Local Democracy Week
Primary Conference 15.10.15
Essex schools and children working with Essex County Council
Introduction
Local Democracy Week is a Europe wide initiative run by the
Council of Europe that aims to ‘foster the knowledge of local
democracy and promote the idea of democratic participation
at a local level’.
‘Show me the money’ – budget activity
Working in their school groups, pupils designed a party and invitation to celebrate the 800 year
anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. They had purchasing options and a budget and
made decisions on what they would like to buy with their money. Part way through their
planning, they were faced with a budget cut and had to make even harder decisions.
Following excellent presentations by all the schools, congratulations to the pupils from
Mildmay Junior School who won the budget activity challenge and to Beehive Lane
Community Primary School whose pupils were close runners up.
Mildmay Junior School
Beehive Lane Community Primary School
Local Democracy Session
During an interactive session, the structure of local government was explained and how it
relates to Essex, with its county, city, district, borough and parish councils.
The children discussed various services which are delivered to citizens in Essex and took part
in a discussion and quiz about which type of council is responsible for the various services:
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Recycling services and household rubbish collection, with a discussion about reusing.
Footpaths and roads, discussing why it is important to maintain them.
Leisure facilities and libraries, discussing the range of services found in libraries.
Care for the elderly. They discussed “What is old?” and the aging process.
Planning permission and information about why people have to ask for it.
Community Involvement and Engagement Team
E1 County Hall Chelmsford Essex CM1 1LX
www.essex.gov.uk/yea | yea@essex.gov.uk
|
07966 544459
Essex Quiz
In school teams, the pupils took part in an
“interesting facts about Essex” quiz, learning a
range of historic and sometimes obscure facts
about Essex.
The team from Bardfield Primary and Nursery
School achieved the most correct answers.
Congratulations to all the pupils who took part.
Bardfield Primary and Nursery School
Question and answer panel
The children asked the councillors the following questions across two sessions:
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What are your thoughts on the suggestion that school days should be longer?
What did you want to be when you were at school?
Cllr Jenny Chandler
What are the councillors doing to make sure that we have a
good job when we leave school? Will there be enough good jobs? “I really enjoyed myself
and I think the schools
Could more people achieve their ambitions by studying?
did too.
Could more people carry on their education?
What’s the best and worst thing about living and working in Essex? I would be happy to
attend again.”
How will you help us get a good job when we leave school?
What made you decide to be a councillor and how much do you earn?
Do we really need homework because we learn most of the things at school?
Grateful thanks and acknowledgements for making the day possible:
Schools
Bardfield Primary and Nursery
Beehive Lane Community Primary
Broomgrove Junior
Grove Wood Primary
Henham and Ugley Primary
Ingatestone & Fryerning CofE VA Junior
Kendall CE Primary
Leverton Junior
Maylandsea Primary
Mildmay Junior
Milldene Primary
Silverend Primary
St Osyth CofE Primary
St Pius X Catholic Primary
Theydon Bois Primary
Trinity St Mary’s CofE Primary
Westlands Community Primary
Community Involvement and Engagement Team
E1 County Hall Chelmsford Essex CM1 1LX
www.essex.gov.uk/yea | yea@essex.gov.uk
|
07966 544459
Councillors
Cllr John Aldridge
Cllr Kevin Bentley
Cllr Jenny Chandler
Cllr Nigel le Gresley
Cllr Tony Hedley
Cllr Julie Young