Lesson video

Welcome to today's citizenship lesson.

My name is Ms. Wyatt and I'm so glad that you could be here with me.

Welcome to today's lesson on: "How can we contribute to school decision-making?" from the unit, "How can young people play an active role in democracy?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain why pupil voice matters and how we can all influence decision-makers.

We will be using the following keywords throughout today's lesson, and these are: pupil voice, decision-makers and active citizen.

Pupil voice is the views, opinions, and ideas of pupils about their school experience, which are listened to and considered in decision-making.

decision-makers are people or groups who have the authority to make lasting change in communities.

An active citizen is a person who actively takes responsibility.

They become involved in areas of public concern and tries to make a positive difference in their community.

Our lesson on How can we contribute to school decision-making? is broken up into parts today, with the first part, exploring the question of why does pupil voice matter? And then looking at how we can influence decision-makers.

So when you're ready, let's begin today's lesson.

All children have rights which are guaranteed and protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or the UNCRC.

Article 12 of the UNCRC clearly states that young people have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them and for their views to be taken seriously.

The UNCRC applies just as much in school as it does anywhere else.

For example, when pupils are involved in school decision-making, like helping to redesign the school uniform, they may be more likely to support the outcome because they had a say in how it was formed.

Therefore, pupil voice matters.

Furthermore, when young people participate in the decision-making of their schools, it can lead to better school performance as well as improving life at school for everyone.

When pupils are consulted and listened to by decision-makers, their needs can be met.

For example, Ofsted has found that schools where pupil voice is strong often have higher attendance and better behaviour because pupils feel respected and involved in their school.

Being an active citizen in school life means more than just complaining about aspects of school you disagree with.

You need to become an active campaigner and get involved in your school council or your own campaigning to responsibly let your views be heard.

You need to give feedback in surveys, participate in meetings, and suggest improvements and take action.

So being an active citizen in school does actually mean that you need to become an active campaigner.

You need to get involved with the school council.

It isn't simply just having a moan about things that you don't necessarily agree with.

So for this task, I would like us to fill in the missing words.

We have a few missing words here in our sentences, so please can you pause the video and have a go at filling in the gaps? Okay.

So let's go through our answers together then.

So Article 12 of the UNCRC gives young people the right to express their views and be taken seriously.

When young people participate in the decision-making of their schools, it can lead to better school performance as well as improving life at school for everyone.

You cannot just sit in school council meetings, you need to become an active citizen and use your pupil voice.

So well done if you managed to fill in those gaps with the correct words.

Young people can make a huge difference in their schools, which is a reason why pupil voice matters.

For example, Izzy from Oak National Academy complained through pupil voice that everyone thought the canteen was far too noisy and crowded.

They helped redesign their lunch area and they worked with the head teacher to trial different layouts, resulting in a calmer, more sociable environment.

This shows how decision-makers such as head teachers and governors, can benefit from pupil voice to make school a better place for everyone.

By sharing your opinions, you do not just improve your school, but also prepare yourself for the future.

Izzy strengthened and gained lots of skills by improving her canteen, including: problem solving, she found ways to make the canteen quieter; critical thinking, well, she needed to decide what the best solution would be.

Campaigning, so she needed to make arguments to support her ideas.

Collaborative working, so she worked with other pupils, she met with the head teacher.

Designing and planning, so she had to trial out different layouts.

Advocacy, so she spoke on behalf of other pupils.

So Izzy took responsibility, participated in decision-making and made positive change in hair school community through pupil voice.

Izzy said, "I really enjoyed making a difference in seeing pupil voice result in positive action for everyone.

I think pupil voice is vital for improving school communities." Alex says, "Definitely.

It will always feel good to be an active citizen and make lasting change in a school community.

Well done, Izzy." So let's choose the correct word to complete each sentence about pupil voice.

So which word makes the sentence make sense? Pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, everyone, it's time for our answers.

So let's see how we did.

So the first sentence should say: Pupil voice can be beneficial to make school a better place.

Number two: Pupil voice gives you skills to prepare for the future.

And number three: Pupil voice allows the responsibility to participate in decision-making.

So we have beneficial, future and responsibility.

Well done if we got those right.

For this task, I would like you to imagine your school wants to improve break time.

Write an email persuading decision-makers to listen to pupil voice on this issue and why it's so important.

Try to include the three keywords of pupil voice, decision-makers, and active citizen.

So have a go in a minute at writing an email to persuade decision-makers to listen to pupil voice.

Okay, well done, everyone.

We should have now written an email persuading decision-makers to listen to pupil voice and why it's so important.

So your email might look a little bit like ours.

We said, "Break time is part of our school experience, and we believe our pupil voice should help shape it.

We have the right to share our views as part of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

When pupils are involved in decisions, schools can become a better place.

Behaviour, wellbeing, and even learning can improve when our ideas are respected.

We would like decision-makers, like head teachers and governors to listen.

As active citizens, our opinions may help create solutions that really work because we are the ones who live school life every day.

We have now explored the question of why pupil voice matters so much, and now we're gonna have a look at How can we influence decision-makers? It's important to understand who the decision-makers are in your school.

This might include head teachers, year leaders, school councils, governors, or even the local government.

By knowing who to approach, you can make pupil voice heard more effectively.

So, school leadership often involves a lot of decision-makers, like the ones in this diagram.

So can you see where it starts with you? And then perhaps to your tutor or teacher, and then it goes off into different branches and different people.

By knowing the best person to approach, you can often make more progress when planning to make your lasting change.

You should strive to create a difference as an active citizen in school.

So knowing who to go to when you are making your change is vital.

To be an active citizen in school and influence decision-makers, we need to: keep informed about what is going on in school, what the issues are for young people, and how the school is managed and run.

We need to take part in school activities like the School Council, Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme, support charities and events that the school organises and voting in school elections.

We also need to be a role model for other pupils.

So that means challenge any injustices or any wrongs and supporting other people where needed.

For this task, I would like us to draw a mind map about how to be an active citizen in school.

So how can we get involved and how can we be active in school? Pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, let's go through our answers.

What did we say? So we said: Find out the best decision-makers to help.

Strive to make a difference.

Keep informed about what is going on in school.

Take part in school activities.

Be a role model for other pupils.

And challenge injustices and support those in need.

So maybe you included some of the same things as we did, and if you did, good job.

To influence decision-makers, we must follow a clear process.

Now, there are three steps to doing this.

So the first one is all about getting planning by identifying the need.

What is your issue and what is the need of it? Then we take action.

So we start to put our plan into action.

And then step three is the measure of the impact.

So now the action has taken place, it's time to reflect, evaluate and report your story.

What did we find out? What worked and what didn't go so well? These first two stages of planning and taking action can be described in a five step process.

So this table explains how the first two stages can be completed.

So we need to identify the needs.

So this is any issue within school that you would like to change.

You need to collect evidence.

You need to collect primary and secondary research.

Now, primary research involves collecting new, original data directly from sources, whereas secondary research uses existing data that has already been collected by others.

So what do people want and what are the concerns? These are the questions that we should be asking ourselves when collecting evidence.

We then have cause and effect.

So how can this issue be fixed? How is it affecting young people? What's needed? How would it affect others? You then need to plan the action.

So which decision-makers do you need to influence? How will you create change? And then carry out the action.

How will you campaign? So put these five steps into the correct order to create a clear process to influence decision-makers.

What was the order of those five steps that they need to be, and can you remember? Hopefully you can.

Pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, so our order should be: Identify the issue should be first.

Then we collect the evidence.

Then it's cause and effect.

Then we have to plan the action, and then obviously we carry out the action when all of that is done.

So if we got those five steps in the correct order, well done, you.

Lots of young people think their voice will not be heard, but it is a child's right to have their opinion not just heard, but taken seriously.

And often this can lead to lasting change.

For example, Martha Payne, a nine-year-old girl from Scotland, made lasting change in her school community with the help of her father.

Martha started writing a blog called NeverSeconds, about her school dinners not being nutritious.

She identified a problem, collected evidence by taking photos and planned her action by writing blog posts.

Eventually, Martha got the attention of local counsellors and real action took place.

Her school meals were improved.

Martha did not just complain, she became an active citizen by taking real steps to influence decision-makers.

Martha even went on to win a Pride of Britain Award at the age of 10 and was named Fundraiser of Year because of her charity fundraising on the blog.

You can make a difference in your school by thinking about what needs changing in your community, your culture of the school or curriculum.

Sometimes we might hear others complain and sit around us and and not do anything but just complain.

Sometimes we might think, well, it's no point complaining if you're not gonna do anything about it.

So Martha followed the stages to influence decision-makers.

She identified a need.

So Martha wanted healthier school meals.

She collected evidence, so she photographed her meals and read others' views.

The cause and effect of it was that poor meals led to hunger, health issues, and reduced focus.

She planned the action, so she created a blog with her dad to raise awareness and influence decision-makers.

She carried out the action.

She invited others to share photos.

The blog then went viral with media support, and the outcome of it was that the school actually improved its menu.

So, which decision-makers did not specifically help Martha in her campaign about nutritious school meals? Which ones didn't get involved? Is it metro mayors, local councillors or celebrities? Okay, hopefully we recognised that metro mayors did not specifically help Martha in her campaign about nutritious school meals because it just wasn't an issue for them to deal with.

It's also important to choose the right way to communicate.

This might be a meeting, a letter, a petition, a march, a demonstration or a boycott.

You must be polite and respectful and understand that not everyone is going to have time to help you campaign.

When pupil voice is creative and respectful, decision-makers are more likely to listen.

You are less likely to listen to someone who's rude or shouting and being aggressive.

You are more likely to listen to someone when they're polite and respectful.

Working together as a group can make pupil voice more powerful.

For example, in 2024, the Welsh Youth Parliament helped raise awareness of vaping in schools based on pupil-led surveys.

They met with Government health officials to share findings and suggest solutions.

Teamwork and collecting evidence made their voice louder.

Pupil voice can often be democracy in action.

Being persistent and respectful is key.

So for example, if an important decision-maker does not reply to your request immediately, don't keep asking them in the same way.

Perhaps if you've written an email already and got no response two weeks later, you might try writing a letter instead.

The decision-maker might get hundreds of emails a day, but fewer letters.

So if one approach doesn't work, try another.

Don't give up on that same approach, try a different one.

Andeep is talking about influencing decision-makers.

Now, is he correct? So Andeep says, "You should only be respectful to decision-makers if they are polite first.

If they don't reply to your email, just keep emailing." Is Andeep right? For those that have said no, Andeep's incorrect, you are correct.

You should always be polite and respectful to decision-makers who will ultimately be the ones that can make the changes you want.

If they don't reply to your email, try a different method like writing a letter.

For this task, we need to choose a school issue to improve.

So think about it now.

What is in your school that you would like to improve? Plan how you'll influence decision-makers to create lasting change.

Fill in the chart to outline your campaign steps.

So you need to identify the need, collect evidence, cause and effect, plan the action and carry out the action.

So we're just gonna plan this for now.

So fill in the chart to outline your campaign steps.

Okay, everyone, so your chart might look like this, for example.

So if you've picked a curriculum change, you might say, we need more citizenship lessons.

Pupils feel unprepared for real life challenges.

So collect evidence, you're gonna survey Year 9 to 11 pupils about topics they wish they were taught.

For cause and effect, well, pupils may leave school without life skills, leading to stress or poor decisions in their future.

To plan the action, you're gonna propose new topics like budgeting, government, sustainability to the Citizenship lead.

And then carry out the action.

So you need to meet with heads of department, present survey results, and create a petition.

Alternatively, your chart might look like this if you've asked for the playground change.

So you need added shaded seating.

People say there's nowhere to sit or cool down at the minute.

So collect evidence, you're gonna take photos, gather suggestion box comments, and observe lunchtimes.

For cause and effect, overheating or standing for too long can cause headaches, arguments, or pupils avoiding outdoor time, which isn't good.

Plan the action: you need to gather pupil designs, present to site managers and head teachers, and you need to plan the fundraising because it's gonna cost.

And then carry out the action: well, vote on designs, meet with decision-makers, choose affordable options and fundraise.

Your chart might look like this if you've picked a behaviour change.

So make reward system fairer and more consistent.

That's what you want to change.

To collect evidence on this, you need to compare behaviour logs, survey pupils and staff.

You need to analyse policy pros and cons.

The cause and effect of it is that inconsistency causes frustration and low motivation when it comes to behaviours.

Pupils disengage from the system.

Plan the action: we need to ask senior leaders to review and update the policy with clear, fairer rewards criteria.

To carry out the action: pupil representatives will attend meetings, share feedback, and promote the updated assistant in assemblies.

So our charts might look even different to the ones that we've presented.

And that is fine, as long as you have picked an issue within school and you have planned and filled out the five steps of our chart.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on How can we contribute to school decision-making? And I'm gonna summarise it into a few points for us.

So article 12 of the UNCRC states that children have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them.

Pupil voice can lead to improvements in behaviour, wellbeing, and school environment.

Decision-makers in school include head teachers, governors, and local government.

The steps needed to influence decision-makers to create lasting change are: identifying needs, collect evidence, cause and effect, plan the action and carry out the action.

These are the first two stages of the active citizenship cycle.

Being an active citizen means participating in school decisions to make positive change through campaigning and taking part in activities.

Thank you for your efforts in today's lesson.

I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have, and I will see you in the next one.

Bye-bye.