School Parliament

'Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers.'
Aristotle

At Hillcrest we value the children’s voices in decision making. This year the Hillcrest Parliament will be made up of a representative from each class from Reception to Year 6. They will meet with Ms Norman each term to talk about an aspect of school life that they can have an influence over. They will have the opportunity to talk with their class and take on board any suggestions or questions that their classmates may have.

Here are some of our MPs

What are the aims of our School Parliament?

We have three aims:

1. Improve the school
2. Improve the local community
3. Help to achieve the United Nations global goals

This will be achieved by:

• Working and learning together
• Learning about democracy
• Learning how to play a positive role model in our community

In addition to the MPs, Hillcrest has 4 committees set up to benefit all the pupils and school community. Children who want to be involved in making decisions about their school and work as part of a team to make changes, talk to their classmates about why they would be a good candidate for a particular committee. The children are then voted in democratically by their peers. This year we have representatives from every class from Early years to year 6.

The school Parliament and Committees meet twice each term to work through their action plans.

This year’s committees are:-

The Eco Committee

Skittles Committee (Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion)

School Grounds Committee

Well-being Committee

How does our school parliament work?

Each class from Reception to Year 6 elects a class member of Parliament.
MPs have meetings twice a term.
In each meeting, MPs will discuss a question to be asked to the children of Hillcrest.
Each MP will ask the question to their classmates in a meeting in class, facilitated by their teacher.
The MP will take notes on their class’s point of view to feedback at the next Parliament meeting.
This means that all children at Hillcrest have a voice that will be heard.

Why do we need a School Parliament?

To give over 400 children the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions
To work alongside all the children in a collaborative manner
To improve the school for everyone
To be a positive role model who ignites aspiration in themselves and others
To be an extension to the extra work that all the adults already do

Sharing our views

MPs give feed back to their class during their meetings.
Each committee has a notice board for information sharing.
Committees give feedback in the Hillcrest Blog.
MPs and Committees give a summary of their achievements and actions to be added to the school website at the end of each academic year.