Why have a Pupil Parliament?

At Somers Park Primary School we believe that children and young people need to be active members in their own education and to feel that their opinions will be heard. We seek ways to listen to the views of our pupils and involve them in decision-making so that they are engaged as partners in the life of the school. The Pupil Parliament has been set up to develop the ways in which pupils can make a positive contribution to school life and ethos but also broaden the experiences and wider development of our young people.

Pupil Parliament will:

• Provide a forum for the leadership of the school to listen to the pupil’s opinions

• Aid communication throughout the school

• Build the pupils confidence and self-esteem

• Encourage the pupils to be active citizens

• Provide all pupils with a democratic model

• Be a positive forum

• Provide an opportunity for all pupils to be heard

How does Pupil Parliament Work?

Pupil Parliament is divided into three sub-committees – charity and events, pupil wellbeing and interior which regularly meet with their team leader to discuss issues raised by their classes and other important areas that they want to promote and improve. 

Each committee runs meetings with clear agendas where members take on different roles as responsibilities. The committee members work together on their chosen projects, lead meetings with their own classes and discuss challenges and resolutions with different members of staff.  This is to ensure that the views of the school are listened to, debated and acted upon so that Pupil Parliament gets the best outcome for every project.

Once a week, all the committees meet together as a full Pupil Parliament.  Pupils work together to evaluate the progress that has been made, the steps that need to be taken next. We are hoping to run a full school assembly where the whole school is updated on ongoing projects. During assembly, pupils will get the opportunity to question them on their completed work and plans going forward. 

Who can be a member of a Pupil Parliament committee? 

Any pupil from Year 1 to Year 6 can apply for a position on a committee. Each candidate can give a short speech or presentation explaining why they want the responsibility of a role on a given committee and then a class election is held.

What committees are there?

• Interior committee

We will be organising a rota of litter pickers who will focus on different areas of the school: the library, the circulation area, the toilets and playgrounds.  We will be putting up posters to remind everyone to tidy up after themselves children and look after resources to help us keep the school looking nice. Taking care of resources also saves money. We will also be looking to make a Sports Display to show our sporting achievements.

• Events and charity committee

This committee will be organising events to raise money for charities and also the school.

• Pupil Wellbeing committee

This committee will be in charge of looking after the health and wellbeing of all school members. We will be discussing how to encourage healthier lunches, ordering new PE and playground equipment and how we can improve mindfulness across the school by making sure each class is getting mindfulness each day or possibly having yoga sessions once a week.

Pupil Parliament Projects

This year we would like to:

• Improve the KS1 playground.

• Create a sports display to celebrate sporting achievements.

• Raise money for school projects.

• Order PE equipment for both KS1 and KS2.

• Listen to pupils and order new books for the KS1 and KS2 library.

Improve the Pupil Parliament Charity Work

Pupil Parliament wishes to support numerous charities both big and small. Charities that we would like to support include:

*Children in Need

*Autism Awareness

*Cancer Research

*National Deaf Children’s Society

*Comic Relief

We will also be discussing local charities to support and how we can do this.

The Pupil Parliament is extremely grateful for all of the excellent support it has received in previous years from parents and friends of the school to help raise funds for charities and the school. In the up and coming years, it will look again for the support and generosity of the wider school community to help generate funds and ideas and to help make our school a better place.