Pupil Voice
Volunteering is an activity that everyone can get involved in and benefit from. At St Luke’s, we promote and encourage pupils’ active citizenship and positive contribution to the school and wider community. We offer lots of opportunities for pupils to take on new responsibilities and be involved in successfully supporting the life and work of the school. These include elected representatives on our School Council, Eco Ambassadors, Digital Leaders and Sports Leaders. Older pupils can also apply and be interviewed for positions such as Prefects and Librarians, and within classes children can volunteer to take on various responsibilities ranging from lunch duties, to collecting and distributing registers, to helping with the organisation of equipment in assemblies.
We actively promote pupil leadership opportunities, enabling your child to develop valuable communication, organisation and debating skills. Providing these key roles of responsibility are paramount to their development and learning experience.
Involving children as volunteers is very empowering:
- It helps them to develop self-confidence.
- It promotes self-esteem.
- It develops their skills as leaders.
- It involves them in making their own decisions.
- It gives them a voice in the life and work of the school.
- It offers them opportunity to take responsibility
- It enables them to make a positive contribution to the work of the school and wider community.
- It helps to prepares them for the challenges and opportunities of adult and working life.
Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be, and rising to the challenge that additional responsibility brings.
Our Pupil Leadership Team consists of:
Safeguarding Ambassadors
As part of our work on pupil safety and well-being we have a group of children who act as Safeguarding (keeping Sage) Ambassadors. These children are supported by the Designated Safeguarding Leads to help pupils stay safe in and out of school. They help lead assemblies and make presentations that focus on Anti-Bullying, Staying Safe and out of School. They also run drop-in sessions at lunchtimes for children across the School to come and share any concerns they may have.
Who they are:
They help make sure everyone in school feels safe. Their job is to be friendly and approachable so that pupils feel comfortable talking to you if something is wrong.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Look out for anyone who might seem upset or lonely and check on them.
- Report any unsafe situations or concerns to a teacher or adult.
- Weekly:
- Remind other pupils about how to stay safe in school and online (e.g., safe internet use).
- Join in meetings with teachers to talk about ways to improve safety.
- Termly:
- Help plan and lead a school assembly on safety (like staying safe online or bullying).
- Work with other ambassadors to create posters about safety rules around the school.
Break-time activities:
- Play games with anyone sitting alone or feeling left out.
- Help pupils resolve small arguments in a friendly way.
Be a ‘listening ear’ during breaks and report anything worrying to a staff member
Wellbeing Ambassadors
Wellbeing Ambassadors are pupils who have shown a real interest in championing positive mental health and wellbeing. These pupils are keen to share their learning around mental health and advertise the importance of self-care. The Ambassadors have a responsibility for leading and promoting wellbeing throughout school, they drive the message forward and release the stigma around talking about challenging feelings and encourage people to talk. Wellbeing Ambassadors provide feedback on what’s working well and highlight any gaps in whole-school approaches to wellbeing.
At our school we:
- Help children feel comfortable by sharing any concerns or worries they have
- Help children to develop self esteem and self confidence
- Help children form relationships through developing their social skills
- Help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
- Help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks
Who they are:
They help make sure everyone feels happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. Their role is to spread positivity and help pupils if they’re feeling sad or stressed.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Encourage positive behaviour and kindness around the school.
- Check on classmates who might be upset and offer to help them.
- Weekly:
- Organise small well-being activities or games at break or lunch (e.g., mindfulness exercises).
- Attend meetings with teachers to discuss well-being ideas for the school.
- Termly:
- Help plan a special ‘Well-being Week’ with fun activities for everyone.
- Run a survey to find out how pupils are feeling and suggest improvements.
Break-time activities:
- Lead mindfulness or breathing exercises with friends.
- Encourage others to join in physical activities, like skipping or group games.
- Help run a ‘buddy bench’ for anyone who needs someone to talk to.
School Council
We have are proud to have pupil representatives that take part in Class and School Council meetings. These councils are in place so that pupils have a voice and are involved in decisions about the school that affect them. Through Class Council all pupils have the opportunity to raise issues, share ideas and take part in discussions that involve all of their classmates in reaching a democratic solution. Wider issues that arise at Class Council are discussed further at School Council, this ensures that as many pupil voices as possible are heard. Pupils know that this is their school and their thoughts and ideas matter.
Who they are:
They are the voice of your class. They listen to your classmates’ ideas and bring them to the school council meetings to help improve the school.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Be friendly and approachable, so classmates feel comfortable sharing their ideas with you.
- Weekly:
- Attend school council meetings and share suggestions from your class.
- Help plan and organise school events (e.g., fundraising, spirit days).
- Termly:
- Meet with the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher to discuss the council’s ideas.
Help lead a whole-school project or event based on your class’s feedback.
Digital Ambassadors
Who they are:
They are the tech experts in the school! They help others learn how to use technology safely and responsibly.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Remind pupils about online safety, like not sharing passwords.
- Help classmates who are struggling with technology in lessons.
- Weekly:
- Work with teachers to make sure equipment in the ICT room is working properly.
- Share tech tips or fun new apps in class.
- Termly:
- Help lead an assembly on digital safety or cyberbullying.
- Organise fun tech-based challenges or activities for the school (like a coding competition).
Rights Respecting Ambassadors
Who they are:
They help everyone in the school understand their rights and responsibilities, and how to treat others with respect.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Make sure everyone in school is treated fairly and with respect.
- Help others understand the importance of kindness and inclusion.
- Weekly:
- Lead class discussions about pupils’ rights and responsibilities.
- Work with teachers to ensure that rights are being respected in all areas of school life.
- Termly:
- Organise a school event or assembly to celebrate different cultures and rights.
- Create posters to display around the school that remind pupils of their rights.
House Team Captains and Vice House Captains
Who they are:
They represent your school house and help lead house activities. They encourage teamwork and positivity.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Set an example by showing good sportsmanship and teamwork.
- Weekly:
- Organise and run house activities or games at break times.
- Encourage pupils in your house to do their best and support one another.
- Termly:
- Help plan and lead house competitions (sports, quizzes, etc.).
- Attend house meetings to discuss how to improve team spirit.
Announce house points and celebrate achievements
Environment /Eco Ambassadors
Who they are:
They help the school be more environmentally friendly. They make sure everyone is doing their part to protect the planet.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Remind classmates to recycle and save energy (like turning off lights).
- Help keep the school grounds tidy by picking up litter.
- Weekly:
- Lead eco-friendly activities like recycling challenges or tree planting.
- Work with teachers to find ways to make the school more green (e.g., using less paper).
- Termly:
- Help organise a whole-school eco day or nature walk.
- Share eco-tips in assembly to encourage everyone to be more environmentally friendly.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ambassadors
Who they are:
They help make sure that everyone, no matter their background, ability, or culture, feels included and respected. They help to promote fairness and equality for all students.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Be a role model by showing fairness and respect to everyone, and encourage others to do the same.
- Look out for anyone who might feel left out or treated unfairly and make sure they feel included.
- Weekly:
- Share stories or lead discussions about different cultures, abilities, and backgrounds to help everyone learn more about each other.
- Help resolve small conflicts that may arise from misunderstandings about differences (with the help of teachers).
- Termly:
- Plan and lead events or assemblies that celebrate diversity, such as cultural days or anti-bullying campaigns.
- Create posters or run a competition to promote equality and inclusion.
- Work with teachers to ensure school rules and practices are fair and inclusive for everyone (e.g., making sure there are spaces for everyone in activities).
Faith Group Ambassadors
Who they are:
They represent the different faiths in the school. Their role is to promote understanding and respect for all religions, and to help everyone feel included, no matter what their beliefs are.
Their activities:
- Daily:
- Be respectful of everyone’s beliefs and encourage others to do the same.
- Help others understand the importance of being kind and accepting different faiths.
- Weekly:
- Share information about different religious events, festivals, or traditions during class or assemblies.
- Support any learners who may need help or feel unsure about their faith in school.
- Termly:
- Help plan and lead assemblies or events to celebrate different religious festivals or traditions (e.g., Christmas, Diwali, Eid).
- Organise a faith-based charity project (e.g., collecting donations for a local food bank during Ramadan or Christmas).
Work with teachers to make sure different religious beliefs are respected in school (e.g., considering dietary needs during events).