Welcome to our School Council
We trust Westlea children to help us make the decisions that shape our school and make it the way that they want it to be. Children from Year 1 to Year 6 engage with the democratic process to elect representatives onto our School Council. Each class elects two School Councillors from Y2-Y5, with 4 School Councillors being elected in Y6.
The children who make up the School Council are an important part of our leadership team and we trust them to ensure that the views of all Westlea children are taken into account. We meet every two weeks to discuss issues raised during Class Councils and to decide how we are going to help to move things forward.
Over the past few years, the School Council has:
- Represented the pupils of the school during a range of events
- Spoken to visiting adults about the school
- Organised fund-raising events and raised money for charities (especially when disaster has struck communities in other parts of the world)
- Decided how money should be spent in the playground
- Created links with businesses in the community including TESCO and Wilkinsons
- Helped change the School Dinner menu
- Designed questions for the Pupil Questionnaire
- Become active within local and national government, visiting the Mayor of Seaham and the Town Hall and visiting our MP at the Houses of Parliament
- Represented the school at Remembrance Day celebrations at the War memorial in Seaham alongside other schools and local groups
Some activities our school council have carried out….
- They have organised and timetables a number of events ranging from World Book Day menus, selling Red Nose Day products and installing suggestion boxes in each class.
- They have received training in Campaigning for Change through the Parliamentary Educational services outreach programme.
- They are meeting with Durham’s new mayor and visiting the town hall.
- Carried out an audit on the needs of the school
- Organised and judged a half term Safety competition
- Met with our local MP Grahame Morris and a member of the UK parliament education team.
You too can make a difference.
Parliament comes to school
The UK school parliament team along with Grahame Morris MP visited school to discuss democracy, parliament and explain how laws are made. We had a whole school assembly which was informative and enjoyable.
The School Council and Eco group worked with Gillian Bell from the UK parliament education team surrounding campaigning for change. They discussed the process of beginning a campaign and thought of some excellent ideas where children at Westlea Primary school could influence change. Their tactical strategies and ideas were outstanding. Great role models for school and local community.
The Y6 pupils in school also undertook a workshop explaining about the importance of a vote and how one person can influence and be a catalyst for change. They discussed the suffragette movement and the process of standing up for your beliefs in a democratic society.
Competition Time!
The school council at Westlea wanted to help the children in School keep safe. Over half term they wrote a letter and organised a competition for all children from Nursery to Year 6 asking them to come up with a creative piece of work around the title of How to stay safe.
They got some AMAZING responses and then had the very difficult task of choosing some winners from the entries.
