We strive to encourage confident and articulate pupil leaders, able to share their views with any audience, and apply their leadership skills to real-life situations. We offer opportunities for leadership right from when the children start school. Each class elects a representative to attend School Council meetings, and another to be part of SUN’s eco-conscious Eco Team. Children in Years 3, 4 and 5 have the opportunity to become one of our six Arts Ambassadors who strive to share their passion for all the arts, sharing their skills and talents with children, staff and the wider community.

Once in Year 6, pupils can put themselves forward for House Captain, and our Collective Worship Leadership team take on the responsibility of organising and scheduling Collective Worship assemblies for the school. We find these opportunities build confidence, and ensure that all voices and opinions are heard.

School Council

A school council is a formal group of pupils who act as representatives of their classmates in discussing school issues with the Headteacher and staff. It’s a brilliant way of representing and contributing to Pupil Voice in our school. Members are elected to represent the views of all pupils and also to improve their school.

They help to make decisions about how the school is run and take on projects that support the children’s learning and development, such as organising charity events or representing the school at outside events. 

Our school council does a number of things:

• We meet half-termly with a teacher present to discuss and sort out any school issues. These could include school lunches, behaviour or ideas for fundraising events.
• Members of the school council are responsible for carrying out the ideas that have been agreed upon, such as planning discos, writing newspaper articles, or meeting with catering staff.
• Each year, every class will normally elect two representatives to be members of the school council: one from each year group. The council will then meet to elect officers such as Chair and Secretary.

Why should we have a school council?

There are lots of reasons to have a school council. To begin with, Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect their lives. A school council can provide a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions that impact upon them. Evidence and experience from schools all over the country shows that a school council that is supported and nurtured helps to improve many aspects of school life. It’s an important and useful way for schools to provide leadership and development opportunities for their pupils.

 

School Council Roles & Responsibilities

Our meetings are half-termly and Y6 members take their own minutes

Members have a say in decisions and play a role in making the school a better place. They can also bring ideas back to their class for discussion and voting. They are responsible for carrying out the ideas that are agreed upon in meetings, such as planning events, writing articles, or meeting with staff. Members should be respectful, value a democratic approach, and be polite and courteous to others. They should also use their position to support their school and peers, and not abuse it

All members also have the following responsibilities;

• Be the person others go to with concerns or ideas about our school 
• To decide on annual charity 
• To raise funds for charity through organising and running events 
• Helping to write project bids to get additional funds for the school 
• To generate ideas for how we can improve our school  
• To show round prospective children and parents on school tours 
• To attend open days 
• To be an ambassador for our school 
• To be a playground buddy 
• To help at events, eg; mothers/fathers day celebrations 
• To plan and present one assembly per half term 
• Keeping the School Council notice board updated.

Will my child miss lessons if they are on the school council?

If the school council meets during curriculum time, then your child would miss some lessons. But the meetings are usually arranged so that they don't miss the same lesson each time, and teachers are also asked to help them catch up. Some school councils meet at lunchtime or after school to avoid this happening in the first place.

 

What might be discussed during a school council?

Children are usually elected from classes all around the school, and the school council is designed to provide an opportunity for them to be directly involved in general issues that affect the school. These issues can be wide-ranging and can be initiated by staff or pupil groups. During the school council meetings, council members would typically discuss things like improvements to school grounds; arranging tours of the school for guests and visitors; arranging fund raising events and input in staff appointments.

Each meeting, the Chair will provide 'minutes' of the meeting for each member of the School Council, and to display on the School Council notice board. These minutes act as the children's action plan. Each member also has a small book to take notes or jot down ideas to come to School Council meetings with.  Meetings take place half termly (6 per year), but this may increase during busy times when there are events to prepare for for example.

Members of the school council should be given time in class to get feedback from their peers and find out opinions on matters that will be discussed at the meetings. Feedback from these sessions and minutes from meetings can then be used to inform decisions at a whole-school level.

 

What is our chosen charity?

In 2024-2025, the School Council voted to support Guide Dogs UK.

 

Eco Team

At S.U.N Primary School, the Eco-Team strives to develop a school environment that demonstrates sustainable practices where children and parents are encouraged to live their daily lives in an eco-friendly way.

 Each year our dedicated team is involved in various activities including:

• Litter picking throughout the school grounds
• Taking responsibility for conserving energy and our environment by checking that lights are turned off in classrooms and offices when they are not in use
• Reminding everyone to close doors to conserve heat once the cooler weather arrives
• Introducing initiatives in school through assemblies.

During eco-meetings, the team decides which national sustainability events SUN should participate in and the focus for presentations in assemblies. The team is proud of its achievements and is committed to encouraging pupils, parents and staff to be involved daily, weekly and annually in the sustainability programme.

Eco-Team Roles and Responsibilities

 Eco teams in primary schools may have a variety of roles and responsibilities, including:  

• Meetings: Regular meetings (half termly) to discuss environmental action, such as developing an action plan and reviewing the environment  
• Communication: Leading assemblies (1 per half term) to share ideas, actions, and progress, and keeping the Eco -Team notice board updated  
• Maintenance: Looking after different areas of the school  
• Displays: Creating posters and displays  
• Research: Visiting other organisations to learn about environmental sustainability  
• Liaison: Working with other schools and organisations  
• Awareness: Raising awareness of green issues within the school  
• Eco teams can also provide a forum for students to engage with their parents and local communities to promote environmental behavior.  
• Eco-team pupil champions can lead activities and lead by example, to create real change in their lives and in the life of your school and community. Eco-team pupil champions can demonstrate helpful actions to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics and other waste, in assemblies and by visiting each class as a team. 

House Captains

Children in Year 6 have the opportunity to lead their House. Candidates present to their house group and a democratic vote decides on the House Captain. A house Captain is truly a role model for other children in the school, and so behaviour and attitude is key to maintain the role.

Every two years, we hold an Inspiration Day, whereby the children put forward names of Inspirational people from around the world - these people come from a range of sources, the key factor being that they are inspirational and are Courageous Advocates, making change happen. This ensures that the house names are current and relevant to the children.

Previous House Names have been; Attenborough, Dahl, Parks & Hamilton. David Attenborough, Roald Dahl, Rosa Parks and Lewis Hamilton providing the inspiration.

Our current Houses are: Swift, Peake, Bolt and Saka.

House Captain Roles & Responsibilities

House captains should be positive role models for their peers, inspiring them with their attitude, appearance, and hard work. They should also look out for those who need support and help them.  

In addition they are responsible for the following;

• To present possible House Names of inspirational people from around the world 
• To represent our school and their House at House events 
• To represent our school at sporting events, including sports day 
• Organising events: House captains can lead and support students in house competitions, sports events, and other whole school events. They can also help organise inter-house competitions, charity events, and fundraisers  
• Supporting other pupils: House captains can help supervise House activities, advise and support younger pupils, and liaise with other students in their House groups. They can also encourage good behaviour and hard work by promoting the gaining of House points  
• Giving speeches to motivate and praise House members  
• Attending school events as ambassadors  
• Showing visitors around the school  
• Attending meetings with staff  
• Setting up assemblies  
• To count and present house point totals at weekly Friday assemblies 
• Keeping the House notice board updated.

Arts Ambassadors

We have six pupil leaders who are passionate about the arts and design, chosen for their enthusiasm to support others in developing their artistic skills, across a range of creative subjects. They  play a key role in promoting the arts within the school, helping with art competitions, exhibitions, and engaging with the wider community. Their responsibilities often include maintaining the art areas, assisting teachers during lessons, and gathering feedback to improve our creative curriculum. 

The role lasts for a whole year, starting and finishing in the summer term, ready to pass the baton to the next Arts Ambassadors waiting in the wings! 

Our Arts Ambassadors show commitment to their role and give up their own time to carry out their duties. Their role is to promote the Arts – music, dance, drama, film-making, creative writing, design and art - across the school. They will do this in a variety of ways, for example by helping to organise school-wide events and art exhibitions; running arts focused clubs during lunchtimes and helping out in practical ways. 

Arts Ambassador Roles & Responsibilities

Their main role is in promoting the Arts: They act as advocates for the arts, sharing their passion and enthusiasm with others. 

In addition they are responsible for the following; 

• Supporting Arts Learning: They help with planning and preparation for art-related school events and assist teachers during lessons and creating resources to share their skills and passions with others
• Maintaining the Art Areas: They are responsible for keeping the physical art areas clean, tidy, and organised
• Gathering Feedback: They collect feedback from their peers on the arts curriculum and suggest improvements  
• Organising and Managing Arts Events: They may assist with art competitions, exhibitions, performances and other art-related activities  
• Engaging with the Wider Community: They may share the school's creative curriculum with other schools or participate in community art events
• Pupil Voice: They contribute to school discussions and decision-making related to the arts. 

Meeting Dates

Arts Ambassador Meetings 2025-2026 

5th June 

3rd July 

9th October 

13th November 

22nd January 

16th April