At Oakfield Primary we believe that pupils should be given a wide range of opportunities to develop and practice leadership skills in preparation for life beyond school. There are a number of opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles at the school. Our Pupil Leadership Team focus on improving the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom, supporting the school’s core aims of participation, respect and ambition, as well as helping us in our ethos to inspire, challenge and achieve together to promote an independent education that prepares confident young people for the opportunities of adult life.

Why do we have a School’s Council?

Oakfield School Council are responsible for listening to the children’s comments to improve things around school. This is an ideal opportunity for pupils to get more involved in the way the school is run. The School Council benefits the whole school, pupils and teachers, because it provides opportunities for pupils to communicate their feelings as well as influence decisions that are made. Councillors develop skills such as confidence, communication and negotiation. It is the responsibility of each Councillor to ensure that they express both their own views and the views of all the other pupils they represent. 

What do we do?

We ensure that the representatives feel valued and enjoy ‘having a voice’ in our  school. We hold regular meetings and children are asked to bring their suggestions to discuss. Members of the Council take part in discussions and votes and also feedback any relevant information to their class. At times they are requested to ask their class for ideas or take class votes relating to discussions by the Council. All important suggestions are taken to our headteacher who then discusses the ideas at staff meeting

The Buddies main role is to help and support all other children in the school during break time. So they are easily recognised as Buddies, they are required to wear reflective jackets, adhere to a rota system each week and ensure they are visible on the playground every break time.

To become a Buddy, the children are trained through a rigorous programme.

They undergo a 6 week training schedule followed by monthly recaps and updates.

The focus of the training is;

• Helping children and adults in school.
• Using the correct skills which include; listening, body language, eye contact, empathy.
• Learning about different types of bullying.
• Using key question sheets.
• Being involved in role play so they get used to different scenarios. e.g, learning what bullying is like/ being bullied. This enables the Buddies to easily spot any signs that might occur on the playground.
• Use of ‘force field’ a technique which children use.
• After each training session the Buddies have to fill in a ‘How Confident I am’ sheet.
• When they complete the training and feel confident enough to be able to fulfill the Buddy role, each Buddy signs and dates a Buddy contract.

Our Staying Safe Group work alongside Mrs Oades (Pastoral Team) on areas about being safe. This year, the focus of their work is ‘Road Safety Outside School’. The group meet for 1 hour each week and are currently creating posters and monitoring parking to help others understand how to stay safe on and around roads.