At KEHS, we want all members of our community to feel empowered and develop a sense of belonging.
We take the views of our pupils very seriously and School Councils provide regular opportunities for their voices to be heard.
There are three School Councils that meet several times a year to discuss a wide variety of issues, the vast majority of which are raised by the pupils themselves. Each tutor group sends their Form Leaders to either the Lower School Council (Year 7 and 8), Middle School Council (Year 9, 10 and 11) or Upper School Council (Year 12 and 13).
Major issues discussed have included changes to the timing of the school day, pedagogical approaches and uniform policies. School Councils have instigated changes to the food offered in the Dining Hall and had input into major building projects, as well as keeping on top of the more day-to-day issues within the school.
The opportunity to represent the views of their peers directly to the Senior Leadership Team and the subsequent feedback to their forms is a valuable exercise in itself.
It also gives pupils a much better understanding of the decision-making process in an organisation that depends so much on the goodwill of all the pupils, the teaching staff and the support staff.
The Suggestions Box was introduced in 2023 and allows pupils to make suggestions in writing which are then discussed with the Senior Leadership Team.
In addition to School Councils, the Equality Matters group (founded in 2020) gives pupils space to raise issues around equality, diversity and inclusion and this group instigated the annual Culture Week as well as work on diversifying the curriculum. Pupils of all year groups are welcome to attend Equality Matters and cross years collaboration and an enthusiasm for impactful change is a strength of the group.
