Our Junior School Council meet weekly to discuss ideas and suggestions that would benefit our school community. Led by our two Year 6 Executives, Elodie and Sara, each class elects a representative every term to attend the meetings on their behalf to ensure all pupils have a voice.

One of the School Council's first meeting points was to identify an area in the school that was not being used to create a little secret garden. Last term, we collected old plant pots and old wellies, and we reused wooden pallets as planters. With volunteers from across the year groups we got busy planting bulbs and winter pansies. Ms Robertson painted a beautiful sign for us and Mrs Morris’s husband made us a bench and table set out of a wooden pallet. The garden also has a scarecrow and this is decorated to show different awareness and celebration days.

We are looking forward to growing more this term with Spring approaching and the weather getting warmer. Our KS1 councillors met in the Secret Garden to discuss what flowers to grow, then they held a vote with their classmates to pick the most popular. The BHSA kindly provided funds for a new potting shed for the playground and Mr Greaves has assembled it for us so it is all ready to use.

Another example of a School Council's project last term was the introduction of a meat free day every week. To ensure they had the support of the wider school, the council members held a school vote. They then met with Mrs Skevington to put forward their idea with supporting arguments and consulted with the Kitchen Team. As a result of their strong campaigning and support from the whole school, we now have a meat free day every week at the Junior School. The School Council are also encouraging everybody to try new tastes by trying the daily vegetarian option and also the new daily plant based option.

To see what other projects and activities the School Council are doing, and to find out about the awareness and celebration days shown on the scarecrow, have a look at the School Council blog page on FireFly. 

Ms M Crampton, Junior School Staff