Learner Voice

What is Learner Voice?

‘Learner Voice’ is a term used to describe activities that enables students to work in partnership with their teachers, empowering learners to shape their education and be active citizens in their community. It involves a co-operative approach between teachers and students including shared decision making and evaluation to drive improvement and progress.

Learner Voice Structure

Learner Voice at Stanwell is promoted through seven groups, each with responsibility for a range of activities.

Student Council

Student Council Mission Statement

‘Stanwell Student Council gives pupils the opportunity to voice their opinion on, participate in, and improve the running of the school.  All pupils will be listened to, all ideas and suggestions will be considered and feedback will be given. The Council will work with staff and pupils to help make Stanwell a friendly, positive and supportive learning environment.’

Each Year Council consists of at least twenty pupils, they meet with The Student Council at least once each half term.

Mrs Connor is the link staff member and usually one other member of the Senior Leadership Team will attend each meeting.

The Student Council links all the other Learner Voice Groups together and provides a forum for each committee to update the whole school on recent and planned events.  

Get Involved

You don’t have to be a member of either council to join in. To suggest improvements for any aspect of school life e-mail schoolcouncil@stanwell.org

Eco - Schools Committee & The Environment

Stanwell takes every opportunity to enhance the environment of the school. We aim to enable pupils to learn how to care for and protect their environment and practice the key concepts of ESDGC. The Eco-Schools committee encourages pupils to engage fully with environmental and sustainable development issues.

Learning & Teaching Group

What we do

The aim of the Learning and Teaching Group is to expand the role of learners in Stanwell’s self-evaluation and improvement process. This is done in a variety of ways involving departmental learner voice groups, subject prefects, curriculum consultants and learning and teaching surveys. Each half term, selected year groups are given the opportunity to feedback on all of their subjects through individual on-line surveys. The results are analysed and discussed with departmental learner voice groups to help drive continuous improvement.

Senior Student Team

Our new Senior Student Team of two head pupils, two deputies and three executive prefects play a vital role in the school. The Executive prefects work closely with our Head Pupils, SLT and Learner Voice Groups to support both learners and teachers.

Subject Prefects

Subject Prefects provide support to teachers of KS3, help on Open Day and Parents' Evenings as well as organise and run Departmental Learner Voice meetings. They also help to design and give feedback on Learning & Teaching surveys and identify additional opportunities for Learner Voice.

Everyone involved feels that it is vital for students to have the opportunity to identify aspects of lessons that really helped their Learning. Having a Learner Voice Learning & Teaching group is the best way for all students to feel valued and that their opinions about the way they learn are important to the school. It can also be very useful for teachers to gain a student's perspective on methods of teaching so they can be confident everyone is fully engaged and benefiting from the experience.

Pride

Mission Statement

'The Pride Group will create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students in Stanwell, by encouraging discussion, promoting allyship and sharing news and information on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We are fun and friendly, so feel free to drop by if you are an ally, questioning, or a member of the community.'

Stanwell is a Stonewall School Champion and our policies help us to celebrate diversity and support LGBTQ+ young people to fulfil their potential.

Neurodiversity

Mission Statement

'The Neurodiversity Group provides a nurturing and supportive environment for pupils with learning differences and their friends to celebrate the many strengths and positive aspects that being Neurodivergent brings.'

Community Group

The Community Group is responsible for organising and running charity events and developing links with our local community.  Pupils, teachers and charity event organisers pitch their ideas to the group who then consider which charities they would like to support.  Pupils from every year group are involved.

Curriculum Consultants 

There are Curriculum Consultants from across all year groups within the school. Our team of Curriculum Consultants have recently been focusing on developing our response to cross cutting themes by ensuring that representation in our curriculum is broad and balanced and reflective of all members of our school community. They meet every term and have gained a detailed working knowledge of the process of curriculum design, they attend regular AOLE planning days with middle leaders and are regularly involved in collaborative planning and enquiry projects. Curriculum Consultants ensure students have an authentic role in curriculum design and have been fundamental in creating our vision for Curriculum for Wales.