At Westbridge Academy we believe that it is vital for our pupils to have a voice and be involved in key decisions related to their academy. Our main aim is to encourage leadership opportunities and pupil independence, developing valuable leadership, communication and organisational skills. Pupil Parliament benefits the whole school, pupils and teachers because it provides opportunities for pupils to communicate their opinions as well as influence the decisions that are made on their behalf. Pupils relish the opportunity to play an active role in school life and enjoy making their voices heard.
Pupil Parliament is about the empowerment of pupils to enable them to be engaged and involved in the life of the school, encouraging them to take greater responsibility for their own community progress and achievement, engage in constructive dialogue with teachers and give them the skills and abilities necessary to develop and learn with greater independence.
Pupil Parliament is made up of different ministerial roles and ministers have the opportunity to lead on various projects throughout their time in Pupil Parliament. The minister roles are as follows:
Pupil Parliament at Westbridge aims to develop our children as compassionate global citizens, with strong morals and the grit and determination to succeed, recognising their own responsibility in that journey.
Our Pupil Parliament change Cabinet Ministers once per year. To become a part of Pupil Parliament children in year 4 and 5 are encouraged to nominate themselves and apply for the role. All children then get a chance to vote in a democratic election. They then attend meetings which are held on a regular basis to discuss issues that are important to the children and work on projects to improve their academy. The projects they take on are varied and range from ways to improve the facilities, their learning journeys or best ways to fundraise for outside charities.