School Council

Meet our new School Councillors for 2024-25!

Elections took place at the beginning of Term 2. Children presented manifestos, stating why they would be the best choice for School Councillor as well as making some promises as to what they would aim to achieve should they be elected.

Classes then completed secret ballots and votes were counted. Below are our newly elected candidates:

Year 3Pradhyun, Poppy & O'Neil

Year 4Franky, Moizelle & Poppy

Year 5Isla, Violet, Ishak & Lara

Year 6

Oscar, Florence, Mishal & Darcey

Our Year 5 and 6 School Councillors either represent their own classes or represent an EYFS or KS1 class.

Cheriton School Council

A school council is a formal group of pupils who act as representatives of their classmates in discussing school issues with the headteacher and staff. School councils are a vital part of the educational experience for many young people. They play an important role in promoting pupil voice and empowering students to take an active role in their education.

Our school council is elected democratically by the students. Those, who wish to be considered, will write their own manifesto, explaining why they would be good school councillors. They deliver a short presentation to their class, who then vote for their preferred candidate. The students with the most votes will then be entered into the next stage of the election, where children in each year group will complete a ballot paper, voting for their chosen candidate across the year group.

Our school council meets at the beginning of each term. At the first meeting of the year, a chairperson, vice chairperson and two secretaries will be voted for by the group. The chairperson follows an agenda and presides over the meeting, aided by the vice chairperson. The secretaries will take minutes at the meeting.

So, what do school councils actually do?

• Organise events and fundraisers: School councils often plan events like talent shows, bake sales and charity drives to raise money for school initiatives and community causes.
• Advocate for student needs: School councils can provide a platform for students to voice their concerns and advocate for changes.
• Plan school improvements: School councils can work with school leaders to identify areas for improvement and develop action plans to address these issues.

Over the past two years, our school council:

• - Took part in the Salus Youth Project
• - Held a fundraiser for the Dogs Trust and raised £290
• - Helped on the head teacher interview day
• - Made seed bombs and sold them on a stall at the Summer Fair
• - Chose the location and helped to bury the school time capsule
• - Held a cake sale together with the Wellbeing Group to raise money for kindness boxes
• - Helped to serve drinks and cakes at Afternoon Tea events