School Council 2023-24

I am delighted to introduce our new school council.  Our councillors have been voted on by their peers through a democratic process and will now represent the children's views on the school council. Congratulations to those elected.

Introducing our School Council:

Every year children at Bishop Monkton CE Primary get to exercise their rights; to show democracy in action, by voting in their annual school council.  It is always an exciting, but tense time, when all the ballot papers have been counted up and the names are announced in our Time to Celebrate Assembly. The two Year 6 pupils chair the Council and also become ambassadors for the school in the Rural Ripon Ambassador Group.  This is made up of representative pupils from all of the local cluster schools, providing a strong voice for local children in the area. 

So what does the school council do?  First of all there is the important job of choosing a charity to fundraise for.   The children often choose to support local causes that are close to their heart.  This year our school council decided to support Harrogate Homeless Project.

Does the school council make important decisions about school life?

Good question! Well how important is playtime to the smooth running of the school? The council decide how playtimes should operate and whether football should be allowed (of course the answer is always YES, but how it is managed is a really important decision!) They also help to organise themed days such as Children in Need or Unicef, Day for Change as well as fund-raisers such as Boship Minkton's got talent! The School Council is an important group to consult with, whenever changes are planned in school.

Do you make decisions about matters that will have an impact on our local children?

If the answer is YES then perhaps you would like to consult with them.  The School Council are always happy to be a sounding board.  It wasn’t that long ago that we invited Julian Smith, MP in to school to debate the pros and cons of the selection system. So, if you need to know what young people think about an issue, do remember to ask them.  After all, these are the future citizens of our neighbourhood.