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Promoting pupil involvement in decision-making, school self-evaluation, and governance alongside staff, parents, and the community. Empowering pupils to have a voice and implement changes. Recognizing and realizing children's rights.
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Pupil participation @ Harlaw Academy • Purposes • meaningful voice in school improvements • pupil involvement in school self-evaluation • consult, inform and/or involve pupils in decisions • promote participation and have issues addressed • autonomy and budget to take and implement decisions • pupil role in school governance alongside staff, parents, staff and community • recognising and realising rights
Pupil participation @ Harlaw Academy • Links to UNCRC: • Article 12 – the right to have a say in matters affecting them and have their views taken seriously • Article 13 – the right to seek and receive information • Article 15 – the right to join groups • Article 29 – the right to an education which develops their talents to the full • Article 42 – the requirement to make the convention known to all children and adults
Pupil participation @ Harlaw Academy • Structure: • Every pupil is a member of the pupil forum • Ideas hub, google group and/or pupil representative. • Each form class has an elected pupil representative • Pupil representatives meet in their 5 house groups – our house of representative meetings • Each house of representative group has a house captain who serves on the pupil senate. • All S4-S6 can serve as a prefect and in S6 they can apply for a head prefect post (up to 4 posts). • House Captains and Head Prefects form the pupil senate. The senate link with other school governance groups and have responsibility for their devolved budget.
Pupil participation @ Harlaw Academy • Organisation • Stage 1: Ideas prompted • Stage 2: Meeting of the ‘house of representatives’ • and pupil senate • Stage 3: Initial feedback of decisions (see below) • Stage 4: Feedback updated and focus for next cycle • House of representatives and the senate can decide to: • ‘reject’ (giving reason for the rejection) • ‘defer’ (for further detail) • ‘approve’ (with information on implementation) • ‘escalate’ (pass on for further consideration/approval)
Pupil participation @ Harlaw Academy • Pathways to participation • Communication/interaction - all the pupil forum can participate through class discussion, google groups and/or the pupil ‘ideas hub’ • Improvement/autonomy – discussions linked to our agreed school improvement priorities. Pupil senate allocate topics to a house/class or convene pupil focus groups discuss a topic and report back. At each level pupils are empowered to take decisions • Leadership/partnership – The senate attend Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Parent Council meetings. Harlaw also has a ‘governance group’ (of pupils, parents, staff and community reps) which meets twice a session to monitor and support school improvement