Pupil Voice

Pupil voice is about developing a culture in school where all children have a voice and the opportunity to play an active role in decisions that affect their learning and well-being.

Aims of our pupil voice:

• Greater inclusive community, where pupils are supported and encouraged to participate
• To provide the opportunity for children to hold positions of responsibility and to ensure impact
• To give children experience of applying for roles and being interviewed (linking to the Careers component of the PSHE curriculum)

Lead staff members: Mrs Rose/Mr Johnstone

Both classes in all year groups from Reception to Year 6 appoint two ambassadors each. These ambassadors have the following roles:

To represent the class to external visitors by welcoming to the class when they arrive. They should introduce themselves to the visitor and describe what they are learning at that time. Learning ambassadors are elected by the class teacher.

To attend the termly School Council/Prefect meeting where they can share any specific class issues and discuss wider issues the School Council may be working on.

To understand how learning is achieved across the school and provide ideas about how this can be improved for pupils.

Conduct termly learning walk where they have an opportunity to see a lesson from a different year group and feedback on how learning happens across the school.

Lead Staff members: Mrs Holdt/Mrs Beischer

A school council is a formal group of pupils within a school who are elected by their peers to represent them and their views. Termly meetings enable pupils to voice their views and opinions on a range of agreed discussion areas. School council representatives gather views of their peers and feedback to their class after meetings. The school council work on fundraising over the year for our chosen charity.

Lead Staff member: Mrs Woolley

Children in Year Six are invited to apply to be School Prefects. Applications are in the form of a letter to the Headteacher followed by an interview. From September 2022, each prefect will have a specific area of responsibility. Children can therefore apply for the area of interest to them. The areas are:

• Pupil Learning
• Behaviour
• Enrichment and well being
• Inclusion and pupil safety
• The environment

All prefects also meet with the Headteacher every term.

Lead Staff members: Mr Noble/Mr Mogan

Our play leaders volunteer their time to support the younger pupils at play times to establish a happy play time for all children. They receive training on how to deliver different games at break time. The role of a play leader promotes children’s well-being, social skills and teamwork. The playleaders organise games for the younger children at breaktimes, promoting good physical engagement and co-operation and most importantly engaging children in fun activities. Playleaders also support with all aspects of school sports days.

Lead staff member: Mrs Lennard

Reading Champions are reading role models and advocates for the importance of reading. They are passionate about reading, well informed of the research and benefits of reading, and are highly motivated implementers of activities that spread awareness and give early literacy a boost. Areas of responsibility:

• Help to keep the class library organised and up to date,
• Recommend book choices to pupils
• Support with early reading in KS1
• Support any book related activities in school such as World Book Day and Book Fairs

Lead Staff members: Mrs McGarvey/Mrs Hyder-Smith

A digital lead is a KS2 pupil who forms part of a digital leader’s team.

Areas of responsibility:

• Support of computers and chrome books across the school
• Share skills and expertise with other pupils, classes and teachers
• Set up equipment
• Have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe with technology and share with others
• Work with the Digital lead staff members to create and present communication to children and parents
• Create ‘how to guides’
• Help staff keep up to date with the latest online pupil trends
• Feed into whole school IT decisions
• Take part in computing club

In KS1 each class will select a weekly ‘Helping Hand’ leader.

This pupil will be a class role model who will lend a willing hand with a range of jobs in the classroom specified by the class teacher. This pupil will highlight the RIDGE values in the way they behave.