So what does student voice mean at Cramlington Learning Village? Well, it means a great number of things but overall it gives our learners a chance to communicate how they feel about school life and even more importantly about learning.
Working With A Learning Guide
Every young person has a learning guide who acts as an advocate for them The learning guide is a daily point of contact for learners to raise issues, ask questions and share successes. On top of that, every learner has an individual learning review each half term (sometimes more often if needed) where there is a chance to talk to his or her learning guide for an extended period of time, possibly accompanied by parents, and talk about important issues. The job of the learning guide is then to support the learner to make changes where necessary, seek help if needed or broker services from other people. This is a key element of student voice at CLV.
In the classroom
Learners are always given the chance to feedback on learning. This could be in the form of a review activity, letting the teacher know what went well in a lesson and how things could be improved. It might be in the way a teacher talks about learning over a period of time and asks learners to give ideas about the best way to learn something. Heads of Department regularly meet with students to see how things are going in a particular subject and will ask learners to fill in questionnaires which can then be acted upon.
In the JLV
The JLV has an elected cabinet system where learners in years 7 and 8 can be voted into a particular area. We have cabinet positions for our learning, our communication, our enrichment, our technology and even a mayor and deputy mayor! The elected body then represents the rest of the students and helps to develop all aspects of life in the JLV.
In the SLV and the ALV
The SLV has a slightly different system with year councils elected to deal with issues relating directly to certain year groups and a Senior Learning Village Leadership Group made up of students from different year groups who come together to discuss and act upon whole school issues. In addition to this, the ALV has a Head Boy and Head Girl along with deputies who focus on 6th form issues in particular.
Communication
In a school with around 2000 learners communication is vital! Learners and teachers can communicate through email on our learning platform FROG and parents can also have a voice by emailing teachers directly, coming into parents evenings and participating on parent forums. This is your school, your learning and your life so you have a right to have a say!
Tootoot
‘Tootoot’ is a safe, secure web-based safeguarding tool, which allows pupils of all age ranges in Cramlington Learning Village to seek support, ask for advice or report incidents of bullying. Pupils can use ‘Tootoot’ from their chromebooks or personal mobile devices and enables them to report problems they could be having in class or any issues that may be concerning them in an anonymous, confidential and discrete manner. These individual cases are monitored, managed and resolved by CLV staff in school.
Evidence from other school and local authorities that already use ‘Tootoot’ suggest that its use can reduce the worry some pupils may have in reporting concerns or incidents, and ultimately provides us with the tools required to track, monitor and resolve cases efficiently.
‘Tootoot’ not only encourages pupils to report incidents of bullying, it also encourages them to work together and strengthen communication links between them and their teachers by removing barriers.