Pupils at All Saints School have been busy during the last two months attending community based conferences as part of All Saints School’s ‘pupil voice’ programme which aims to ensure the pupils learn to share their views and to participate in as many community based projects as possible.
In October pupils attended the My Life – My Choice conference facilitated by the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office. They listened to the Deputy Chief Constable, James Vaughan and the Police and Crime Commissioner discuss their work with young people and the Crime Plan that they are going to put in place.
After this the pupils took part in workshops about the choices young people are faced with and the factors that influence the decisions they take.
They have also attended two sessions at the Pavilion to take part in the Council’s Town Centre Masterplan consultation. Four pupils worked with four adults, deciding how they would like to see the town centre develop over the next twenty years.
‘Their presence was really valued by the organisers and the people they were working with because there were lots of questions about how we can keep young people in our town that, frankly, only young people can answer’ said Jane Burnet, citizenship teacher. Another reason we have encouraged our pupils to be involved in this project and why they were made so welcome by the organisers, is because, without putting too fine a point on it, the pupils will be the generation that will benefit most from these plans.
James Tufnell, a Year 10 pupil, said, ‘it was great to be able to put our ideas on paper and to think that we might influence how our town develops’.
Jane Burnet
Citizenship Teacher All Saints School.
