Children’s Commissioner’s plea for schools to ‘learn through the eyes of pupils’

Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, has questioned whether the nation's pupils have a real voice in schools.

Five years after the introduction of compulsory school councils in Wales, Mr Towler challenged educationalists to look more closely at whether the system is really working for children and young people.

His comments came this evening (October 3rd) as he delivered the Wales Education Lecture which is organised annually by the General Teaching Council for Wales to highlight key issues facing the sector.

Addressing hundreds of teachers and other educationalists at the National Museum in Cardiff he asked: "Are we really listening to children and young people, are we really seeing pupil voice as a way of driving up standards in our schools?"

"I believe we have reached a crossroads and must analyse now how effective school councils are, and furthermore we must question whether there is a meaningful commitment to a whole-school approach to pupil engagement.

"Wales was the first country in the UK to make school council compulsory and in some schools they've got it spot-on: they have inspirational leaders, teachers who listen and work with children and young people to help them fulfil their potential.

However, in other schools it's not delivering what we intended and for that reason we have a responsibility, not to ignore the issue, but to find and remove the barriers. We need strong leadership from heads and strong role models among pupils themselves in order to make this work," he added.

Mr Towler acknowledged that there have been claims from some that increased participation has led to the rise of inappropriate 'pupil power.'

However he said: 'In my experience of visiting schools around Wales on a regular basis, the reality is very different. Where pupil participation is working effectively it is based on mutual respect between teachers and pupils.

"Just as Wales has taken a lead in many other aspects of children and young people's policy, I believe we should be pioneers also in the realm of pupil voice," he added.

The Wales Education Lecture was first set up in 2004 by the General Teaching Council for Wales as an annual opportunity for those who deliver or influence education to hear innovative ideas and discuss current issues affecting the sector.

Previous speakers include Professor Shirley Williams, former UK Government Education Secretary, Baroness Estelle Morris and top film producer Lord Puttnam.