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.