Student Voice
The School Parliament is an integral and extremely effective focus for student voice at Barnwood Park. Representatives from each form group are involved. Their role is to put forward and discuss any issues concerning them and their peers. House Meetings, led by House Captains take place once a term , to give enough time for students to come up with their own ideas for issues which are important to them. These meetings have formal agendas and minutes, which are then submitted to Mrs Rayfield for discussion with the Leadership Group for consideration and action.
The work of the School Parliament impacts on all areas of school life and is divided into 3 committees:
- Curriculum and learning led by House Captains & Head Senior Student
- Well-being led by House Mentors & Deputy Senior Student
- Enrichment led by House Sports and Performing Arts Captains
These committees take the ideas from the School Parliament meetings and Leadership group feedback to help implement actions or develop projects within the school.
In recent years, effective lobbying from our student voice groups has seen changes to the student toilets; the introduction of outdoor table tennis tables and additional outdoor seating. Future plans include student input into identifying and sharing best practice in the classroom, identifying where students need more knowledge in order to better manage their own mental health and auditing our extra-curricular offer to ensure it covers as broad a range of student interests as possible as well as developing and maintaining the Peace Garden
The role the School Parliament plays is a highly respected one and Parliament representatives are asked to take part in Student Panels as part of our interview process for new members of staff. Being part of the Student Parliament is a rewarding experience for those students who get involved, but its work also has a significant impact on the whole school community, making Barnwood Park a place where its students can feel that their voices are heard and that they can make a difference to their school and to themselves.
We also seek to listen to a broad cross section of student voice wherever possible and will continue to do so through areas like the bi-annual Year 8, 10 Gloucestershire Online Pupil Survey, PASS surveys and end of Year 11 surveys. We also carry out termly student surveys ensuring that all of our student groups have an opportunity to have their voices heard.