AS PUPIL VOICE GETS LOUDER, SCHOOLS MUST LISTEN HARDER…

By Lara Pechard, Head at St Margaret’s School in Hertfordshire

Art and other creative outlets so often showcase what matters to young people today. Expression through creativity can help students to highlight personal struggles or address topics they are passionate about. At my school, there are also many elements of pride in heritage and of identity that come through via creative works. A year on since Sarah Everard’s life was taken, and a few years since the murder of George Floyd, you can see an obvious knock-on impact of these incidents and other social movements in our schools today. Perhaps most significantly, pupil voice has got louder.

Schools are also listening much harder to pupils. The Everyone’s Invited movement tarnished many school reputations across the country. It revealed some traumatic issues that schools hadn’t known about or identified before. Issues around feeling safe have had sharper focus too and schools have had to think this through carefully. In my school we have thought hard about this and have asked pupils to physically draw onto site maps to indicate where they feel safe and where they feel vulnerable, so that we can adapt our common spaces and our duty system. stmargarets-school.org.uk

As a school we have also ensured that all stakeholders have received diversity and inclusion training and we are looking hard at how we can ensure our staff and governors reflect our community. There is still some way to go of course. With many pupils running with societies that are important to them whether it is the LGBTQ+ group or a faith service of their choice, things have shifted irreversibly for the good in schools.

Listening to our young people is key and schools are continually having to find new ways of leaning into conversations and nurturing pupils to talk more but as ever, keeping up as parents is not easy. Strong pastoral settings in school are providing parents with help on how to navigate this period to best encourage, but also support their children. Thankfully schools are also thinking more about their position on these issues today and how they can help in a positive way rather than simply reacting.

About St Margaret’s School

St Margaret’s School is an independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 2 to 18 years. Based in Bushey, Hertfordshire, the school is steeped in history and is among one of the oldest in the UK dating back to 1749. Offering a range of flexible boarding options for both UK and international pupils from the age of 11 years, the school is set over 60 acres of beautiful grounds and places its renowned pastoral care and proven track record of academic success at the heart of its culture and ethos. With a rich programme of extra-curricular activities, its pupils are encouraged to discover their talents in a caring environment that fosters a genuine enthusiasm for learning in an evolving world filled with complex challenges and exciting new possibilities.

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stmargarets-school.org.uk