THE POWER OF
STUDENT VOICE
power to improve…
BERNARD TRAFFORD
Student Voice: why?
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ECM/Ofsted
Right in principle
School improvement
Every Child Matters
1. Be
healthy
2. Stay safe
3. Enjoy and achieve
4. Make a positive contribution
5. Achieve economic well-being
Every Child Matters
1. Be
healthy
2. Stay safe
3. Enjoy and achieve
4. Make a positive contribution
5. Achieve economic well-being
Student Voice: what?
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Consultation
Focus groups
Analysis/surveys etc
Working groups
School Council
Democratic participation:
inc. Teaching and Learning
Added Value of School Democracy
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improved behaviour
increased attendance
reduced bullying
better kept rules
warm, mutually respectful relationships between
teachers and pupils (and also among both groups)
strengthened, shared school ethos creating a feeling
of ‘our school’ among pupils and staff
raised levels of attainment, including hard-edged
exam results.
Added Value of School Democracy
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improved behaviour (2.safe)
increased attendance (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve)
reduced bullying (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve)
better kept rules (2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve)
warm, mutually respectful relationships between
teachers and pupils (and also among both groups)
(2.safe: 3.enjoy/achieve)
strengthened, shared school ethos creating a
feeling of ‘our school’ among pupils and staff
(3.enjoy/achieve: 4.contribution)
raised levels of attainment, including hard-edged
exam results (3.enjoy/achieve)
School Council
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Visible symbol of school’s commitment to
student voice and democracy
Monitor of ethos
Agent of change
(School Councils UK
cartoon)
So why do councils so often disappoint?
“Case studies found that school councils were
often limited by a lack of continual student
interest, and that many school councils were
badly organised and promoted. Teachers
also attributed the ineffectiveness of school
councils to a lack of leadership by students, a
lack of support by senior management and a
school ethos that did not encourage
participation.”
(NFER Citizenship Longitudinal Study)
Why do councils run out of steam?
96% of English secondary heads say that
their school has a school council
 45% of secondary school pupils report being
involved in school or class elections
(NFER Citizenship Longitudinal Study)
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What’s are the obstacles to Student
Voice?
1. People?
2. Council?
3. Wider
Voice?
Student
Common causes of school council
underperformance: senior staff
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school ethos does not embrace student
democracy
senior staff do not believe in or support the
council
headteacher not seen visibly and actively to
support the council
the headteacher doesn’t confront (or
persuade in the face of) adult fears about
empowering pupils
Time/energy not devoted to student voice
Common causes of school council
underperformance: teachers
teachers are hostile to/fearful of the
work of the council
 teachers ignore the work of the council
 class teachers/tutors ignore the work of
the council – and the contribution
needed from them
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Common causes of school
council underperformance:
students
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students don’t know council is there
students don’t know what council is for
students don’t know what council does
expectations of what can (or can’t) be
achieved are unreal or unclear
people are shy: unwilling to take a
prominent role
Common causes of school council
underperformance: the council itself
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council doesn’t understand its role
council petitions instead of engaging
actively with problems
council works hard but successes are
invisible
communication between elected
representatives and the grassroots is
poor
More causes of
underperformance:
structure
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the council structure and/or size are
inappropriate
inadequate time given to council
meetings
council meetings held irregularly and/or
infrequently
council meetings not given high-status,
protected time
feedback is poor
More causes of underperformance:
structure
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roles are not clearly understood
training for representatives and council
officers is non-existent or inadequate
boundaries and non-negotiable are not
understood
the council lacks a credible voice because
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council members are appointed or imposed by
staff rather than elected by pupils
the council membership does not reflect the pupil
body
some minorities are excluded from representation
or participation in the council
Making Student Voice work
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Getting the elements in place
Getting the brief right
Head’s support
 Clearly
engaged
 Promotes successes
 Overcomes teachers’ (and others’)
fears
 Develops real democracy: doesn’t
direct or select
Getting the brief right 1
 Understanding
petitioning
(School Councils UK cartoon)
roles: active, not
Getting the brief right 2
Clarity and training
 Involvement at grassroots level
 Communication and staff support
 Clear understanding of roles: another
training need
 Clear boundaries
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Structures and procedures
 Elections:
getting the right people
 Skills
 Structure
and size
 Time
 Protected
 Training
time
Extend Student Voice
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Surveys and promotions eg Healthy Schools: students as
advocates
Peer support: students as counsellors
Conflict resolution
Anti-bullying initiatives
Fixing events/festivals: students as organisers
School newspaper/SV website/radio station/podcasts etc
Appointing staff: students as interviewers
T&L: students as observers
Student behaviour panels
Dangers of building student
voice into school improvement
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School starts to direct student voice instead of
working with it
School Council ‘tasked’
School Council by-passed
Focus/task groups drawn from ‘suitable’ students
School Council loses control of personnel
No room for dissent/negotiation
Pressure to get results diminishes democratic
process
Control takes over from
trust
Trust
If you think the worst of people and show
it, they will often prove you right. If the
systems we design are based on the
principle that people cannot be trusted,
then those people won’t bother to be
trustworthy. On the other hand, if you
believe that most people are capable
and can be relied upon, they will often
live up to your expectations.’ [Charles
Handy (1997) The Hungry Spirit: beyond
capitalism – a quest for purpose in the
modern world]
Trust repaid
Dr Bernard Trafford
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne
b.trafford@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
www.bernardtrafford.com