What is Pupil Parliament?
At The Howard Academy Trust, our Pupil Parliament comprises of two representatives from each of our eight schools.
Our representatives range from School Council and Student Voice members to Head Pupils and Form Captains. The group works collaboratively by sharing their views and discussing ways to make improvements in their respective schools. The group meets three times a year with the Chief Executive and Director of Education. These meetings are beneficial for the entire THAT community as they provide opportunities for pupils to communicate their feelings as well as influence decisions that are made within the Trust. Through Pupil Parliament, our representatives develop key skills such as confidence, communication, and negotiation.
Pupil Parliament provides student leadership opportunities across the Trust. Representatives are able to engage with their peers to talk about issues impacting on their education. This space allows young people to have a voice in their education and can discuss any issues or things that work well in their schools with Trust leaders. Our Pupil Parliament does an invaluable job in helping Trust leaders to make decisions that will improve their education journey.
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Our first meeting was held on Tuesday 1 October 2024 in the Conference Room at Waterfront UTC.
Once cookies had been munched and the introductions made, the pupils leapt into action, voicing ideas for positive changes they would like to see across the Trust from environmental impact to inclusion and shared clubs and activities.
It was a lively session, and every pupil was engaged, sharing and offering advice to each other and to the senior leaders of the Trust with the unified goal of making a positive impact on their education, their school and their peers.
Their excellent ideas have been heard, and we, as a Trust, can not wait to start implementing ways we can facilitate these ideas into a reality that they can both see and feel at their schools.
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Our latest Pupil Parliament meeting was held on Tuesday, 28th January at Waterfront UTC, and it proved to be both engaging and productive!
Two pupil representatives from each of our eight Academies met for the second time this academic year with the Trust’s Chief Executive, Owen McColgan, and Director of Primary Education, Barry Symons, to discuss and vote on key actions, including electing the Chairperson.
The elections included inspiring speeches from the candidates, followed by individual voting from everyone in the room.
Congratulations to DW from The Howard School (Year 9), who was elected as Chairperson after receiving the most votes from his Parliamentary colleagues. DW immediately stepped into his role by leading discussions on the Parliament's focus areas going forward.
Key Focus Areas:
The Parliament debated two impactful topics:
🌱 Enhancing our environmental impact
💻 Maximising learning through digital devices
Following thoughtful discussions, the focus on Digital Services came out on top. Pupils have been encouraged to gather insights from their school councils to keep the momentum going in future meetings.
We're incredibly proud of the collaborative spirit shown by all participants and look forward to the positive changes ahead.
