Appoint Primary School Children As Your Associate Governors
How better to get constructive feedback on teaching and learning in your school than to ask those with the biggest stake?
- by Jon Rees
“So, we get to be, like, mini Ofsted inspectors?”
This was just one of the excited, wide-eyed responses from the group of Year 6 pupils freshly charged with taking the concept of School Council to the next level. Badges were duly distributed and the team were keen to get out of the classrooms, into the playground, down the corridors and…back into the classrooms, to begin the pupil-led evaluation process.
The thought of additional observations would strike fear into most teachers’ hearts, but add to that the idea of being judged by a pupil (armed with clipboard) and you’d be forgiven for experiencing a full-length spinal shiver and overwhelming pangs of scepticism.
But, once the rigorous advertising, application and interview process had been completed and offer letters had been sent to pupils’ home addresses, we were looking at seven shiny, new and raring-to-go Associate Governors. “Well, children, you’ll be a bit like mini Ofsted inspectors.”
School Councils, when run effectively, can empower pupils to make a real difference in their own schools. But, even with the best will in the world, their accomplishments – while commendable – are often limited to a remodelling of the playground.
This kind of pupil voice is great for giving young learners a say in things that matter to them, but our Associate Governor initiative was designed to give pupils a voice in all areas of school life; a chance to evaluate and help shape teaching and learning so that children could eventually become as excited about being in the classroom as they are about using the new climbing frame in the playground.
The first question, though, was how their findings and recommendations could be shared. In a pupil SEF, of course!
Greenfield E-ACT Academy’s grown-up SEF draws on many perspectives, but until now has overlooked the viewpoint of a majority of the school population; a young group of stakeholders with a unique and most forthright voice.
These Associate Governors were born to gauge achievement, teaching and learning, behaviour and safety and, well, all sections on a typical SEF. Their findings would be shared with teachers and leaders at all levels and be incorporated into whole-school improvement planning. No pressure, kids.
At the preliminary board meetings – chaired and minuted ably by members of the Associate Governor team – an abundance of questions were drafted that would drive the group’s evidence gathering: how do children get the right amount of work to do and how does everyone get the same chances? How does the head set high expectations, and are they high enough? How do teachers help children when they’re ‘stuck’ and is there anything more they could do? These were just some of the quandaries our young team would set off to investigate.
It was a delight to watch them grow in their role. Although initially apprehensive about entering classrooms, they soon began to talk with confidence to their peers, demonstrating great skill and empathy. It became clear that the responses they were receiving were much more forthright and valid than those that might have been gained had an adult asked the same questions.
They led group conferencing sessions with a proficiency and naturalness that no amount of leadership training could instil. They even played a major part in a recent whole-school maths review day, during which they worked alongside local heads and experienced leadership consultants to ensure standards of teaching and learning were consistently high. “I’m tired out! I never knew it was so hard working with children,” said one exhausted but pleased Associate Governor.
Our first pupil SEF is now complete. It has been presented by the pupils to the head, governors and even the CEO. It is becoming an integral part of school improvement.
The Associate Governor project has expanded to include all three Bristol E-ACT schools; the pupils from each routinely get together to share good practice and further develop the role.
Teachers’ fears have been allayed. They don’t feel judged. They have taken great delight in working in collaboration with pupils and seeing them grow in confidence and maturity as they carry out the role.
My privileged position of facilitator became increasingly redundant in a very short space of time.
For more information about running an Associate Governors scheme contact Susan Theobald at srt.ed@btinternet.com
Jon Rees is a Year 6 teacher and literacy lead at Greenfield E-ACT Academy, Bristol.
