School Parliament

SO WHAT IS SCHOOL PARLIAMENT?

To put it simply, it is all about pupils participating in the organisation of Whaplode Church of England Primary School. Pupils do this by representing the voices of their peers and taking part in formal meetings throughout the school year. The parliament is actively involved in encouraging the rights of all pupils to be involved in decisions that affect them and their education.

HOW DOES IT WORK AND WHEN DID IT START?

The School Parliament is made up of representatives from every year group from 1-6 (known as ‘MSPs’ – Members of the School Parliament) giving a total of 12 members. The Parliament is led and managed by a team of students consisting of the school’s Pupil Principals and Deputy Pupil Principals, alongside their supporting Cabinet. The purpose of School Parliament is to allow pupil voice to be a key part of the organisation of Whaplode Church of England Primary School. It is envisaged that the School Parliament will have many successes in positively influencing school policy.

Ministers are responsible for: Communicating to the class what has been happening in Parliament (eg: activities that have been organised). Communicating to the parliament what has been happening in the class (eg: any suggestions for issues/concerns/ideas that they believe should be brought to the attention of the School Parliament). Conducting occasional class meetings and filling in responses in the School Parliament book in preparation for School Parliament meetings.The Parliament meets termly, sometimes twice termly.

The areas of focus for the parliament are:

Teaching and Learning
The School Environment
Community and Fundraising
Health, Sport and Recreation
Publicity and Communication
Church School

Here is an outline of the responsibilities of each cabinet:

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Assisting teachers with special events, e.g. Book Fair.
Collecting children’s work to be displayed in the school hall once a term.

CHURCH SCHOOL

To play an active role in planning, leading and evaluating collective worship

To support the development of Whaplode as a church school
Keep reflection areas tidy
Writing prayers for collective worship
Demonstrate how to use our school values
Help staff in collective worship with a range of activities and tasks

COMMUNITY AND FUNDRAISING

The selling of merchandise for charities
Organising publicity for fundraising
Presenting local competitions to classes
Showcasing local cultures that our students are members of.

HEALTH, SPORT AND RECREATION

Ensuring the playground is kept tidy and safe.
Supervising the sport store – keep it tidy, check equipment, ensure equipment is returned to the right place
Assist with distribution of sporting equipment for weekly sport and at lunchtimes
Liaise with teachers to help organise sporting events.
Discuss with students correct care and safety when using sports equipment.
Help students in the playground develop positive friendships and encourage them to play safe, inclusive games.
If rules or rosters are needed for games they would be asked to make rulings/rosters and put them in print if needed.

THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Increasing school awareness of special Environmental days.
Advertising environmental concerns
Educating others in environmental matters
Discussing and implementing strategies to keep the environment clean.
Liaising with Miss Padley about issues, which arise in the school environment and presenting these issues to students.
Investigate ways in which we can recycle at our school.
Having an active role in the development of our Forest school.

PUBLICITY AND COMMUNICATION

Showcasing each class in the newsletter
Discussing and implement ways in which we can welcome visitors and new families into our school.
Increasing parental involvement
Using a variety of forms of communication to keep the school community informed of activities within the school. This will be through newsletters, the school’s website and signage around the school.
Informing classes about meeting times for Parliament.
Helping with publicity for school events (eg. posters, announcements at assemblies and to classes).
Writing Parliament reports after significant meetings to share our progress.