Pick a Party

Introduction

Have you ever been involved in your school council? In the Pick a Party activity, you'll do just that! You'll learn about making decisions that impact on your school and think about how to develop a manifesto. Will the choices you make have a positive effect on the school? How will your fellow pupils feel about your choices?

Definitions

School council: a group of pupils in a school who are chosen or elected by all the other pupils to speak on their behalf
Manifesto: a list of things that a candidate promises to do if he or she wins an election
Election: when someone or something is chosen by people voting
Candidate: someone standing in an election
Policy: a course of action suggested or followed by a political party
Party: a group of people who think in a similar way about key issues. A party usually has a leader who represents the group as a whole.
Vote: to show which person or thing you want to choose by making a mark on a piece of paper, putting up your hand or clicking a button on a computer screen.

Pick a Party

Children should have a say in the things that they think are important to them and how their school is organised. School councils are a good way for children to have their say within their own school. School councillors are chosen from across the school. Their job is to represent the other children in their school and to take ideas from their peers to the school council meeting, where they are discussed and debated. The school council makes decisions about which ideas should be acted upon and these are reported back to the rest of the school. The other pupils in the school help the councillors to implement their decisions.

Imagine you are a pupil in the DirectgovKids school. What would you like to improve in the school? Here are the children who are the representatives for the various parties within the school. Think about their manifestos and policies and decide who will get your vote!

Party party candidate: Ivana Dance

Ivana Dance says:

School's pretty boring, right? It has to be, right?? WRONG!!! Vote for me and I'll turn your school day into one big party!! Nobody learns anything if they're miserable, so I'll be putting fun first!

I will:

put comfy chairs and beanbags in the classrooms and install a TV
add swings to our playground
install disco lights in the hall

Pets party candidate: Kat Litter

Kat Litter says:

Do you like animals? I do! Animals are friendly, loving and lots of fun. I love my pets and I think everyone should be able to enjoy spending time with our furry friends.

I will:

buy puppies, kittens, fishtanks and tortoises for the classrooms
let the grass grow on the field
build a petting zoo in the car park with rabbits to care for
promote meat free diets and meals in the dining hall

Perfect party candidate: Lauren Order

Lauren Order says:

School is best when there aren't loads of people being naughty and disturbing everyone else. Nobody likes it when people act mean or bully other kids. So I want to make sure that none of that happens, and everyone is safe.

I will:

introduce cctv cameras to the classrooms
provide a safe playground for us to play in
provide signs and marking in the car park
add metal detector and security centre to the school hall

Organic party candidate: Rhys I Kling

Rhys I Kling says:

Grown ups are messing up our environment, but it's us kids who will have to live with the mess they've made! I want to do everything I can to keep our world green and beautiful.

I will:

put plants and recycling bins in the classrooms
turn a small area of the field into an allotment
add cycle racks to the car park
put some plants in the library

Sporty party candidate: Jim Kitt

Jim Kitt says:

Lots of kids eat too much junk food and don't get enough exercise. That means that they get fat, and don't have as much fun as they would if they were fit and healthy. Plus it's bad for your heart and could make you die younger!

I will:

put sports equipment and posters in all the classrooms and change our uniform to gym kit
add stretching mats to the sports hall
add pitch markings to the field
add a pool to the car park
introduce healthy eating in the dining room

ICT party candidate: Daley Bloggs

Daley Bloggs says:

We all like cool gadgets like mobiles, ipods and computers - so why don't we have them at school? Vote for me and we will! I want to introduce new technology to every part of the school day - so it's up-to-date with the exciting modern world we live in.

I will:

provide laptops, docking stations and flat screen monitors in all classrooms
install computers in the ICT suite
add new games consoles to the school hall
introduce pizza and chips to the dining hall

Arty party candidate: Gene Yuss

Gene Yuss says:

Learning can be fun! I'll get rid of boring lessons and introduce exciting activities and clubs so you can learn and enjoy yourself too! Vote for me and there will be stories and plays galore - and we'll all get good test results so we can become rich and famous!

I will:

provide musical instruments, science and art equipment in classrooms
install a stage and cushions in the school hall
add more books to the library

Role Play

So you can see that you need to think carefully about what is important to you. Why not think of your own policies? You could role play the game with your friends. What would your party be called? Which aspects of school life would you aim to improve? What would your first set of policies be?

You might like to write your manifesto and design some posters for your party. Make your posters colourful and show people what your party is about by adding pictures of the things that matter to you.

Think about how your policies may change you school over time. What improvements would there be in the second and third year of your contributions to the school council?

Using the candidates from the DirectgovKids school, we have thought about the improvements they would make to the school over a six year period. Here are some examples:

Party party candidate: Ivana Dance

Year 1

She has added a comfy chair and beanbags to a classroom. There’s a TV in the corner and cool posters on the walls. There is now a swing and some plants in the playground. Lots of children are playing outside. She has also added decorations and disco lights to the school hall.

Year 2

Another classroom has a comfy chair and beanbags, a TV and posters. She has added a roundabout to the playground and more plants. Even more children are playing outside. More decorations have been added to the school hall. There’s a band on stage and party snacks to eat.

Year 3

Yet another classroom has a comfy chair and beanbags, a TV in the corner and cool posters on the wall. She's added a bouncy castle and a slide to the playground. She invited a local band to play in the school hall and there’s even more food to eat.

Year 4

All classrooms in the DirectgovKids school have a comfy chair and beanbags, a TV in the corner and posters on the wall. She has added a merry-go-round and a boat swing to the playground. She has invited a local band to play in the school hall and there’s even more food to eat.

Year 5 and 6

All classrooms in the Directgov Kids school still have a comfy chair and beanbags, a TV in the corner and posters on the wall. There are still lots of fairground rides in the playground. It’s still full of children playing. The school hall is still a disco. Lots of children are dancing and enjoying themselves regularly at the regular events and concerts held there.

Pets party candidate: Kat Litter

Year 1

She has introduced pets into one classroom. There are cats on the desks, a fish tank on the shelf and a tortoise in the corner. There is a puppy sitting on the floor. She has let the grass grow on the school field. There are rabbits and chickens grazing. She has put a petting zoo in the car park. There is a pen full of rabbits. The Pets party are promoting vegetarian food in the dining hall. There are loads of meat-free meals on the menu.

Year 2

Another classroom has had pets introduced into it. She has let sheep and goats graze on the school field and planted trees in the car park, so she can have parrots in the petting zoo. She has let cats and dogs into the dining hall. Now they can eat at the same time as the children!

Year 3

Yet another classroom has had pets introduced into it. She has added a pony paddock to the school field and also built a stable for the ponies to sleep in. She has introduced monkeys to the petting zoo, planting more trees for the monkeys and parrots to live in. Horses now eat with the children in the dining room too. All meals are vegetarian.

Year 4

Another classroom has new pets! She is holding a gymkhana on the school field. There are lots of hurdles for the horses to jump over. She has added llamas to the petting zoo and built another paddock for the school ponies. There are monkeys in the dining hall now. There are even more posters on the walls promoting our meat-free school.

Year 5 and 6

There are pets in every classroom. There are cats on the desks and fish, tortoises and puppies everywhere. The successful gymkhana is happening every year. The petting zoo is still very successful. All the animals are very happy. The dining hall is still full of animals. The walls are still full of posters promoting a vegetarian lifestyle.

Perfect party candidate: Lauren Order

Year 1

She has added cameras to one classroom. All the children are facing the front and working hard. She is making her fellow pupils play safely in the playground. She has introduced proper signs and markings in the car park. She has installed metal detectors in the school hall and added a table where people can look at plans of the school.

Year 2

She has added cameras to another classroom. More of the children are facing the front and working hard. She has removed the painted lines on the ground and pupils are only allowed to play team games in the playground. She has hired a security guard for the car park. All cars have to pass through a security gate. The security centre in the school hall is bigger and better than ever. There is a sniffer dog guarding the entrance.

Year 3

Yet another classroom has had cameras installed. She has built a security tower in the playground. Pupils now stand in orderly lines. She has put security cameras in the car park. Pupils are washing teachers’ cars. There is now a command station in the security centre. People are monitoring the rest of the school on big screens.

Year 4

Another classroom has had cameras installed. She has added a searchlight to the security tower in the playground. Every morning the pupils line up to have their uniforms inspected. She has provided cars for the teachers. The cars are all the same make and colour. More children are helping to wash the teachers’ cars. She has put more guards and more screens in the school hall. The table has been replaced by an electronic surveillance system.

Year 5 and 6

All classrooms have cameras installed. The tower in the playground is used everyday and children have regular uniform inspections. The school hall is still full of guards and security screens. There is now no bad behaviour in the school at all.

Organic party candidate: Rhys I Kling

Year 1

The Organic party has added plants and recycling bins to a classroom. Rhys has put posters about environmental issues on the walls. He has let the grass grow on the school field and started an allotment so children can grow vegetables. He has put cycle racks in the car park and added plants to the library.

Year 2

Another classroom has plants and recycling bins and posters on the walls about environmental issues. They are growing more fruit and vegetables on the school field. Rhys has built a shed for the tools and a greenhouse for the tomatoes. He has now filled half of the car park with cycle racks.

Year 3

Yet another classroom has plants, recycling bins and posters. He has added wind turbines to the school field and added another greenhouse. He has made the allotment bigger. He has put more cycle racks in the car park. There is a cycle shed to protect bikes from the rain. A new pond was built in the library. There are terrapins in the pond and there is an owl perching on one of the plants.

Year 4

Another classroom has plants, recycling bins and posters. He has added solar panels to the school field. The whole car park is now devoted to cycle racks. There are three bike sheds to protect bikes from the rain. He has introduced crocodiles to the pond in the school library.

Year 5 and 6

All the classrooms are still full of plants and there are recycling bins in every classroom. The school field is still an allotment. The school is powered by wind turbines and solar panels. The car park is still full of cycle racks. The school library is full of wild animals.

Sporty party candidate: Jim Kitt

Year 1

Jim has added exercise equipment to one classroom. Everyone’s wearing their PE kit instead of school uniform. He has added stretching mats to the sports hall. There is extra sports equipment too. He has added nets and corner flags to the football pitch. He has added a pool to the car park. Children swim in it all the time.

Year 2

Another classroom has exercise equipment and more children are wearing PE kit. He has added weights to the sports hall. He has added a running track to the school field. He has added another pool to the car park.

Year 3

He has added exercise equipment to yet another classroom. He has put running machines in the sports hall. He has installed a pavilion in the school field and built a diving board for the large pool in the car park.

Year 4

Another classroom has exercise equipment. He has built a climbing wall in the gym. There’s lot of sports equipment for everyone. He has added a stand to the pitch on the school field. He has rebuilt the pools in the carpark, installing an Olympic swimming pool instead.

Year 5 and 6

All the classrooms are still full of exercise equipment. The sports hall is still full of expensive sports equipment. The school field hosts regular athletics and sorting events and the olympic pool is used for swimming galas.

ICT party candidate: Daley Bloggs

Year 1

He has added laptops, docking stations and flat screen monitors to one classroom and added more computers to the ICT suite. He has bought an interactive whiteboard also. He has added a games console to the school hall and added pizza and chips to the dinner menu.

Year 2

He has added laptops, docking stations and flat screen monitors to another classroom. He has added more new computers to the ICT suite and added big leather chairs with headsets. He has installed another games console and an arcade machine in the school hall. He is now giving everyone pizza and chips for lunch.

Year 3

Another classroom has laptops, docking stations and flat screen monitors. He has installed a supercomputer to the ICT suite. There are cool new monitors with no wires or leads. He has added motorbike racing games to the school hall and put more arcade machines in there too. He has put a vending machine in the dining hall. There’s a computer game to play too.

Year 4

Yet another classroom has laptops, docking stations and flat screen monitors. There is now a virtual teacher hologram in the ICT suite. He has added virtual reality suits to the school hall and bought the latest games consoles too. There are even more vending machines in the dining hall.

Year 5 and 6

all classrooms have the latest technology installed. Classes are being given by a teacher hologram in the ICT suite. The school hall is still full of games consoles and arcade machines.

Arty party candidate: Gene Yuss

Year 1

He has introduced musical instruments, art equipment and science kits in one of the classrooms. He has built a stage in the school hall. There are giant cushions for children to sit on. He has put more books in the school library.

Year 2

He has introduced musical instruments, art equipment and science kits in another of the classrooms. He has put curtains on the stage and seats in the school hall. Plays are being put on all the time. He has added a computer system to the library.

Year 3

Yet another classroom has musical instruments, art equipment and science kits. He has put an orchestra pit and stage lights in the school hall. He has added bigger bookshelves to the school library.

Year 4

Another classroom has musical instruments, art equipment and science kits. The school hall is now a proper theatre. There is raked seating so that everyone can see the plays. He has added a mezzanine level to the school library. There is even more space for books.

Year 5 and 6

All classrooms have musical instruments, art equipment and science kits. The school hall is still a proper theatre. There is raked seating so that everyone can see the plays which are put on regularly. There is still a mezzanine level to the school library.

Key Questions

Finally, think about the following questions:

Why is the school council important in a school?
Why should children have a say in how their school is organised?
How is the school council organised in your school?
What contributions can you make to improving things in your school for you and your fellow pupils?
Why is it important to think carefully about the promises you make as a school council representative?

Where would you like to go next?