Global Citizenship magazine for schools

Participation and Pupil Voice. These growing agendas in Scottish education pose something of a conundrum for practitioners: how to embed them in teaching and learning and across whole school practice, while balancing the demands of the curriculum and the ongoing need to support all learners’ development and progress. Given that it is an explicit feature of Article 12 of the UNCRC for children's views to be taken into account, the Rights-based learning agenda, and the continued rise in schools achieving Rights Respecting School status means this has become something of a priority for schools across Scotland.

“The mere existence of a Pupil Council is no guarantee of genuine participation”

Pupil councils

Ways of enabling pupil voice and participation have been around in schools for a long time. Interestingly, however, it could be argued that these have traditionally happened outside the formal curriculum, in the form of Pupil Councils and other pupil voice groups, such as Eco and Rights-Respecting Schools committees. Indeed, the majority of schools in Scotland have Pupil Councils as one means of enabling pupil voice¹. While there’s no question that these can, and in many cases do, function well as forums for genuine participation, processes for enabling pupil voice in schools - and pupil councils, in particular -have also been subject to widespread criticism. A 2010 report by Children in Scotland found that: ‘Most research shows pupils to be dissatisfied by their overall involvement in decision-making and particularly by pupil councils that they perceive as tokenistic or lacking in power.’ ²

The same study identified recurring features that effective and well-regarded pupil councils have in common. These included adequate training and preparation being provided to pupil councillors and their adult advisors, and adult advisors who engage with, and support pupil councillors, while not dominating processes. These features, in turn, supported pupil representatives to work well together and to set significant but realistic goals, decide priorities, make plans and take action. It would seem, then, that the mere existence of a Pupil Council is no guarantee of genuine participation. Time, effort and an understanding of what works is required to make this happen.

“Where schools work to foster a genuinely participative ethos, this can be associated with improved attainment and achievement”

Participation and attainment

There’s a developing body of evidence that where schools work to foster a genuinely participative ethos, this can be associated with improved attainment and achievement. A 2015 study by the Children and Young People's Commissioner for Scotland found that seven secondary schools in areas of multiple deprivation had higher than expected levels of attainment. Further investigation established that “in these seven schools, across all arenas of school life, pupils had substantial opportunities to formally and informally take part in a variety of meaningful activities, to take responsibility for events, make contributions to school life and have their views considered in matters that affected them!”  This participative ethos was closely bound up for learners in “creating a sense of belonging at school, and bringing a rights-based dimension to educational experience.” ³ It would appear that where schools invest in creating opportunities for true participation, dividends can include increased motivation to learn and improved attainment for learners.

Consultative and inclusive

What about those harder to reach areas, such as pupil participation and representation in curricular planning and provision? This can be tricky, as it requires a move away from the educational tradition of teachers as controllers of the learning environment to something more consultative and inclusive. However, there are examples of schools and practitioners who have approached this with creativity and openness, leading to a transformative effect on pupil experiences. The example of Irvine Royal Academy's sport committee input into assessing and adapting sports provision at the school is one such example of this. How they approached this is outlined in the school case study on the schools page.

"Participation is at the heart of everything Global Citizenship represents"

Global Citizenship

So where does Global Citizenship sit within this heady mix? For Scotland’s DECs, participation is at the heart of Global Citizenship, from participatory learning methods where pupils' views are sought and valued across the curriculum to learners’ influence on shaping decisions to improve schools. From children identifying what matters to them and the contribution they can make to building a more positive and socially just community at school or local community level, nationally or globally. In any given forum children's views and contributions can be sought, valued and realised. According to Oxfam, “Everything we do in school sends out messages, so we need to exemplify the values we wish to promote. If we wish to affirm beliefs about the equality of all human beings and the importance of treating everyone fairly and with respect, we need to ensure that learning processes, and relationships between learners and teachers, reflect and reinforce these values.”⁴  If we are serious about giving learners the skills to navigate the world of unknowns they’ll encounter as adults, we have a responsibility to show them that their voice has value, that their contribution means something and that their participation can make a difference. Indeed – with big apologies and bigger thanks to Margaret Mead - it is the only thing that ever has.

1. Having a Say at School: Research Briefing Paper 1. Children in Scotland, 2010. (PDF)
2. Having a say at school: research briefing paper 5. Children in Scotland, 2010. (PDF)
3. How Young People’s Participation in School Supports Achievement and Attainment, CYPCS, 2015. (PDF)
4. Global citizenship in the classroom: a guide for teachers. Oxfam, 2015.