Dundonald Rights Respecting School Council is made up of two representatives from each class, starting from Year 1. At the beginning of the autumn term, the children elect two people to represent their views and attend school council meetings. These are held every two weeks, where the school councillors investigate issues raised by their classmates, Headteachers or outside agencies (Governors, members of the PTA and members of the LA). The councillors then feed back to their classmates about what happened at the meeting and make things happen, or explain why they can't.
School Council Aims:
The school council wants to empower all children at Dundonald Primary School. Empowerment is not only about academic success; it also means having your views listened to, respected and acted upon.
1) To give Dundonald's pupils 'a voice' and to make sure any suggestions or concerns are listened to and acted upon.
2) To give pupils the opportunity to work alongside other members of the school community (staff, governors, visitors, parents/carers).
3) To encourage collaboration between pupils of different ages.
4) To allow pupils to experience democracy at first hand and learn the importance of being active citizens.
Article 12 in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child states that "all children have the right to an opinion, and for adults to listen and take it seriously." During meetings all contributions and decisions are mutual and the children's ideas are as important as the adults' ideas. Children are responsible for recording the minutes of each meeting and passing on information to their classmates.