifications (including students’ placement and participation, short courses, OCR/EdExcel) are also developed in the BIG project.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PROJECTSThe City Academy offers various participation projects, and many of these are student-led. One example, is the ‘Cold Comfort’ project, where 6th form students were asked to identify a need in the community and work out a solution to the problem. The students agreed to focus on the needs of elderly people living alone, and in particular, preparing them for times when they needed help from the local ambulance services. Students designed and distributed an information pack to each single/elderly household, which could be filled with individual medical histories and requirements in case of an emergency. The ambulance and police service personnel were informed by the students about this and know that these packs are stored in the fridge of each household. The students have organised a media launch and 430 packs are already out in the community.

Other participation activities include:

• Corridor and landscape designing by students.

• Anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) DVD: 50 students from the music, media and art departments created an ASBO DVD. It features students interviewing, acting, and presenting information about anti-social behaviour, how young people could prevent becoming victims and how to avoid becoming offenders.

ENABLING FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION A key enabling factor for effective participation is the school’s commitment to give teachers space on the timetable to manage these projects. This school has given one member of staff the time to take on a planning and guidance role for young people’s participation and new projects. This enables the school to think creatively and for staff to put ideas into practice.

PERCEIVED IMPACT Students interviewed felt that as a result of their involvement in participation projects, they had an increased self-esteem and confidence, opportunities to meet different people and to make decisions, communication and business [negotiation] skills, team work skills and the ability to create a ‘no blame culture’ where is it ok for people to make mistakes.

Students mentioned other benefits of participation activities and frameworks, such as better relationships with teachers, which helped them to achieve more at school. A 6th form student said,

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“Teachers and students were in an equal position; we didn’t feel that we were told to do the [community participation] project, we did it because we wanted to.’

Another said,

‘when you get on with your teacher, you achieve more. I get on with all of my teachers at my A level.”

Ensuring staff understand the benefits of participation (e.g. improved grades, aspirations, self-esteem) was considered to be important. A teacher said,

“If student participation is seen as if it was dumped on to me then teachers would not commit themselves to it…so they have to be buying into the idea after seeing the benefits and good practice happening in the school”.

ISSUES/NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTThe school is seen as the one of the few places where people with different cultural backgrounds in the community meet. Once students finish lessons and go outside of the school, the communities they go back to are segregated ones. The members of staff are thinking about the ways in which the school could make more contributions to bridge the barriers dividing these communities. There has been some discussion about developing a community TV station in the school. The idea is that students create programmes with an organisation called ‘Media 4 School’, and broadcast once a week across the school. The school hopes to include groups of students who are currently not motivated to take part in participation activities, and also for each group of students to use this venue to raise awareness of their communities and cultures across the school.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS This is based on discussions with a few members of staff with an interest in student participation.

• “Generation gap exists – as an adult, it is very easy to disengage from students. To make teaching and learning real, and to gain commitments from teachers and students, you need students’ voice” (a teacher).

• “Students’ evaluation is so significant to provide a better service which makes students learn better” (a teacher).

ADDRESS & CONTACT Mr Steve Spokes (Director of Business and Enterprise) The City Academy Bristol, St George Campus Russell Town Avenue Bristol BS5 9JH Tel: 0117 955 8199 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cityacademybristol.org

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STOKE DAMERELCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

PLYMOUTH

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND LEARNERS

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DESCRIPTIONStoke Damerel is a mixed comprehensive school in an inner-city area of Plymouth with around 1400 students from aged 11 to 19 years, including the 200 students in the 6th form. It is a specialist college for Mathematics and Computing, and has mostly students of white British heritage coming from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. Many of the students come from areas of Plymouth with high levels of social deprivation, and the level of students on free school meals is above the national average. Ofsted 2002 stated that

‘The college provides a good quality of education that helps students of all backgrounds’ and praised highly the varied curriculum by noting that ‘students enrich their learning through active participation in a very wide range of activities outside the classroom’.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL The feeling that ‘everybody is a learner, everyone is a teacher’ and ‘learning should be fun’ is shared among teachers who were interviewed at this school. This philosophy enables students to participate in the areas that are traditionally off limits to students. (e.g. INSET, see below for more details). A teacher explained that ‘Young people aren’t often given the chance to be genuinely in control’, and participation activities were intended to help students become more independent decision makers. Also at this school, Every Child Matters five national outcomes were quoted often to emphasise the importance of students’ participation by the Senior Management team.

COMMITMENT TO PUPIL PARTICIPATION The Stoke Damerel Community School is widely recognised as a good practice school especially in taking a school wide and varied approach to student voice. This school is interesting in giving the students opportunities to experience ‘taking control over things’ (a teacher). These opportunities and projects are gradually changing relationships between teachers and students.


CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION CLASSES

At Stoke Damerel, Citizenship Education (within and outside the curriculum) provides opportunities for as many students as possible to be involved in hands-on community participation projects. This includes the award winning Museum Access Project, which involved 240 students in a whole year group to design the entrance door for the city gallery (first prize of the CABE 360 degree awards, www.cabe-education.org.uk). In order to ensure that all the voices in the school were heard, an online voting system was used. A teacher said that “Citizenship is not something you learn at the desk, it is something you learn in action”, and the school is trying to provide those hands-on experiences to as many students as possible.

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JUNIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM (THE SCHOOL COUNCIL)

Stoke Damerel has replaced its school council with a Junior Management Team that meets regularly and reports to the Senior Management Team. The Junior Management Team has two representative students from each tutor group, and most recently, worked on the anti-bullying policy. The school is hoping to set up a Cross Year Group Committee, which each member of the Junior Management Team will belong to and will look at particular issues in the school (e.g. in the environment committee, in the community committee). This will provide a forum for the Junior Management Team to discuss on going school based issues.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP RAINBOW SCHEME

Stoke Damerel School has recently started a ‘Student Leadership Rainbow’ scheme, developed by teachers to recognise students’ involvement in different participation activities outside and inside the school. This scheme is designed to celebrate the achievements of students and to encourage others to get involved through an awards system. A teacher said, ‘Students do so much within and outside of the college, so we wanted to have ways in which to celebrate those’. This scheme will help to inform review days when students and their tutors work together to set learning targets. Members of staff think that “If citizenship is to become cross-curricular, tutors have to be on board too” (a teacher).

PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

PEER EDUCATION TEAM

One of the participation activities we found interesting at the Stoke Damerel School is the work of the Peer Education Team. This is made up of seventeen peer education students (drawn from Year 7 to 9) who teach peers and younger students in different settings. The lessons include citizenship education for Year 7 students and performance poetry workshops in a local primary school for fifty pupils from Year 5 and 6. The peer education students receive training and plan lessons with members of staff. A Peer Education Team even gave in-service Citizenship Education training to teachers at their school and outside of their school as a part of LEA training sessions. This proved to be a scary experience for both students and teachers to start with, but the Peer Education Team was seen to have contributed to the breaking down of barriers and hierarchy between teachers and students.

USE OF ICT

Another example of good practice at this school is the use of ICT as a way of including as many as students as possible in decision making processes. For example, online voting was used in Maths classes to decide a design for a Maths classroom. This enabled communication with more than 1000 students at school, and it clarified student understanding of how certain decisions were made and why.

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Other examples of participation activities at Stoke Damerel include the following:

• BAGS (Big Art Goes Shopping) project – a whole Year group (240 Year 9 students) got involved in a project with community artists to bring pieces of art work to the city centre.

• Prince’s Trust project – 10 students mostly from Year 12, developed communication links between local people (mostly elderly) and young people.

• A group of students worked with the council to build a Young people’s website YPMIX – www.ypmix.co.uk. This is linked to the local authority website.

• PE lessons encourage peer teaching and assessment. This develops cooperation, communication and leadership skills among students, as well as students finding out their peers’ talents at different activities.

• Involvement in the Youth Parliament.

• Mock-trial activities

• A representative from the Junior Management Team sits in on the Governors meetings.

• Students are involved in staff recruitment.

• Students produced a newspapers (available for students and people in the community) – one of the aims is to change views of people in the community towards young people ‘we are all not that bad’ (a student). Some of the funding came from the local council.

• Community support workers: from Sep 2005, six 6th formers have been employed by the school to monitor student behaviour at lunch time.

ENABLING FACTORS One of the important enabling factors at this school is the fact that student participation activities are led not only by one teacher, but a few designated members of staff. This includes a Citizenship Co-ordinator, a teacher who is responsible for the Junior Management Team, and a member of staff who has responsibility for student voice as part of her job description. The last teacher works with another member of staff who is responsible for parent voice. These leading teachers are supported by the enthusiastic Head, and the Senior Management Team who encourage other members of staff to take student participation seriously. There is also a sense of delegation and power sharing. A senior manager said,

“I’ve got a brain, but I have 157 people [teachers] who are professional and have brains. I am here to learn, if I think I know everything, I would be a boring person by the age of 35”.

A classroom teacher also expressed the view that

“There isn’t a barrier here, like I’m a teacher and I teach you, that’s it. It’s not like that in this school, it’s such an open place…Every student is valued and every student has skills of one kind or another – that’s something we want to promote”.

PERCEIVED IMPACT In this school we were able to speak to the Citizenship Co-ordinator and a small group of students. The Citizenship Co-ordinator said that some teachers felt that the school has started to break down stereotypes of young people by showing how much students can achieve by contributing to teaching and learning, whole school policies and community decision making. The relationship between teachers and students was perceived to be changing slowly.

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The students interviewed mentioned that participation activities helped the school become more ‘close knit’ and ‘bonded’. At the same time, they felt that having experience of ‘being in control’ helped to raise their self-esteem and to develop communication skills. Students felt good also because “You are doing something to contribute for people to look at young people as less offensive”.

ISSUES/NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTCurrently, a fairly small number of students are involved in participation projects. This is very much on an ad-hoc basis, and students who are not involved are beginning to question this. The school is therefore planning to advertise participation projects more widely in the school rather than choosing particular students known to the teachers. At the same time, the school is hoping to open up opportunities for participation projects to more of the whole student population during the coming years. Staffing and resources were identified as issues to investigate.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS • Citizenship should be a part of everything.

• “There’s got to be commitment, and you’ve got to see it through, but the reward is fantastic. Then that makes you want to do more – it’s infectious” (a teacher).

• “There is a whole world out there, it’s for them [students]. Especially for those folks who perhaps have a difficult upbringing or got issues to deal with, to help them to see beyond that. There is something out there, if you take the opportunity and work hard”(a teacher).

• “There’s work behind it [participation] – there has to be someone to work behind it and push it” (a student).

ADDRESS AND CONTACTMs Catrina Garratt (Citizenship Co-ordinator) Stoke Damerel Community College Somerset Place Stoke Plymouth PL3 4BD Tel: 01752 556 065 Email: [email protected] Web: www.sdcc.plymouth.sch.uk

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THE IMPINGTONVILLAGE COLLEGE

CAMBRIDGE

STUDENTS WORKING WITH LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS TO SET UP SCHOOL COUNCILS

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DESCRIPTIONImpington Village College is a mixed comprehensive 11 to 18 school with over 1300 students, just outside Cambridge. It is part of the tradition of Henry Morris’s village colleges, and provides educational, cultural and leisure opportunities for adults during the evening. It has Language College status and has a number of international students in the sixth form. It also has a unit for the physically disabled on site, and a higher than average number of students with special educational needs.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOLInclusion and participation are very much part of the school philosophy. Students with special educational needs are part of mainstream classes, and they participate in all aspects of the school culture. The school has an international focus, with European links and projects as well global citizenship and work in countries such as Rwanda. Ofsted 2002 commented on how all pupils mix freely because of the international nature of the college, and the ‘exceptionally successful’ policy for social and educational inclusion. They also commented specifically on how

“Pupils willingly accept responsibilities. There is a well-established college council as well as year councils. These enable pupils to have a voice in the running of the college and to assume specific responsibilities. Pupils relish these opportunities and are keen to use their initiative”.

COMMITMENT TO PARTICIPATIONThe school council was originally set up in 1998 with ten members, but did not meet frequently enough to be effective, and elections had been more of a popularity contest. This changed once an Advanced Skills Teacher for Citizenship was given responsibility to coordinate all the school council and participation work. The school council has now relaunched with a wider membership and remit.

The school has also demonstrated its enthusiasm for active participation through its involvement in the Changemakers’s Active Citizenship in School pilots (Changemakers is a voluntary organisation which provides a platform for young people to get more involved in their communities. More details can be found at www.changemakers.org.uk). Active citizenship has become a very important part of college life. Cross-curricular links have been developed and students are involved in planning Citizenship days.

“Opportunities [at Impington] to explore a different learning relationship have been attractive to teachers who want to develop the skills needed to engage and support students in taking a lead” (Article in Teaching Citizenship, Summer 2005). TH

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SCHOOL COUNCIL

This meets once a month, with one lesson off timetable. There are two form representatives from each tutor group. The Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) - Anita Porter - normally chairs these meetings, but a student can also volunteer to do so. School council membership is based on a system of nominations, including self-nomination. Representatives are then chosen by teachers, in consultation with students, from the nominations lists. It is believed that this leads to a wider range of students with different backgrounds and experiences getting involved. Anita Porter meets the Head of the school once a fortnight to discuss the issues raised by the school council to ensure its work influences decision making. There are separate Year Group Councils, with their own representation and AGM.

WORKING GROUPS

Small working groups are set up to manage different tasks and there are currently 12-14 small working projects which also involve pupils who are not members of the school council. These meet in break times and lunchtimes.

The current groups are:

• Recycling (a student led project, working with the South Cambridge Environmental Team based at the local council)

• Parish Council liaison group – building a shelter and a skate park in the village

• Youth work liaison

• Senior Management Team liaison

• Fundraising

• Global citizenship

• Library liaison

• Environmental group for the college site

• Eco garden, working alongside the district councils’ ecology officer and the Wildlife Trust

• Amnesty International

• Participation in ‘Open Out’ scheme run by local police, providing points where people can report racist incidents.

Formalised student consultation

The school believes in consulting pupils both routinely and for specific issues. For example, the Head initiated an anonymous on-line questionnaire for all Year 11 students.

International Baccalaureate

The 6th form students have a ‘Creativity, Action and Service afternoon’ each week as part of their International Baccalaureate qualification, and are expected to participate in community action.

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EXAMPLES OF PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES

CLASSROOM

Impington School encourages students to reflect on and participate in teaching and learning. The school conducted research on the learning process, which raised a number of issues such as the importance of being valued and listened to, seating arrangements, asking and answering questions, gender differences, the need for a ‘quiet way’ of dealing with conflict, influence of peer groups, fear of failure and the value of parental support.

“It is often assumed that if you don’t understand you were obviously not listening. By asking for help you often get yourself into trouble, so it is easier not to ask (Yr 10 female student)”. (See Appendix 3 for more details).

There is a system of regular self-review, where students track their own progress and decide on personal targets. There is also a process of self-assessment, supported by teachers, which enables students to mark their own work using the teacher’s mark scheme for coursework.

CULTURE

Students engage in peer mentoring with vulnerable children. They run a drop-in centre where pupils can go if they want someone to talk to. As part of the ‘Partnership Against Bullying’ scheme, pupils from Year 8 upwards are trained as mediators.

Students write various articles, for example an article for PSHE newsletter, and publishing an article in Youth Volunteer. Other regular activities include taking part in new staff interviews.

COMMUNITY

The school council works with local primary schools help them to develop and run their own school councils. They conducted some ‘mini-training’ for the primary school pupils and based this training on the issues Year 6 pupils said they were interested in. Impington School is also part of a wide LEA initiative, organised by the PSHE service, to train students as assessors of school councils. Students will give awards (gold, silver or bronze) on agreed criteria such as meeting regularly and respecting each others’ views.

There is also representation and a high profile of students outside the school: students made a presentation to Charles Clarke MP, and David Bell (former head of Ofsted); two students appeared on a live BBC web chat; two students went to Italy for a youth forum on violence and youth, and one was a representative at a Youth Parliament in Indonesia, with 700,000 young people involved, as well as representing UKYP and making a speech in Houses of Parliament about ASBOs.

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ENABLING FACTORSThere are three key and clearly linked enabling factors – committed staff, emphasis on student research and consultation, and involvement in national pilots.

All staff – from the Head, to the Senior Management Team, to the classroom teachers – are very enthusiastic about pupil participation. The school is also fortunate to have a knowledgeable and highly committed Advanced Skills Teacher as a role model. One student who we interviewed said, “I watch how Miss Porter does it, how she empowers”. The message about participation is clearly conveyed, students told us that they are introduced to the value of student voice in their very first assembly of the academic year. The Bursar is also very supportive, promising to double any money raised through fund-raising activities and to provide matched funding for facilities found to be needed by the school council.

There is a clear emphasis on student research and consultation. This means a partnership between teachers and students on improving teaching and learning. In its 2002 inspection report, Ofsted also commented on how, during lessons, pupils were able to discuss ideas and values without fear of mockery or intimidation, and how ‘this encourages pupils to take risks with their language and learning’. Staff are also engaged in research, for example with Anita Porter they have completed a study on ‘What Factors Influence Achievement? The students’ perspective’.

The school has benefited from its involvement in the Changemakers pilots, for which students get an accreditation certificate for Active Citizenship in Schools. Through this they have established a number of projects, starting from an environment project, and eco-garden and then a Youth Bank – a small group of students allocating grants for students’ citizenship projects, from a fund of £300 put up by Changemakers.

PERCEIVED IMPACT The perceived evaluation of impact below was based on a short interview with a cross-section of approximately 20 students. The students spoke enthusiastically about a number of projects, the summaries below are restricted to activities which fall within the participation framework described.

• There is a perceived impact on student behaviour - when students are given greater responsibility, it is felt that they are generally better behaved.

• As more teachers are becoming aware of the benefits of student voice, they become more committed to working with students in a participatory way. This has the benefit of changing teachers’ attitudes towards students.

• Many students have direct links with the community, which gives them confidence. Students also report increased confidence, “you can apply things in a new environment, you get a sense of achievement”.

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• From their Parish Council liaison work, students negotiated sheltered seating at bus stops. Students are now trying to counter the media image of ‘shop-a-yob’, and are establishing a youth column in the local newspaper, showing the positive things young people are doing.

• From a healthy eating survey and involving students in the short listing of catering companies, the school improved the standard in the canteen food. The canteen staff are now happier. They are now doing the cooking, they have nice uniforms, people compliment them on the food, there is music in the canteen, a Fair Trade movement, and no Nestle on the premises. This has tripled the number of 6th formers using the canteen, and doubled the numbers from the main school.

ISSUES/NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENT• There is a school council website, but this is not easy to find;

students want to have an online discussion forum.

• There is also more work which could be done to link participation activities with the curriculum.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS (FROM STUDENTS)• First find the problem, then consult.

• Fund-raising activities must be fun.

• Need to be realistic, for example do not organise some huge event in three days; there is a need to make mistakes and realise everything takes time. The role of the school council is to say ‘hang on’.

• The council needs to tell students they care about their academic achievement, they appreciate that. ‘You have to turn things round so they can see the benefits’.

• Really enthusiastic teachers are needed, otherwise it is ‘demoralising’.

• It is important to try to follow things up, not just have ideas. There must be consistency.

• Students must see things moving on, new things being brought up, not the same things every time.

ADDRESS AND CONTACTMs Anita Porter (AST Citizenship) The Impington Village College New Road, Impington Cambridge CB4 9LX Tel: 01223 200400 Email: [email protected] Web: www.impington.cambs.sch.uk

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ASHLEY SCHOOLCHESHIRE

A SPECIAL SCHOOL WITH WIDE-RANGING COMMITTEE WORK

ASHLEY SCHOOL HAS A DEDICATED SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAMBER, WHICH ENSURES A SPACE FOR STUDENTS TO MEET WHENEVER THEY WANT TO.

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DESCRIPTIONAshley School is a community special school in Widnes, near Liverpool, opened in 1960 for students 11 to 16 with Moderate Learning Difficulties. There are currently 124 students on roll, all with statements of Special Educational Need, including pupils with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Ashley school is well funded, with an excellent pupil-staff ratio. It is a high achieving and well-respected school, in particular for its citizenship activities. The Deputy Head, Bob Windsor, takes responsibility for all the participation activities; he has written extensively about the school and its activities.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOLAshley School has adopted a philosophy centred around 3Rs: Respect, Responsibility and Rights. Examples of what this means in practice are:

• High expectations of students, and constant care.

• Partnership – between all members of the school community, that everybody is part of an ongoing dialogue and that student opinion matters.

• Preparing students to vote, and participate in a democracy, by making informed choices in school.

• Respect for the school environment.

COMMITMENT TO PUPIL PARTICIPATIONAshley was chosen as a case study school because of its commitment to involving all young people in school decision-making, regardless of their ability. Its innovative practice in involving the majority of its pupils in committee work could inspire mainstream schools to do the same. Pupils get satisfaction from participating in decision-making and do not need the incentives of discipline or reward systems. Ofsted commented in 2004

‘In conversation with inspectors and questionnaire answers, pupils were particularly enthusiastic about the way they had influence over school life through membership of school committees and the School Council. The management and organisation of this democratic forum is an outstanding feature of the provision made in the school’.

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THE SCHOOL COUNCIL

The Council is a key feature of the school and is regarded highly by students and teachers. Student Councillors meet weekly and are elected in January, to promote continuity and ensure there is a fully running council all the time. Students have begun to ask parents to attend council meetings, and hope to develop a Parents’ Committee. All students are part of a Form Council which meets every week with their school council representative to discuss issues to be taken forward and to receive feedback. The school council chair sits on the governing body (although there is some discussion about whether this is tokenistic)

COMMITTEES

Nearly half the students in the school are involved in the committees attached to the school council. There are seven committees with formal and agreed procedures, and each has a spokesperson. Each committee lends itself to one of the National Healthy Schools standards.

• Curriculum Committee

• Anne Frank Committee (about tolerance and democracy)

• Health and Safety Committee (which has developed a community website ruok.org, an interactive space to assist adults and children in at risk situations)

• Eco Committee

• Community Educational Programmes Committee

• Sport and Leisure Committee

• Media Committee

Each committee has a budget and the treasurer of the committee approves any proposed expenditure. Each committee has an away day to discuss the most important issues. A teaching assistant acts as a secretary, and one teacher is present at every committee meeting. The committees are not set out like a classroom, but encourage face-to-face contact, as in Parliament.

Each committee item is given a specified time, with the task and the outcomes explicit. This encourages students who do not normally speak up to take part. The agenda is sometimes orchestrated by the teacher, for example international events such as the Tsunami, but a fair proportion of agenda items are decided by students;

‘A week rarely passes without every student being asked to respond to issues which have direct impact on their learning environment’.

The Council/committee business plans form the basis of sheets outlining future projects, which are discussed weekly at the designated time by all students in their respective forms.

SHARED ITEMS

Many activities and documents are shared between staff and students. These include a staff and student handbook, staff and student induction meetings, and staff and student mentoring.

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PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIESParticipation activities are devised to give students a real experience of democracy. There are mock general elections, based on the manifestos of the main political parties (although the school believes more should be done by political parties to provide written materials that all citizens can access). A polling station is set up in the local community centre, and 100% turnout is reported. The pupils have parliamentary style debates about real issues. There have been 30 visits to London to Houses of Parliament, and one to Brussels, where pupils experienced the procedures of Parliament. Year 8 students advised on the making of a video on student democracy. From observation of citizenship lessons and other activities, Ofsted commented that “pupils have excellent understanding of the democratic processes”.

The reputation the school has established in the community opens up a range of opportunities for participation. For example, there was a joint project with Halton’s drug action team, and one girl represented the Youth of Halton at an event in Portugal. The school also has links with a local nursery school, a neighbouring special school and a local high school, which led to Ashley School pupils delivering Year Group assemblies at the high school. The committees can access communities directly, without intervention by teachers, and can speak to anyone.

The pupils are involved in conferences, both local and national. The school has also begun holding its own conferences, with invited speakers, about teaching and learning issues. These conferences involve the Link Advisor, subject teacher, Deputy Head, teaching assistant, and at least one student per year/ class. These events are held at a hotel to replicate the normal conference style.

Within the school, pupils comment routinely on curriculum and curriculum delivery. There are surveys of all pupils, for example on ‘What prevents learning’.

ENABLING FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATIONThere are four primary factors: strong leadership, funding, a dedicated space for student participators and the small size of the school.

Strong leadership is a key factor in establishing pupil involvement, in this case, the experience, long standing commitment, vision and energy of Bob Windsor, the Deputy Head. He has responsibility for pupil voice, which is needed to get things done. He manages the participation work to ensure maximum involvement, for example commenting “If one committee gets overheated, or too prominent, I try to overheat another one”. Meeting times for council and committee work are set well in advance at regular intervals during the school year. As a special school, Ashley has flexibility within the national curriculum and staff skilfully weave in pupil participation. It is significant that Ofsted has recognised this, commenting

“Pupils are fully involved in the development and planning of the work of the school, and they are given very good support, advice and guidance. AS A CONSEQUENCE, their attitudes to learning and their commitment to the school and the wider community are excellent” (emphasis added later).

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The amount of funding Ashley School receives (and has managed to access) is important. It has used its special school status to access resources; its citizenship activities have benefited from outside funding. The school has managed to expand and to build very good facilities with participation as a cornerstone of school life.

There is a dedicated school council chamber, with hi-tech screens where questions and responses are typed as they are spoken, and closed circuit cameras enabling all the school to watch. Students learn that they can have the authority that teachers have. The room is never used by adults, and never for discipline. Staff are honoured to be invited in;

“a room without systems of rewards or punishments, and environment governed by unwritten rules, which emphasises every student’s entitlement to speak, be heard, to listen or be silent”.

It is a small school, and therefore it is easier to include all students; staff know all the pupils very well, and ‘the strong basis of trust’ was commented on by Ofsted.

PERCEIVED IMPACT The teacher that we interviewed in this school believes that participation activities have had an impact on a number of key stakeholders.

Parents: As a result of a focus on democracy and voting, students influence their parents to vote on election days. Engagement with children in a voluntary activity has led to unemployed parents being inspired to work in the community (a parent who renovated garden implements has set up a cooperative of maintaining gardens on his estate. There is a parent now working at the local Oxfam shop and one parent is helping to train the local football team).

Students: Behaviour issues are rarely brought up as an agenda item now. Students debate and can advise the school on behaviour policy. For example, on the recommendation that every school should have a new ‘cool-down room’ to combat rowdy pupils, Ashley students discussed this and said:

• They wouldn’t need cooling down if they were listened to.

• She [Ruth Kelly] ought to give each school a school council room like ours first.

• Most will mess about to get out of lessons which are boring.

Staff: Teachers get into the habit of asking children, for example about factors that help or prevent them learning. There is improved quality of teaching, as teachers get feedback on lessons.

Local and national organisations

• The previous Smoking Committee gave an award to Honda for being the first car manufacturer without an ashtray.

• The Eco Committee helped to prevent two ponds outside the local hospital being filled in to make a car park.

• Ashley was the only special school to take part in the DfES launch of Citizenship Education in London in 2002. It is able to influence mainstream schools and show what can be achieved in special schools.

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ISSUES/ NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTStudents leave the school with great confidence and many skills, but there is a concern that

‘so few of our young citizens find employment in New Labour’s vision of a ‘good’ job’. We teach our students to fly, yet their wings are clipped soon after leaving school’.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLSThe following observations are based on the discussions with Bob Windsor, the Deputy Headteacher

• Start small, maybe not directly with a school council, but an ‘interest group’ (for example a Tidy Britain group). As the Deputy Head commented, ‘the previous Head wouldn’t have a school council, so I started a ‘Health and Safety’ Committee – you need to be devious’.

• Don’t formalise too soon – it takes a long time for a child to become a Chair.

• Get students and parents into decision-making - they want to see action as a result of talking.

• Staff need to get used to children leading things, for example the old ‘smoking committee’ produced anti-smoking games, suggested warnings on packets, stopping smoking in pubs.

• Space is very important – how to make a classroom into a school council chamber, make it look different, even if it takes 5 minutes.

• Don’t meet if you don’t know what to talk about.

ADDRESS AND CONTACTMr Bob Windsor (Deputy Headteacher) Ashley School Cawfield Avenue Widnes Cheshire WA8 7HG Tel: 0151 424 4892 Email: [email protected]

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GREIG CITY ACADEMYLONDON

COMMUNITY WORK BUILT INTO THE CURRICULUM

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DESCRIPTION Greig City Academy is an 11-19 co-educational comprehensive school in Haringey, North London with 724 pupils on roll. It is a City Academy which specialises in Technology with a focus on ICT. The Academy is a Church of England school which welcomes students of all faiths or no faith. 95% of the students come from ethnic minority families, there are 59 different languages and over half the recent GSCE students are from families where English is not the first language. As part of the Academy programme which funds schools in challenging circumstances, Greig City Academy has been open for three years, replacing a previously failing school, and has shown significant improvements in academic results. The Academy also provides a range of extended services, including adult education.

PHILOSOPHY ABOUT ENGAGEMENTThe school realises the need to be a true community school, not just for the important work of enhancing its reputation but to enable students to be part of this community and its development. A social entrepreneur, who works closely with the school, comments:

“The school as part of its local community needs to relate well to a range of people and organisations – parents, primary schools, shops, public agencies e.g. police, local residents, churches and community groups. Developing good relationships can be helped by finding points in common and getting involved in joint activities. Youth participation is not just about political processes/democracy. Young people who will in the end use their vote are likely to be those that have an interest in a variety of issues that matter to them and their families. They will gain and keep those interests if they have plenty of opportunities to practise them and to widen their horizons.”

COMMITMENT TO PUPIL PARTICIPATIONGreig City Academy was selected as a case study because of its strong linking of participation in decision-making to community engagement and community action. This is seen as a way of involving far more pupils than could be reached just through representative councils or forums. There is also a desire to foster students’ sense of responsibility towards the community, and to encourage action for community improvement.


LINKING THE CURRICULUM TO COMMUNITY PROJECTS

The Academy’s strategy for involving students in decision-making, planning and delivery is to provide a range of entry points through curricular and extra-curricular work. These include working through staff who embed participation within the curriculum: for example a teacher may organise a task related to community action as part of their lesson planning. Each department organises its own community links through different partners. There are activities in citizenship education, but also in work-related learning, enterprise challenges and competitions. The school is very strong on music and drama, and encourages students not just to join in, but to organise events and productions.

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SCHOOL COUNCIL

There is a school council managed by the 6th form, which organises annual pupil questionnaires to elicit pupils’ views school issues. All sixth formers have some job in the school (such as mentoring younger pupils, running a club or acting as a library assistant). Sixth formers also decided on the design of their own study area.

SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

Students run a newspaper for other students, covering issues such as the Learning Resources Centre fingerprinting scheme to book reviews and agony aunt advice. One student was reported to comment, “It’s giving us the chance to do our own thing – this is about students taking the lead. We’re very grateful for the support of staff though!” She hastily added.

Students and staff have held a series of assemblies and workshops on the impact of bullying, and have devised new initiatives together.

EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES• Two groups of students have been involved in Police and Council

consultation and debates on youth crime.

• Two groups of students worked on deciding support measures for the adult education programme, and designing solutions, such as crèche facilities.

• Students work with the local Traders and Stakeholders Association, putting on events to attract more people into the area to shop. As part of this, the students helped to organise and market

a carnival fair on the school forecourt, which will now be an annual event. This was led by 6th formers who included the work as part of their BTEC portfolio. Students made their voices heard in the carnival parade to show support for the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign.

• Students organised a session with the local Council, which had a budget for environmental changes in the High Street, and through a computerised consultancy system, brainstormed ideas and made suggestions that were fed into the local regeneration plan.

• A Year 11 student won a Jack Petchey award for a recycling project. He gave a presentation to all staff at the school on recommended recycling systems in the school.

• Students are developing a cooperative club. Ideas so far include a Fair Trade enterprise or an enterprise to provide translation services using the skills of bilingual students.

• There have been specific programmes and events such as Black History Month, Enterprise week. Students organise and take part in musical productions in Haringey and outside the Borough; students organised a primary music party for three local primary schools, which will become an annual event. Students plan menus and decide on the cooking for various community and school events.

• There have been Enterprise Challenge days with external facilitators, which give a range of opportunities for decision-making and planning: deciding on and designing enterprises. Year 11 and 12 competed in the ‘Make Your Mark’ enterprise challenge, whereby the challenge was to come up with a proposal for ‘putting their area/neighbourhood on the map’, and were selected for the regional finals. Students commented on ‘working as a team’, as well as learning more about enterprise.

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ENABLING FACTORSOne enabling factor in developing community links and the commitment of external agencies was the decision by the Academy in 2003 to engage the education team of a social enterprise, Community Action Network, to do this work and to build internal capacity to manage relationships. As capacity has improved the input has been significantly scaled down but support is still provided by a director of that team, now rebranded as Cantilever Partnership.

Clearly, there is much support from the top of the school for pupil participation generally and for the development of the social entrepreneurial and community activities. There is an ethos of encouraging ideas from students and staff, with freedom given to express those ideas. This is linked to a culture that encourages risk-taking, and acknowledges that when mistakes happen, you learn and move on.

There is simultaneously a culture in the school (commented on by Ofsted) which is based on respect and friendliness; staff model such respect, rather than engaging in heavy containment. Staff celebrate students’ work and thank them for their input. Pupils are courteous to each other, to staff and to visitors. There is individual mentoring for younger students, led by older students, that can have dramatic results.

The injection of funds from Academy status enables much initiative. The school council has a budget to spend and there is money from the Jack Petchey Award scheme that can be used for student-led projects.

PERCEIVED IMPACTThis section is based on interviews with senior members of staff and a Cantilever employee.

• Students realise that you do not have to be the academically able to take responsibility for community action.

• Teachers see the relevance to their teaching, and can justify the participation work, as they see the impact on student motivation.

• Local traders welcome students and some see them as their main clients.

• Organising events brings people together – whether students from different groups or schools, or students and adults. This acts as a bridge between school and community.

• Attendance and behaviour are much improved compared with two years ago and exclusions are few. However, this cannot be attributed directly to the participation work. Rather it is due to the broader culture of respect of which participatory activities are just one part.

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ISSUES/ NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENTOne of the perceived needs for future development is to find further meaningful points of contact between students and communities – what sorts of activities can best make a difference locally and what part can students play?

“If students are going to engage in some community issue, it needs to be something they care about and are interested in. Similarly, the issue has to be important for local people outside the school so that they also engage” (teacher).

The school council is seen as important for pupil voice, but is still establishing its status in the school.

ADVICE TO OTHER SCHOOLS• While a dedicated support worker or lead teacher is an advantage,

the real stimulus is the determination of the school to make participation and community action happen. Once people see success, it spirals.

• The school must say ‘we are located here’, that we have a relationship with parents and community, and that there are a number of agencies that matter to our students.

• It is important to identify opportunities for students to encounter real choices and make decisions as part of all curricular and extra-curricular activities. Some students come from homes where decision-taking by young people is not the norm. Being faced with a wide open question can be too daunting. What they need are plenty of chances built into day-to-day delivery so they can learn how to take on responsibility.

• Cross-team work is vital. Some people still think within their professional boxes, so ‘youth participation” is boxed off under citizenship, rather than people across the patch thinking through how they can build in opportunities.

ADDRESS AND CONTACTMr David Hearn (Acting Principal) Greig City Academy High Street London N8 7NU Tel: 020 8609 0100 Email: [email protected] Web: www.greigcityacademy.co.uk

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QUESTIONS FOR THE CASE STUDY SCHOOLS1. The type participation activities that exist in the school.

2. The background of these activities, who generated them, whether they are permanent or a response to a one-off event.

3. How the participation activity was initiated, planned, set up, and sustained. What were the problems and how were these overcome?

4. Whether there are official policies on participation, and who produces these.

5. Perceptions of participation activities by various stakeholders (teachers and students), and how they link to other areas of school life or school outcomes.

6. Who is doing the participating - issues of inclusion (ethnicity, traveller children, children with SEN, gender etc).

7. How are participants chosen - (self-selected, volunteers, elected, compulsory)? What expectations are there of students and their capabilities to participate at various ages and in various arenas?

8. Scale of participation – small group, classes, year groups, and what are seen as the advantages and disadvantages of different types.

9. How far students are involved in areas traditionally confined to adults/staff (e.g. teacher appointments, teaching and learning decisions, complaints procedures); whether there are examples of young people and adults working together as equals.

10. Examples of community participation and effects on the locality.

11. Whether there are examples of political participation, social movements.

12. Connections with NGOs.

13. What budgets are given to student participation activities and structures?

14. Any research/evaluation the school itself has done on impact.

15. Whether or how participation is accredited.

16. What are seen as the outcomes of non-participation?

17. What resistance there is to participation, by students or others?

18. What advice would the school give to other schools who want to do the same?

APPENDIX 1

MINUTES OF THE YEAR 8 STUDENT DISCUSSION GROUP: FOUR DWELLINGS SCHOOLThe following are the minutes of the Year 8 Student Discussion Group at the Four Dwellings School. After this meeting, these ideas were put together and each student from the Discussion Group discussed further ideas and action plans with each tutor group.

Student Discussion Group – Year 8 2.20pm - Room 702

• Meeting started by introducing each other.• Overview of what School Improvement Plan is – representatives were asked to

think about what they feel the behaviour is like in their lessons.• A (student’s name) mentions that one person can cause chaos in the classroom.• J added that one boy disrupted the class by answering back and throwing things

around the classroom.• J thinks that practical tasks encourage good behaviour.• S – hearing aid makes a lot of noise.

Is sending a child out of the classroom a good behavioural technique?• Make child sit on the floor to complete their work.• Sit on their own in corner of the room.

How can we prevent getting into this situation?• Reward good behaviour. • Bad people stay behind after the lesson.• Write half a page about what they should do in the class so they learn at the same time.• Pupils take the stickers out of the planners when detention is given – there needs to be

a consistency with punishments and they need to be followed through.• D feels that some teachers are sexist – allowing girls to chat and boys reprimanded for chatting.• M disagreed.• J that detention should be set to do homework - thus constructive use of the time.• Teachers need to understand background of a child.

What percentage of your lessons are interesting? 50% 50% 5% 50% 35% 40% 50% 45% 25% 40% 5% 50%

What makes these subjects boring?• Lots of writing when it’s not a writing subject.

APPENDIX 2

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• No response to putting hand up.• Too much work too little time.• Lessons unnecessarily boring – could be made fun very easily.• Being very tired in the afternoon, noticeably soon

What is the behaviour like in your lessons generally?Excellent: 0 Good: 4Satisfactory: 6 Unsatisfactory: 1

What is the behaviour like in the corridors generally?Excellent: 0 Good: 0Satisfactory: 2 Unsatisfactory: 11

General consensus is that if there were more teachers around the corridors the problem wouldn’t be an issue.

What can we do to improve corridor behaviour?• Perhaps use the Youth Marshals • KS3 & KS4 Youth Marshals• Youth Marshal in every year group • Teachers standing outside their doors• ADHD pupils swearing – teachers should send them to head of year.

Why should we improve behaviour?• So people look forward to school• Learn more• Stop teachers shouting• Keep pupils with anger problems out of the classroom until the problem is solved

What can we do to improve behaviour generally?• Rewards (Money! Chocolate!)• Target for naughty child to work towards• More contact with home• Most Improved Pupil of the Year Award• Positive referrals are not an incentive!• Convert positive referrals into stickers – maybe a gold sticker• Some people think it’s good to be on report – give pupils the option• Teacher referrals

Meeting closed at 3.15

APPENDIX 2 CONTINUED

EXTRACT FROM THE ‘WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE ACHIEVEMENT?: THE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE’ RESEARCH REPORT, WRITTEN BY ANITA PORTER (2004) AT IMPINGTON VILLAGE COLLEGE.

(pp. 14-15)

4. STUDENT – TEACHER RELATIONS

“We are at an age where teachers can really influence us. I don’t think teachers realise how much influence they have on us. Teachers are people that you remember for the rest of your life.” (Year11 female student)

“Teachers are our role models.” (Year 10 male student)

4.1 Respect / feeling valued and listened to

The participants from each of the year groups agreed that respect and feeling valued and listened to were the three most important factors, with regard to good teacher – student relations. It was seen as essential to feel comfortable around the teacher and to know that you could approach the teacher if you didn’t understand.

“Teachers who gain respect from students are more likely to get more from students.” (Year 10 male student)

“If a teacher is fun and smiley, you want to get on with them, you want to earn their respect.” (Year 9 female student)

“It’s really good when you get to know teachers and they acknowledge you outside lessons. You feel that they are human. This can make a real difference to how you feel about them in the classroom. Going on school trips is the best. You really feel that you know the teachers when you get back. It changes your relationship with them.” (Year 10 female student)

“Being made to feel comfortable around the teacher is so important. You may work otherwise, but you won’t enjoy it.” (Year 8 female student)

APPENDIX 3

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APPENDIX 4 - DESIGNS FROM IMPINGTON VILLAGE COLLEGEAPPENDIX 3 CONTINUED

Being given the opportunity to speak and to be listened to, was seen as paramount with respect to continuing a successful relationship with a teacher. Staff that remained patient when asked to repeat instructions and were happy to explain details more than once, if requested, were considered to be approachable.

“It is often assumed that if you don’t understand you were obviously not listening. By asking for help you often get yourself into trouble, so it is easier not to ask.” (Year 10 female student)

It was important to the students that teachers did not equate not understanding, with not listening. It was felt that occasionally teachers would make the assumption that the whole class understood because a small group of students were giving the correct answers.

“It is easy to assume that everyone is learning and as the academic people have got it, everyone else has.” (Year 9 male student)

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APPENDIX 4 CONTINUED

Part of a programme of work managed by the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

123 INSPIRING SCHOOLS

CASE STUDIES FOR CHANGETAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF PUPIL PARTICIPATION

INSPIRING SCHOOLSA LITERATURE REVIEWTAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF PUPIL PARTICIPATIONPDF download available from: www.carnegie-youth.org.uk

INSPIRING SCHOOLSIMPACT AND OUTCOMESTAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF PUPIL PARTICIPATION

Carnegie Young People InitiativeDownstream Building1 London BridgeLondon SE1 9BG0845 456 1697

www.carnegie-youth.org.uk

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation11 Park PlaceLondonSW1A 1LP020 7297 4700

www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk

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