Melanie Lloyd shares key takeaways from her experience of leading on pupil voice at Bishopston Comprehensive School, a NACE member and Challenge Award-accredited school in Swansea, Wales. 

We are proud of our thriving School Senedd at Bishopston Comprehensive School.  Based on our experience, here are six steps to building an effective pupil voice programme…

1. Have a clear vision 

A well-structured pupil voice programme can transform the vision and direction of a school, making it feel more inclusive and empowering to all. As a first step, ensure there are key members of staff acting as facilitators working for the pupils, providing the necessary resources and support to enable them to enact change. At Bishopston, we have a designated pupil voice section in the whole-school development plan, meaning that students’ perspectives are integral to supporting effective self-evaluation and shaping the school’s future priorities. Shared goals and collaboration between pupils and staff help to foster a positive school culture and this has given school improvement purpose and direction.

2. Empower learners by providing a diverse range of ways to share their voice

There are various ways to effectively gather pupil voice, such as whole-school surveys, pupil forums and questionnaires, but it is also important to meet regularly with your students to maintain engagement. Consider modelling your pupil voice programme on a parliamentary system with sub-committees focused on developing different aspects of school life – for example, Environment or Diversity. Sub-committees can help to expand your council beyond those democratically elected, to allow everyone to be involved, not just a select few. In our School Senedd, sub-committees meet every few weeks to review not only the whole-school priorities, but also each committee’s specific area of development. This approach adds focus and provides a wider scope, while also ensuring inclusivity and representation – for example, including members of the Specialist Teaching Facility.

3. Involve pupils in all stages of curriculum development

Provide pupil voice opportunities to challenge students to become leaders of their own learning. Beyond everyday decision-making, pupils should be given opportunities to actively participate as stakeholders in shaping and co-constructing their own curriculum and learning resources. At Bishopston, we harness pupil voice data to co-design resources, with pupils providing invaluable insight into the language and approach that would be relatable to the target audience. This collaborative approach between staff, pupils and external agencies ensures the curriculum remains engaging and relevant.  Becoming part of the development process, review and adaptation of curriculum resources and policy change also contributes to the metacognitive and critical thinking skills pupils need to become lifelong learners.  

4. Create authentic enrichment opportunities in the community

Creating opportunities with partner agencies to work on community projects helps to create authentic enrichment opportunities for pupils. Our school has forged long-standing links with the local council, the Welsh Youth Parliament and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, collaborating on a range of projects. We are particularly proud of the Gower Field to Fork project, which brought together several local farms and a local food distributor in a series of activities that saw pupils visiting the farms, learning about food sources and food preparation, the importance of farming, and sustainability before deciding on a new canteen dish made from locally sourced food. Real-world experiences like this can prove impactful for pupils and the wider community.

5. Connect with other student councils to share excellent practice

Create valuable cross-school pupil voice opportunities. As a school, we host Pupil Voice Professional Learning Community events, inviting secondary schools from across the county to our school to work on co-constructing the joint Swansea Schools “What Matters to Us” manifesto. Pupils develop, review and present in council chambers and to their respective schools. Directly influencing council policy, this kind of practical experience fosters pupils’ understanding of different perspectives, challenges and solutions, whilst the sharing of excellent practice has also proved beneficial to both staff and pupils. Consider if there are similar relationships that your school could develop. 

6. Listen, regularly feedback, review and adapt

Listening to and acting on feedback is fundamental to any pupil voice programme as it demonstrates that pupils’ opinions are valued and that their voices have impact. When reviewing our pupil voice programme, we looked to consider whether our students were able to see evidence of tangible change. It was also beneficial to consider how we were communicating feedback on decision-making to the rest of the school. Was this teacher-led, or were the pupils being challenged to communicate the feedback themselves? Providing regular opportunities for pupil-led feedback via assemblies, visual displays or digital platforms, such as social media and podcasts, has helped to develop pupils’ leadership skills, as well as keeping the whole school community informed in real time.  

Ultimately, the success of any pupil voice programme relies on its ability to value pupil voice as an activator of change and improvement. Successful pupil voice is an essential aspect of ongoing self-evaluation and school improvement where we continually adapt based on the views and needs of the pupils. By adopting a reflective approach, educators can successfully create a school culture in which every voice matters.

Denise Yates shares 16 tips for schools to work effectively with parents and carers – including some applicable to all, and some of particular relevance for families of children with dual and multiple exceptionalities (DME).

A positive relationship between pupils, parents/carers and professionals is essential for every child and young person in school to ensure they thrive and achieve their personal best. Research studies report time and time again that the benefits which can be realised in school from working well with families range from higher school attendance rates, better academic progress and more effective problem solving to secure solutions to challenges encountered along the way. 

Some practical suggestions for working effectively with parents and carers will apply to every child, regardless of where they live, the type of school they attend, their ability or special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are worth listing to remind professionals of the positive difference getting them right can make to a pupil’s school journey. 

In addition there are other suggestions which, whilst far from unique for families who have children with dual and multiple exceptionalities (DME) – meaning they have high learning potential as well as special educational needs and/or disabilities – can make a disproportionate impact on the positive education, learning and school experience of these pupils at all ages. 

These first eight suggestions are relevant for working effectively with the parents and carers of every pupil:

1. Treat all parents and carers with respect and take their concerns seriously, no matter what they are.

2. Have an open-door policy which recognises the flexibilities the school needs to make to address the different challenges parents and carers face in their day-to-day lives.

3. Be a parent-friendly school and regularly involve parents and carers to review how it can be made more parent-friendly. A named person for parents and carers to contact about specific issues? Easily accessible noticeboards for parents and carers? Parent reps for each classroom? Flexible meeting times? Use of technology? Alternatives to technology for those who cannot access it? Thinking out of the box to engage with parents and carers?

4. Have a jargon-free school or at least an approach which explains the jargon used. Few of us, even in school, understand all the abbreviations we use in our education life. Yet this jargon can exclude many parents and carers who may not feel confident asking what it means. Make it easy for everyone to be on the same page.

5. Develop appropriate meeting frameworks to give parents and carers confidence. Not every parent or carer is used to meetings. Without patronising, outline structures and ask everyone what they want to achieve. Having someone to make notes and circulate these, along with clarity on who will do what and when, can help everyone to understand the agreed action plan.

6. Remain calm and positively problem-solve any challenges parents and carers bring to you.

7. Develop honest relationships based on mutual respect and trust.

8. Involve parents and carers as much as possible as experts on their own child.

Some additional suggestions which are important to remember in working effectively with parents and carers of children with DME:

9. Keep an open mind. DME can present very differently at home than at school. A child who ‘flies under the radar’ or is badly behaved at school may be doing the most amazing things at home without the pressure of having to conform to others’ expectations. Conversely, a child who hits out or suffers from high levels of stress and anxiety at home may be the ‘perfect pupil’ at school and give no cause for concern. You and your pupil’s parents and carers need to work together to build a picture of the ‘whole’ child and then put in place a joint action plan to address areas of individual concern.

10. Listen and learn about DME, what it can look like and how to spot it. By the time many parents and carers come to talk to you about DME, they will have done some research for themselves. Even where they haven’t, some of the things they say may lead you to suspect a child may have DME. When a parent is trying to understand why they see their child’s abilities or ‘flashes of brilliance’ in some areas, whilst they struggle with even the most basic activities in others, your DME alarm bells should be ringing. Make a list of strengths and areas of struggle so you can navigate the DME maze together.

11. Provide parents with customised action plans which use their child’s areas of strength to support their struggles. Taking ‘off the peg’ activities for either pupils with high learning potential or those with SEND will not work. These will often not inspire the child to learn. Many parents and carers start their DME journey in the SEND world, due to such things as the legal structures and frameworks in place (now sorely lacking on a national basis in the gifted and talented world). But ignoring their need for higher-level work delivered at a faster pace can often make a child’s learning journey worse. Negative outcomes can include social, emotional and behavioural problems, school anxiety, phobia and refusal, and worse. Working with parents and carers to meet their child’s higher-level learning needs, whilst providing scaffolding support for areas of struggle, will help you to earn respect and develop positive relationships with parents and carers of DME pupils.

12. Understand that a pupil’s response to their DME may change over time. This will depend on a range of factors, including the child or young person’s levels of resilience, their sensitivities, their abilities and their SEND. For example, in early primary school (or equivalent), a child with DME may have no sense of self or awareness that they may be different from others. In secondary school, without like-minded others to understand, support and celebrate these differences, a child with DME may become isolated and develop social, emotional and mental health problems. These changes need to be recognised and support provided before they become significant problems in the classroom and beyond. 

13. Recognise and celebrate difference in the classroom and beyond. A pupil’s school journey can also be affected by the way they are viewed and treated in school and school philosophy towards such things as inclusivity and celebrating difference. A DME ‘champion’ or mentor for a child, along with a named person with whom parents and carers can consult openly about their concerns, can go a long way to building trust with parents and carers. 

14. Work with parents and carers AND pupils. Many pupils with high learning potential and DME have strong opinions on what they need and how they should be treated. This can make the pupil-parent-professional dynamic quite sensitive, particularly where there is disagreement in approach between, say, pupil and parent. Working effectively with parents and carers alone is not enough and there needs to be a three-way relationship. In such situations, it is important not to blame parents or carers or to identify them as the drivers of a situation, particularly where it is negative and/or getting worse. Behind closed doors, the dynamics may be very different indeed and parents/carers often report their children’s skills and capacity for leading or controlling situations themselves. 

15. Recognise that parents and carers with DME children may come into school as a last resort. They may be at their wit’s end trying to solve the problems they face and their language and behaviour may reflect this. Remember, you may not know what has been going on at home before you meet with the parent or carer. You may also not be aware of a range of things in the parent or carer’s mind before they came to meet you, including their own experiences of or attitudes towards education, their fear or nerves about meeting the professional working with their child and a whole range of other things. If we see behaviour as a form of communication (as many of us do when it comes to pupils) what is the parent or carer trying to communicate through their actions or language? Frustration? Anger at a problem unsolved or not heard? Fear? Listen calmly and see through this to problem-solve solutions which can be tested in partnership.

16. Be honest. Whilst solutions can be found – where there is a will – to most problems we face in education, sometimes the preferred option is not viable in a particular school setting. Where this is the case, although it may not seem like it at the time, honesty about what can or cannot be done to support a pupil is often the best policy. This gives parents and carers the chance to think about alternative solutions, including moving to another school where needs can be better met. This should not be seen by anyone as failure but as the mature outcome of a positive relationship between families and professionals. 

In the past, parents and carers were told what was going to happen to their child in school. Then they were consulted. Then, a few years ago we had parental engagement. We now have coproduction. Developing clear policies and practices about how parents, carers and pupils will have a voice and involvement in decision-making makes sense for all families (including those which have DME children), will benefit everyone and should be actively encouraged and supported.

Read more: 12 steps to maximise the potential of pupils with DME in the classroom

About the author
Denise Yates has worked in education and training for over 38 years with a focus on enabling all individuals to maximise their potential. After 10 years as CEO of Potential Plus UK, she left in 2017 to pursue her passion, which could be summarised as ‘hidden potential’ – focusing on supporting children and young people with DME, those with mental health problems and those who have been failed by the system, for whatever reason. Denise is currently a Board member of The Potential Trust, Nisai Education Trust and Potential In Me. She is also an adviser with Citizens Advice in her local area. 

Denise Yates is co-author with Adam Boddison of The School Handbook for Dual and Multiple Exceptionality, and author of the new book Parenting Dual Exceptional Children. You can follow her on Twitter @DeniseYates_

Special offer: To benefit from a 20% discount on Denise Yates’ new book, Parenting Dual Exceptional Children, enter discount code Yates20 when purchasing the book from the Jessica Kingsley website by 31 August 2022.  

1. Recognise what worked well

2. Reset expectations

3. Check that parents know how to seek support

4. Only use evidence-based approaches

5. Ensure that all staff and parents have access to high-quality information

The context

10 recommendations to maintain consistency of provision for more able learners in a cluster

1. Secure support at leadership level in all partner schools.
   
   
2. Engage colleagues and encourage sharing of personal experiences. Many will have unique stories to tell. Involve colleagues in pupil nominations so they have a vested interest in the growth of their learners.
   
   
3. Take the child, their family and their class teacher on the journey with you. Find the most important ‘cogs in the wheel’ for your individuals. As well as parents, we have taken grandmothers and aunties to universities for the first time as part of our work with The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme (see below for more details). All parties can learn from the experience, and each is important.
   
   
4. Know your individual pupils and families. Link with pastoral teams and teaching colleagues to learn about individual circumstances and the bigger ‘picture’ – gaining a wealth of intelligence that will support success.
   
   
5. Prioritise communication to all partners, especially hard to reach families. Some may prefer the traditional written form or telephone call, while others prefer the convenience of electronic communication.
   
   
6. Raise the profile of your provision – promote and publicise around the school community and online using social media. Regular updates and photographs are popular.
   
   
7. Be flexible and resilient. Our provisions have run continually throughout the two-year Covid pandemic, utilising the developments in online learning and online communications. Our high pupil expectations should not waver.
   
   
8. Seek honest feedback and prepare to refine your offer. Some partners prefer an anonymous electronic survey, whilst others welcome a face-to-face conversation.
   
   
9. Identify local role models, be it past pupils or local personalities, who have succeeded from your area. Being able to relate is a powerful motivator.
   
   
10. Identify an individual’s worries and overcome those barriers. We have adapted our provision to increase the focus on issues such a student finance and self-esteem, which our children and families commonly raised.

Example: a cluster-wide programme for more able learners in Years 5 and 6

• Challenging courses on subjects beyond the curriculum, taught by a PhD researcher.
• Opportunity to engage with new and challenging topics and ideas – from “Mathematics: Lying with Statistics” to “Anthropology and Archaeology: Making a Museum” or “Business, Brewing and Brawls: the Role of Women in Medieval Towns”.
• Experience of university-style learning in small group tutorials.
• Two visits to competitive universities. So far our pupils, their families and class teachers have visited Oxford, Bath, Cardiff Universities. Our PhD tutors have also provided insights on Nottingham, Swansea and Bangor Universities.
• Develop key university-readiness skills, including self-efficacy, critical thinking and metacognition.
• Cited as an effective use of Pupil Premium/Pupil Development Grant by Ofsted/Estyn.
• Supports the school to meet Gatsby Benchmarks 3 and 7; embedded into wider careers programme.
• Supports KS2-3 transition.

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• Developing a whole-school approach to more able: roles and responsibilities
• How to collaborate in a cluster to develop provision for more able
• 10 ways to support more able learners in KS2-3 transition

Education Secretary Damien Hinds recently challenged all schools to become free of single-use plastic (SUP) by 2022 – but learners at NACE member Upton House School simply weren’t willing to wait that long. More Able Coordinator Melinda Ward shares the school’s student-led journey to going plastic-free…

A few months ago, we never could have imagined the impact one open-ended question would make as part of our drive towards achieving the NACE Challenge Award. The journey has been jaw-dropping and inspiring, with our pupils leading the whole school community into a force that has recently seen us become the first school in Berkshire to be awarded the coveted Plastic Free Status.

It started with one open-ended question, posed in an enrichment session with more able learners in Year 6: a world with or without plastic?

Pupils were given time to research and continued their mission at home. The facts that flooded back were horrifying and the effort put in exceeded expectations, leading to even deeper research and analysis. We learned about fake news, and how to consider sources and contexts.

From research to action

It soon became clear that learners were not content to simply research without acting. The Single-Use Plastic Alternative Committee (SUPA) was formed, with an invitation extended to all pupils who wanted to join the campaign to rid our school of SUP.

By the following week a band of 28 dedicated children were coming into school an hour early (with others on a waiting list) to passionately work on the campaign. Roles were allocated according to personal strengths (research, communications and so on) and a mission and action plan drawn up. Negotiation, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and planning skills were being honed ready for action!

The mission? To rid our school of one piece of SUP per month until we could do no more.

Getting the whole school on board

Students created a PowerPoint presentation to share their project with the school’s senior leadership team. With their support, this was rolled out across the whole school, to parents and members of the local community. The response was amazing and the committee was given the green light to go for it with the support of the full Upton community. #PowerToThePupils!

To watch a video of the students’ presentation, click here.

Get (plastics) out of the kitchen!

Our next task was to find out where SUP was most in use. Surveys and questionnaires helped the girls realise that the kitchens were their first port of call. Initially our kitchen manager declared the mission “Impossible!”, but another personal presentation resulted in her full support and negotiations started about what would be first.

The children researched SUP alternatives: beeswax wraps, silicone covers, reusable sandwich wraps… As they learned more about health and safety restrictions, they began thinking laterally and persevered with their problem solving.

Resourceful solutions

Equipped with ideas and passion, learners organised an information desk for parents and other visitors, explaining the problem and showing viable alternatives to SUP.

In January we banned all single-use plastic bags used for snacks and lunches – opting for hessian nets, recycled plastic boxes and good old brown paper bags instead. Staff pledged to abandon single-use coffee cups (filled with plastic underneath that paper) and we now all have beautiful reusable cups.

In February SUP water bottles were banned from school grounds, with SUPA’s art directors designing posters asking parents to do the same and communication directors putting the message out through our weekly newsletter. The school bursar asked SUPA’s research directors to suggest suitable water fountains for refillable bottles (meeting certain criteria), and the older children made phone calls to appropriate suppliers.

In March plastic carrier bags were banned and alternative up-cycled T-shirts are being designed ready for International Plastic Bag Free Day on 3 July. The children are bursting with ideas and it’s going to be a busy few months putting their designs into production, with all proceeds to our favourite plastic-free charities.

In April we are banning drinking cartons (which take up to 300 years to decompose) and in May we’re hoping to go back to good old-fashioned glass milk bottles. Our trip packed lunches have already seen a reduction from six items of plastic per lunch to one (crisp bags are yet to be hit!).

Extending the campaign’s reach

Amongst all this, students’ business email, formal letter writing, presentation and professional communication skills have been sharpened. They’ve written to Mr Gove and Mr Hinds asking for support at government level, as well as supermarkets and IT companies to request the removal of SUP packaging.

We’re lobbying cafes and fast food companies now, and students are planning to share their expertise by running an information desk in the town centre.

In extending the reach of our campaign, we’re loosely following Greenpeace’s A Million Acts of Blue toolkit. We were also lucky enough to come across a wonderful group of volunteers called Plastic Free Windsor – part of national charity Surfers Against Sewage – who have supported us along the way.

We’ve had guest talks from a Greenpeace representative; ethical pet food supplier Lily’s Kitchen on packaging; and a free diver about changes she’s noticed in the oceans. We’ve received support from our local MP as well as councillors and other organisations, and our message has spread far and wide.

Try typing “Upton House plastic free” into Google to see a selection of our national and local interest.

What next?

We’ve realised these young people can rise to any challenge they feel passionate about – if they are allowed a voice and the chance to lead. This falls within Element 5 (communication and partnership) of the NACE Challenge Framework and has certainly made a positive contribution to the environment and connected us even more firmly with our local community. Our SUPA members are aged 9-11, so teacher guidance has been necessary, but the ideas and actions are all theirs and the educational and personal benefits have been staggering.

One child, who not so long ago was too shy to read in front of a group, recently carried out her own survey on public opinions of SUP in the town centre and was first to volunteer to be on the information desk! Another, one of our budding young scientists, carried out experiments on onion membranes to research possible SUP alternatives. Throughout the journey the children have found themselves taking risks and going beyond their known capabilities – contributing to our focus on developing Element 3 (curriculum, teaching and support) of the Challenge Framework.

The creative thinking and problem solving is amazing and endless. As staff we are swept along with it overjoyed. By the end of April our actions are on target to save 12,117 plastic bags, 850 bottles, 297 metres of clingfilm and a whopping 10,668 cartons per annum. That’s without counting the savings being made by parents at home inspired by their children.

We’re now planning a “plog” (plastic litter pick whilst we jog) and our committee’s IT directors are investigating setting up a website with fun ideas to educate other schools. Requests to make a “plastic -free mocumentary” have also been put forward!

A local nursery has asked our children to run a session with their little ones about reducing plastic use, and other schools locally and nationally have been in touch asking for information and support. In response, we’re creating a “How to be SUPA” manual for students of any school.

Being awarded Plastic Free School Status was a huge milestone, and we want a banner on our gates to encourage others. Not a plastic one of course… Anyone know anything about Bioflex?!

Feeling inspired? To share your school’s own story, and/or to request a copy of Upton House School’s “How to be SUPA” manual, get in touch.