In Bradford we have an ambition to be a more Child Friendly District where our children and young people have a voice and influence over local services, including their schools and colleges. We believe in
restorative practice and in working with children and young people, not “for” them or “to” them.
The Child Friendly Bradford initiative is passionate about school councils and the role they can play in not only school improvement but in empowering learners to feel a sense of shared ownership over their schools and colleges and to become democratically
engaged young citizens of our District.
In January 2023 Child Friendly Bradford started to contact schools to build a network of staff who are responsible for coordinating school councils or student leadership. We plan to create a termly newsletter to share good practice, resources and CPD opportunities
as well as sharing opportunities for learners to use their voice to influence decisions made by Bradford District Council and their wider partners in the NHS and Police.
If you would like to be included on our Youth Voice network please simply email your details to
childfriendly@bradford.gov.uk
If you have any stories about the successes of your school councils we would love to help promote these on your behalf – including to the local media. Again, please just get in touch.
Links and resources:
Investors in Pupils – based in West Yorkshire, Investors in Pupils is a whole school approach to pupil voice and influence. Several schools in our district
already hold or are working toward IIP status
Parliament Education Service – Access a variety of resources to help your pupils learn about citizenship, governance and democracy. The Parliament Education
Service can also support you to arrange tours of the Houses of Commons and a variety of workshops
United Nation Rights of the Child – A variety of resources to help children and young people learn about their rights and how
they can be met
The Linking Network – Are a great local organisation who specialise in helping schools with their SMSC provision. They have a fantastic
range of resources and workshops that schools can access, including sets of British Values and Democracy