At Wellgate Primary School, our School Council ensures that pupils play an active role in shaping the life of the school and that their views are meaningfully considered in decision-making. Representatives meet regularly with the headteacher to discuss school priorities and reflect on areas for improvement, giving pupils a clear understanding of how their experiences contribute to school development. Council members gather opinions and votes from their classes and record these through an online system, allowing feedback to be tracked over time and shared with the senior leadership team so that leaders can respond to the issues that matter most to pupils. This approach aligns with the expectations set out in the Ofsted inspection toolkit, which emphasises understanding pupils’ experiences of school, how well leaders listen and respond to children, and how effectively schools create an environment where pupils feel safe, valued and able to contribute. By collecting views from across the school community, presenting outcomes back to their classes and feeding pupil perspectives directly into leadership discussions, our School Council demonstrates how pupils are actively involved in school improvement. This helps ensure that children at Wellgate Primary School feel heard, develop confidence and leadership skills, and contribute to a positive and inclusive environment in which the whole school community can thrive.

At Wellgate Primary School, we use a whole-class online voting system to ensure that every child has the opportunity to share their views and contribute to school decision-making. Rather than relying solely on the traditional model where a small number of representatives speak on behalf of their class, our approach enables every pupil to participate directly. This means that all voices are heard, including those who may be quieter, less confident speaking in groups, or who prefer to express their opinions in a different way. Through the online system, pupils can vote on questions, share their opinions and respond to school priorities, with the results collected and analysed to identify trends and themes across the school. This provides leaders with a clearer and more inclusive understanding of pupils’ experiences and perspectives, supporting the expectations in the Ofsted inspection toolkit that leaders understand and respond to the views and experiences of children. By ensuring that no child’s voice is left behind, this approach strengthens pupil engagement, promotes fairness and inclusion, and helps create a school culture where every child feels valued and able to contribute to the ongoing development of Wellgate Primary School.

Our discussions so far (2025/2026)....
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- The need for fundraising over the year
- Children in Need
- Activities for playtimes
-Red Nose Day
-Class Assemblies
-Attendance and Punctuality 
-Sustainability and making Wellgate more eco-friendly