What is it and why is it important?

Pupil voice in schools means a whole-school commitment to listening to the views, wishes and experiences of all children and young people. It means placing value on what children and young people tell school staff about their experiences.

Children and young people need to be provided with meaningful opportunities to share their experiences, views and hopes about their school. Pupils need to know that it is safe and that it is important for them to express their views on what happens at school. They need to know that what they say is valued and will be listened to and considered.

Schools with a strong commitment to pupil voice, such as NCS,  have reported many positive outcomes. These include a reduction in exclusions, better behaviour, better relationships across the whole-school community, and improving attainment and attendance – all of which can also improve your school’s rating by the school inspectorate.

What does it look like in practice and how we work towards it?

There is no one way that we promote the voice of children and young people in our school.  At NCS we ....

• Create regular opportunities for children and young people to share their views with each other and school staff.
• Vary the ways in which pupils can participate; for example through our ambassadors, tech team, worship team, spiritualists, mini leaders, anti-bullying team, librarians and eco team. 
• Consider how to ensure that all children and young people are being heard, across each age group. 
• Make sure consultation is varied and includes many different aspects of school life. 
• Make sure the values and ethos of the school reflect the commitment to pupil voice. 
• Embed children and young people’s participation into all aspects of school life rather than just seeing it as an add-on. 
• Review regularly
• Trust parents/carers and involve them in decision-making. 

Updated October 2024