Engaging Pupil Voice to Ensure that Every Child Matters

A Practical Guide

Rita Cheminais

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136611506
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Pupil voice is at the heart of Every Child Matters and is the driving force in acknowledging the rights, voice and choice of children and young people today.

This very practical up-to-the-minute book is an invaluable and essential resource for all those working directly with pupils in schools and other educational settings, who wish to strengthen the engagement of pupil voice in their every day practice. This book covers:

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• the origin, concept and principles of pupil voice

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• the rights of children and young people in society today

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• how the latest pupil voice national surveys and reports inform
• ECM practice at whole school, classroom and community levels

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• effective practical approaches for gathering pupils views and enhancing their participation to inform and influence ECM decision-making

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• evaluating the impact and outcomes of pupil voice on effecting change, in line with OFSTED and other national standards requirements.

Featuring helpful checklists, models of good practice, templates and photocopiable resources that can be used in pupil voice developmental work, this accessible user-friendly guide is packed with useful information and advice, as well as offering suggestions for further reading, websites and resources.

Those who will find this book useful are leaders and managers of Every Child Matters, trainee and experienced teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors, leading teachers and co-ordinators for Personalised Learning, PSHE and Citizenship, local authority Children's Services professionals working directly with schools, and lecturers in higher education.

If every child and young people's views really matter, then every educational setting will value using this book.

The Origin and Concept of Pupil Voice

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the origin, concept, principles, benefits and challenges, process and levels of pupil voice and participation, without being too technical. Such an overview is particularly valuable to enable any professional from education, health and social care, working directly with children and young people in a range of educational settings, to transfer and apply the basic theory of pupil voice to the practical situation, at whole school, and classroom level. Further activities at the end of the chapter, which are solution focused, are offered to allow for reflection and analysis.

The origin of pupil voice

The origin and development of pupil voice has its roots predominantly in the twentieth century. Children in the nineteenth century were considered to be passive, silent, compliant, submissive and incompetent spectators in life events. They were to be seen and not heard, and were under the control and surveillance of either their parents or legal guardians; or the State and Victorian philanthropists, if they were vulnerable orphans, illegitimate or ineducable. Many working-class children at this time were exploited by unscrupulous employers in factories. Some were vulnerable to sexual exploitation, and many were affected by war and its aftermath.

While Chapter 2 looks in more detail at the rights of children and young people, there was clearly one key development in the latter half of the twentieth century that began to advocate the voice of the child. This was Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989, which stated:

States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely, in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

(UNCRC 1989, Article 12: 1)

The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds … either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.

(UNCRC 1989, Article 13: 1)

These two Articles of the UNCRC provide the initial justification as to why anyone working with children and young people should encourage and take notice of pupil voice, in whatever form it takes.

In the UK, developments related to pupils having a say in matters that affect their lives has largely been welfarist, and apparent in the legal, medical and social work fields, rather than in education. Some teachers in the past have underestimated the power of pupil voice, by making decisions on pupils' behalf related to their learning and school life in general.

The more recent personalisation and Every Child Matters agendas in the twenty-first century are beginning to change this situation, by ensuring that pupils' needs are central to everything that is done by educational settings and children's services, and that their views inform provision and service delivery.

The concept of pupil voice

Pupil voice can mean very different things to various people. According to Michael Fielding (2004), pupil voice can be a misleading concept because of pupil diversity, i.e. it is not fixed and absolute, but constantly changing and evolving in dialogue. For example, not all pupils necessarily share the same views as those who speak out. Some pupils' voices are more willing to speak out than others. Some pupils may not express ideas, views or opinions in acceptable ways to adults. There may be a lack of consensus as different subgroups of pupils take a different stance on an issue such as Every Child Matters.

Pupil voice in its widest sense can be defined as every way in which pupils are allowed or encouraged to voice their views or preferences. Taken more narrowly, in a nutshell, pupil voice can be understood as pupils having the opportunity to have a say in decisions in school that affect them. It entails pupils playing an active role in their education and schooling as a result of schools becoming more attentive and responsive, in sustained and routine ways, to pupils' views.

The term pupil voice can usefully be extended to include taking an active interest in events and developing a positive sense of belonging. The National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) stated:

Giving pupils a voice means making it part of normal school practices for them to have a real say in what happens within the school, and real opportunity to take part.

(DfES 2004c)

Pupil voice is the individual and collective perspectives and actions of children and young people within the context of learning and education, according to Adam Fletcher, a leading expert in the aspect. This can include, but is not limited to active or passive participation, knowledge, voting, wisdom, activism, service, and leadership.

Pupil voice reflects identity and is formed in the same ways as that of the adult voice, i.e. through experience, knowledge and education which help pupils like adults, to create opinions, ideas and beliefs, to which they give their voice. It is important, however, to remember that the voice of pupils, teachers and other adults working in an educational setting must be acknowledged and valued equally.

Pupil voice should not be interpreted exclusively in a narrow way to promote using pupils as issue-specific sounding boards. Pupil voice should allow children and young people to share who they are, what they believe, and why they believe what they do with their peers, parents/carers, teachers and other supportive adults, and their entire school.

Although pupil voice as a term is often used synonymously with engagement, involvement, participation and consultation, in research reports and government documentation, Adam Fletcher considers pupil voice is not the same.

Engagement is the excitement and investment a pupil feels towards an aspect or issue that interests them. Pupils are inspired and enthused by the belief that their ideas matter and will make a difference.

Involvement is the process of engaging pupils as partners in school improvement for the purpose of strengthening their commitment to education, community or democracy.

Participation is the self-determined act of pupils committing to something worthwhile in school, the community or society as a whole. Pupil participation, according to the DfES, means:

… opening up opportunities for decision-making with children and young people as partners engaging in dialogue, conflict resolution, negotiation and compromise — all important life skills —

(2004b: 2)

Pupil participation, according to Hugh Matthews (2001), assumes an ability to influence and change. It provides pupils with the opportunity to think for themselves and interact with others in a positive way.

Consultation is the systematic process of listening to pupils' opinions on an issue or topic such as Every Child Matters. It is about talking with pupils about things that matter in an educational setting, and seeking their advice and evaluative comments about particular initiatives.

The principles of pupil voice

The principles of pupil voice need to penetrate every aspect of an educational setting's organisation and operation, according to Kaye Johnson (2004). The key principles in relation to pupil voice activities at whole school and classroom level are:

• mutual respect is given and received between adults and pupils;
• pupils have equal value and worth to adults in school;
• communication is open, honest and valued and provides an exchange of ideas and views between pupils and staff;
• investment in the future, accepting that pupils are entitled to express their views about things that will affect and determine their future;
• meaningful active involvement where any decisions about pupils are made with them;
• teacher—pupil relationships are sustainable and responsive;
• equal opportunities exist for pupils to be involved in a range of pupil voice activities, e.g. younger and older pupils make equal contributions;
• pupils' participation, involvement and voice are continually evaluated and reviewed.

Drivers for engaging pupil voice

There are four main drivers which provide a good basis for considering the aims and objectives for provision for pupil voice. Table 1.1 summarises the main features of each driver.

Types of pupil voice

There are three main types of pupil voice:

1. Authoritative voice — representative of a particular group of pupils in a school, e.g. gifted and talented pupils
2. Critical voice — targeted at a particular pupil audience such as vulnerable children and young people to inform service provision
3. Therapeutic voice — emphatic voice expressed in dialogue between pupils that validates the experiences of pupils by reflecting on issues and problems, e.g. ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Engaging Pupil Voice to Ensure that Every Child Matters
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• The Aim of this Book
• Introduction
• 1 The Origin and Concept of Pupil Voice
• 2 The Rights of Children and Young People
• 3 Key National Surveys and Reports Engaging Pupil Voice
• 4 Every Child Matters Pupil Voice Toolkit
• 5 Making a Positive Contribution through Pupil Voice
• 6 Pupil Voice in Practice
• 7 Evaluating the Impact and Outcomes of Pupil Voice
• Glossary
• Useful Websites
• References and Further Reading
• Index