Pupil Voice

It has long since been a tradition at Hilden Oaks Prep to give pupils a ‘voice’ and for them to be heard. Pupils’ voices help to shape their learning, their leisure and their experience of school life. As they progress through the school we provide opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility and leadership thus preparing them for secondary school and beyond.

Pupil Leadership

When the children reach Year 6, a Pupil Leadership Team is elected through a democratic voting system, involving the whole school. This includes electing a head boy, head girl, deputies, and house captains. Each pupil who puts themselves forward for one of these roles has the opportunity to give a presentation to the rest of the school during the Hustings and it is then up to the rest of the school to vote. The Pupil Leadership Team act as role models for the younger children and are actively involved in school life. It is all great experience, which helps them grow in confidence, demonstrate leadership skills, and enable them to show empathy and kindness towards others.

School Council

Children lower down the school are also given the opportunity to represent the views of their peers. The School Council is made up of the Head Boy and Head Girl together with elected pupils from Form 1 to Form 6. Each class has three pupil representatives per year (one per term) to give everyone the chance to sit on the council throughout their time at Hilden Oaks. This was something that the children themselves decided would be the fairest way for them all to take responsibility and to have a ‘voice’. The School Council meets once a week to discuss ideas for improvements and this is then fed back to the Headmistress. Obviously not all the ideas can practically be adopted, but it is important for pupils to feel invested and to have the opportunity to share their views and hopes for their school. This helps them feel good about making positive suggestions and to participate in some of the decision-making processes.