Arguably three of the biggest things the School Council has achieved this year are: the upgrades we made to our playground; reintroducing a termly movie night; and the addition of stick insects to the Science room.   

Playground Equipment 

Near the beginning of Autumn term, many pupils were startled to see our old playground equipment being removed. However, after the initial shock, the excitement began to grow when, a few weeks later, pupils found themselves staring at exciting new equipment. There was a new climbing frame, an obstacle course and a set of fun gym equipment. That was not all! We also got new balls, hula hoops, giant Jenga, Rubiks Cubes, Pick-Up Sticks and lots more - what an upgrade! 

Movie Night 

During Spring term, one of our playground surgeries came up with the suggestion of holding movie nights. We thought that this was a great idea and decided that we could raise money for charity as well as having a great time. 

So far, we’ve had one movie night with is coming very soon! During our first movie night, we raised over £300 for the Just One Tree charity - that’s over 300 trees that we helped to plant (we did a tree-mendous job!).  

Stick Insects 

During a Year 3 trip to the Senior School, they noticed that there were spare stick insect eggs. We all agreed that we should ask for some eggs - so we did! After talking to Mr Mostert and the Senior Biology teacher Ms Bijnens, we received the eggs during the Summer term, and placed them in their new home. A few weeks later, we now have baby stick insects! Stick-rific, right?! 

And the rest! 

Most of our ideas come from our surgeries that we hold every term at break time in the playground. Anyone and everyone can give us ideas, and Kacey and I sort them into four categories: Clubs, Days, Impossible and Other. Then we discuss the suggestions at our weekly School Council meetings. Each time we put an Impossible idea in, we had to explain why or try to consider an alternative. The success of School Council relies on pupil participation, so use your voice and keep the ideas coming.

Meeting The Head Student Team 

The Junior School Council have been exploring the possibility of starting a Lego Club next year. It is a popular activity and fun to do. Researching the benefits of a Lego club, we found that completing Lego activities can improve problem-solving skills and teamwork, encourage resilience and perseverance. It can also help develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. It provides an opportunity to be creative and develop self-expression and can increase self confidence and self-esteem.  

At a recent meeting a Lego collection was discussed, and it was suggested we ask the Senior School to help. The Year 5 Junior School Council invited the Head Student Team to come and meet them to put a proposal to them about a joint venture to collect Lego donations. 

Head Students Lara and Bea attended a meeting and listened to Y5 Councillors’ ideas. The meeting was very informative as Lara and Bea were also able to explain their role and how the Senior School Council works. Ideas were discussed and exchanged. The Year 5s enjoyed showing them our School Council Blog and asking questions about the Senior School. Lara and Bea kindly agreed to have a chat with our Year 5 classes and after their introduction they were able to answer lots of questions and provided lots of information on a range of topics, clubs, the school day, fundraising activities and subjects offered at Seniors. 

Our Junior School Council are looking forward to collaborating more with the Head Student Team and Seniors next year. 

Written by Isabelle and Kacey, Year 6 School Council Representatives.