School Council 2024-25

The following children have been elected by their class to represent them on the School Council for 2024-25. 

How our members are elected

Members of our school council are elected each year by their peers.  They serve for one academic year.  They are elected because they want to make our school even better and our learning even more powerful for everyone.  Their opinions and input are valued. There are regular opportunities in class for children to share improvement suggestions with their class councillors.  Our School Council aims to meet at least half-termly, sometimes more frequently if we are working on a project, to discuss suggestions together.

School Council Projects 2024-25

Recycle with Michael Campaign

The School Council continue to think about ways to encourage children throughout the school to be active Global Neighbours. After looking at different schemes for collecting unwanted clothes, the Council decided that the Salvation Army's 'Recycle with Michael' was an ideal charity to support. Members of the School Council led a whole school collective worship to kick-start the project. In addition to helping support the Salvation Army, we also raised money for the school. Thank you everyone who contributed.

The Lions Eyeglass Recycling Scheme

In the Spring Term 2025, School Councillors announced our involvement in a campaign which aims to support children and adults across the world to access basic, yet life changing, eye health care and glasses. Many people do not get the eye care they need, especially those living in hard-to-reach, rural areas and our children wanted to help! This term, we donated unwanted, unused or old eye glasses and sunglasses to Lions International. The Lions partner with an organisation called ‘Unite for Sight’, providing volunteers from the charity with a supply of spectacles to take with them on missions to countries across the world. 

School Council Book Swap

School Council Projects 2023-24

In 2023-24, the School Council have focussed on making playtimes and lunchtimes an even better experience at our school. They wrote to parents and requested games and activities for wet playtimes - we had so many donations which are all being thoroughly enjoyed. This saved us the need to buy new games which in turn both saved money and reduced the amount of new material having to be produced.

School councillors also wrote to FOSLSS to request a donation for new equipment and games to play outside. Our Year 5 and 6 councillors led a whole school assembly explaining the new toy zones; children are now enjoying swing ball, cricket, limbo, football, frisby, bat and ball games, bouncy hoppers, skipping ropes and much much more! Thank you, FOSLSS! 

Games and Books Upcycling

Thank you to everyone who brought in good quality used books and games so that others could then take these home so that not only did we save money on not having to buy new items but we also saved lots of materials and resources that are made in making these items.

Bottle Top Recycling

Thank you to everyone who sent in bottle tops with which the children made their Christmas decorations thus reducing waste both in the plastic tops and also in the need to buy new decorations. There were so many sent in that we were also able to send lots to charities to also use.

Water for Africa

Thank you to everyone who supported the School Council initiative to raise money for projects run by 'Water for Africa' by wearing something blue or watery. We managed to raise £130 which was then increased when the children decided that the collection from our Harvest Service should also support the same cause.

School Council Actions in previous years

Clothes Recycling

The School Council has been thinking about ways in which we can help the planet by recycling clothes. This will mean that we are not wasting unnecessary resources and damaging the environment by buying new items. We decided to hold a recycled clothes event. Nearly 600 items were donated: that's 600 previously loved clothes which have found new homes and therefore reduced the number of new clothes that need to be bought.

In previous years, following decisions by the School Council, we purchased a fish tank, introduced a new reading reward scheme, created posters on what makes a good learner and bought additional play equipment for the toy shed. Last year, the School Council thought about the effectiveness of our feedback policy, how we challenge ourselves in Maths, increasing choice when ordering a school dinner and making sure we all get to school safely. They also led a whole school initiative about Global Neighbours.

The School Council continued the work on promoting the importance of Global Neighbours. They decided to support the Salvation Army by collecting old school uniform. Following the collection for Christian Aid at the Harvest Service, the School Council voted to support the World Wildlife Fund using money from the collection in the KS2 Christmas Carol Service. The School Council also reviewed tablet use/ screen time and impact on children throughout the school.

Some of the School Council visited Tesco in New Milton where their Community Champion took them around both the store and the warehouse so that they could learn about how Tesco are trying to help with recycling and what we, as shoppers, can do to help.

Sal's Shoes

There are an estimated 300 million barefoot children worldwide. 58 million children worldwide are not in school. 29 million of these are because they do not have the means. In many countries you cannot go to school if you do not have shoes. Therefore, the School Council decided to collect shoes and send them to those children that need them. We managed to collect 100 pairs of shoes to help those children who need them most.

Visit to Tesco to Investigate Recycling

As part of the school's ongoing work as Global Neighbours, some of the School Council visited the Tesco store at New Milton to talk with their Community Champion, Amanda, about the work that they are doing as a company to help reduce the negative impact of packaging as well as the decisions that we can make as shoppers.

First, Amanda talked about how shoppers have a choice between packaged fruit or loose fruit. Then the School Council learnt about the difficulties in recycling 'shiny' plastic but how some bread packaging can now be recycled with plastic bags. Amanda then shared all the things that Tesco are doing to reduce waste before having a look around the warehouse and then a final look around the store at the packaging of soft drinks and bathroom products.

Review of use of tablets/ screen time

The School Council completed a survey across the whole school about the children's amount of screen time at home as well as what websites and apps are being used. As a result of this, they are now preparing a presentation to be shown in school and a letter to parents summarising their findings.

Damage to our planet assembly

In the Spring term, Year 4 School Council representatives, alongside children from their class, prepared and  presented an assembly to the rest of the school about the damage to our planet that is caused by producing all the meat needed for people to eat, and the possible alternatives.