School Council

Our school council is an elected group of children who represent their class at regular meetings discussing a wide range of school issues. It gives our children the opportunity to be involved in decisions about the school, allows them to make suggestions and voice opinions about issues that concern them. School council have the chance to develop areas of school priority or importance. They help the headteacher to improve standards in school.

Each year, in October, the school children vote for their new school council member. This is done by a rigorous process:

1. Children apply for the position using a written form
2. Children present their application by sharing it orally with the class in a presentation
3. There is a whole school secret ballot / election with a voting booth, ballot forms and a ballot box
4. The current school council support the headteacher in the counting of votes to ensure transparency and accuracy in results
5. Results are announced in a whole school assembly 
6. All candidates are thanked for their bravery and resilience - it takes confidence to put yourself forward and this is applauded

We strive to craft confident and articulate leaders who can share their views to any audience and apply their leadership skills to real life situations. 

In our Pupil Voice Questionnaire in July 2023, Year 2 expressed that they would like more opportunities for leadership roles in school. In October 2023, the new school council included a Year 2 representative too!

In recent years, the school council has supported the headteacher to improve dinner times. The school council visited a local school who had already started their improvement process. As a result, Styal's school council changed the organisation and size of tables in the hall to allow for friends to have conversations at the dinner table. Children also remain in the hall for 15 minutes of the hour - this has allowed the experience to be less rushed, more enjoyable and more of a restaurant feel. On each table there are also signs containing a 'conversation starter'. The midday assistants support all children to have a conversation - just like at a restaurant! For example, children may discuss 'Would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands? Why?'

The school council have also been concerned about the parking on Altrincham Road and the number of cars driving down the cobbles. They are in the process of helping the headteacher purchase signs to warn families and the community of children walking down the road at pick up and drop off times.

School Council Visit to St Benedict's October 2022

Our school council met other councils from local schools. We talked about the role of a school council. A Cheshire East Local Councillor taked to us about how his job is very similar to ours. Other visitors talked to us about how local councils help to keep roads safe with signs, road gritting and road safety talks.