Mereside Academy

School Council

Mereside School Council Constitution

School council needs a constitution because it will:
•    Provide everyone with a clear statement of purpose
•    Set out the rules and procedures to make sure School Council runs effectively and successfully
•    Provide clear guidelines for anyone joining pupil council

Name of organisation:
Mereside School Council

Purpose:
1.    To allow the children at Mereside Primary School have a voice
2.    To help the school and community be a better place
3.    To help to improve learning in the school


Members:
Pupil council will be made up of representatives from years R – 6.
Each class will elect two representatives who attend meetings and gives feedback.
Each class will also elect a vice representative who will attend meetings and feedback in the main representative’s absence.
Having been a member of school council for one year, children will then be unable to represent their class for the following two years to allow opportunity to a wider range of people.

Elections:
Elections will be run without prejudice or discrimination.
Any class member is entitled to run for School council and the decision in each class will be made by a secret ballot.
Children wishing to be considered for School Council will need to present a speech to their class giving clear reasons and examples of why they are the most suitable candidate for the job.

Officers:
Once elected on to School Council as board members, children will be able to apply for specific job roles within the organisation.
These are as follows:
•    Chair person
•    Vice Chair Person
•    Secretary
 

These roles will be elected by the board using the same election process as for School Council.

Job roles and responsibilities will be shared with all School Council members at the beginning of the year and job specifications will be kept in each class file.

Leaving Pupil Council:

Should a member of School Council wish to resign from their post they must write a letter to the Chair Person giving reasons for their decision.
Once a member has resigned they will not be permitted to reapply for School Council in the future, unless there are circumstances considered to be exceptional by the board (e.g. serious illness).

In these circumstances, the vice representative from the class will become the main representative and a new vice must be elected as soon as possible.


The School Council Rules are as follows:

All School Council members must:
•    be respectful and listen to others 
•    contribute or participate actively in meetings
•    follow the school rules and be role models to other pupils
•    model good behaviour at all times
•    be polite and courteous to others
•    not refer to specific individuals or groups during discussions
•    use their position on School Council to support and develop their school

Meetings:
Pupil council will meet every two weeks. These meetings will last a minimum of 30 minutes.
Should additional meetings be required, these will be called as necessary.
The venue and time of meetings will be agreed at the beginning of each school year.
For decisions to be made at a meeting, there must be at least 6 members present (one form each year group wherever possible) and decisions are made through a “show of hands” vote in which the majority rules.
Class / Year group meetings should be held once a month to discuss and share ideas and feedback. These should be included in class assembly time and circle time as appropriate.