School Parliament

The School Parliament

Students meet every half-term to discuss and share ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect and regard for each other’s views. Debate is lively, varied and energetic and our Student Chairperson manages this with skill to ensure decisions are reached. A member of the Senior Leadership Team co-ordinates the work of the School Parliament and is the link between the council and the Senior Leadership Team.

In order to gain a position in Parliament, students deliver their manifesto speech in a hustings-style assembly. Voting then takes place to establish who has won the election. If successful, students serve a two-year term in the School Parliament.

The core purpose of Parliament is to examine the student experience at the school from every aspect; teaching and learning, extra-curricular activities, school environment and the offer from staff to make your school experience truly exceptional.

Student Leadership Team

School Parliament Update

March 2024

Our student body said:	We responded by:
We need more water fountains with increased water pressure	Our site team installed two new fountains in the canteen and an additional one at the end of the main corridor. Additional locations will be added.
More variety of food in the canteen	The salad bar is open all year round and we have special theme days throughout the year to add more variety to the selection that we offer. The menu is constantly evolving but firm favourites will remain!
The canteen gets very busy at break and lunchtime	We have a staggered break so that Year 7 students can get to the canteen first with no other year group present. We have built a ‘Snack Shack’ in the playground (October ’23) so that KS4 students don’t have to use the canteen to get snacks/drinks.
We want to go on more trips and visits	Staff are looking at the curriculum to see where we can include more day trips and residential trips for their subjects. There is a huge range already on offer but there is capacity for further outings. There will be a year group trip for all year groups as a reward for hard work, excellent attendance and for adding value to the experience of being a Churchdown student.
We would like more extracurricular activities	There is a wide variety of activities and clubs in the school that students can access during lunchtime and after school. Activities are advertised on tutor noticeboards and in department areas.
We would like more preparation for our pre-PPEs in school (not as revision)	Staff adapt lessons in the week before pre-PPE exams to go through content and skills to enable students to successfully answer the papers
Year 11 to have focussed revision/interventions after school leading up to exams	Year 11 are offered a comprehensive timetable to attend department areas after school. Walk and talk mocks are a part of this process. There are subjects scheduled in the February/Easter and May half term holidays for additional support.
More outdoor seating areas	We have added additional seating by removing the English car park and also by putting asphalt on the edges of the school field. To further enhance the areas, we have had contractors in to build a canopy over the seating area so that it can be used all year round. Another canopy has been built at the edge of the school field during the Easter holidays, to add additional capacity.
We would like to phase out single use plastic in the canteen	The catering team ensure that wooden utensils are now the norm, and we also provide paper cups for the water fountains.
We would like to explore if we can have renewable energy to supply the school with electricity	The Business Manager and SLT have contacted a range of solar panel companies and have had quotes provided. There are additional caveats to be investigated but it is looking promising.
School toilets	We have employed two full time cleaners and the toilets are cleaned regularly throughout the school day. During breaks and lunchtimes, there are staff on duty to ensure that they don’t become too crowded. Break and lunches are staggered so that all students are not released from classes at the same time. We are looking at refurbishing all the toilets completely and we are looking at how this can be achieved and be cost effective.
80:20	Students know the reasons why we do 80:20 at the start of the year and after big holidays such as Christmas and Easter. They have asked if the lessons can involve flipped earning and that the work is related to what was taught previously (retrieval) or what is coming up on the syllabus. Some departments use it to practice additional skills that were previously taught e.g. maths
Can we do more charity work?	Absolutely! We do have non-uniform days to support Children in Need and Red Nose Day as well as bringing in non-perishable food to supply homeless charities with hampers at Christmas. We will listen to new ideas and see if these can be run through the House System.
Can we report a problem easily?	On the school website under the tab ‘students’ we have an additional tab called ‘Report a problem’. The students can log into this, and an email will be sent to their Head of Year. At breaks and lunches, our pastoral team are in their year group areas and are highly visible so use that opportunity to go and have a chat with them.
More printing facilities for the Sixth Form	This is being costed and we do believe that the Sixth Form area would benefit from an additional photocopier and printing facilities.