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UK: School listens to student suggestions, everything magically improves

THERE'S magic in the air at a school where pupil power has led to top marks all round.

Exam results, attendance and behaviour have been improved at St Peter's RC High, Belle Vue, Manchester, where youngsters get a say on everything from school dinners to lesson plans.

Students are also now offered cinema trips as an incentive for regular attendance along with one-off learning days featuring lessons in drumming and magic following calls from the pupils.

A project developed at Manchester University means they get to have a say on everything from school dinners to lesson plans.

Last year, the school had the most improved attendance in the city and the numbers of students achieving good GCSE grades jumped from 19 per cent to 49 per cent. The 850 pupils filled out surveys covering every aspect of school life.

Survey

Student focus groups were also formed and the school council was given more powers to suggest new ideas.

Cathy Fitzwilliam-Pipe, the assistant headteacher, said: "We gave them a survey which had about 50 questions, asking them if they found lessons interesting and what changes they would like. We're continuing to take on board what they say. Children are the ones that know what they need and what they need to do. We have had lots of good suggestions."

More than half of pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds and suggestions included more lessons on the countries where students or their families originated. Students are also now offered cinema trips as an incentive for regular attendance and one-off learning days featuring lessons in drumming and magic, following calls from pupils.

At Temple Primary School in Cheetham Hill, listening to pupils' suggestions has seen a fall in playground arguments.

Pupils are appointed as monitors to resolve disagreements and children have also formed their own listening group in which they give advice on each other's problems.

Deputy headteacher Hatim Kapacee said: "We have listeners who brings protagonists together to mediate and hopefully resolve the problem. It has cut down on a lot of unhappiness and reduced the potential for bullying.

"And the school council and monitors go beyond the norm, providing active feedback on the way the school is run."

Posted by: SoulRiser
Source Article

Posted in: News on August 5, 2006 @ 12:00 AM

Tags: School

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