At Claremont we believe that everyone’s voice should be heard. We actively encourage the children to be involved in this and, as a result, have an active School Council, and an ethos whereby children are encouraged to voice any concerns or requests. We have an annual Pupil Survey as well as Pupil Conferencing of representatives from each class. We take what is said very seriously and, whenever possible, act upon it. The School Council requested that we have a ‘Worry Box’ available to everyone so that children can privately raise any concerns and staff are ensuring one is available to their class/year group. Children feeling that have a voice is all part of making them feel safe, happy, secure and therefore ready to learn.

The School Council

We have a vibrant School Council at Claremont School and all classes from Year 2 upwards are represented. They hold monthly meetings where they decide on the priorities for the coming weeks and discuss any issues the children feel need to be discussed. Issues may be requests from their class members for a new club, new ideas for how to look after our school, and everyone in it, or any worries or concerns their class may have raised. This past year they have focussed on lunchtimes and playtimes. The School Council invited our catering manager to some of their meetings along with Mrs Roberts our Head. The School Council represented the school and welcomed the Mayor to the opening of our Art Exhibition in the Victoria Shopping Centre. The Mayor has invited the School Council to visit the Town Hall and we will be going in the Autumn. The School Council organise the annual singing competition which takes place in Term 6 and they are on the judging panel. Every October they hand over to the newly elected School Council who will carry on representing the children in the school.

Helping Each Other

The children can participate in a number of other pupil led teams:

House Captains - the school has four Houses: Dragons (red), Eagles (green), Lions (yellow) and Unicorns (blue). Each child is allocated to a house when they join the school. Children in Year 6 can put themselves forward for the role of House Captain and are elected in a whole school vote. Pupils can earn house points through good work, kind behaviour and participation. Houses are a huge part of sports day - the pupils in the house with the most points win a trophy! Please see the Pastoral page for more information..

Digital Leaders
The Digital Leader Team at Claremont includes those children with a passion for technology, who want to share their knowledge with others and promote the safe use of all things digital throughout the school. Being a Digital Leader is a fantastic opportunity to take on responsibility, learn new skills, develop and demonstrate leadership skills.

Wellbeing Ambassadors
The Wellbeing Ambassadors are a team of Year 4 - Year 6 pupils, voted by their peers, who support particular children at break and lunch times. The WAs are partnered with children who may find playtimes tricky; by listening, encouraging and helping them to play kindly with others and develop a positive sense of wellbeing. The WAs meet regularly to improve their own skills. Using scenario situations and discussing what action could be taken allows different ideas to be shared within the group. The WAs can be recognised by their Wellbeing Ambassador badge.

Green Team
The Green Team are a group of children who have been elected by their peers to suggest ways in which the school can be an even more environmentally friendly place. We meet once every short term to share ideas. Each year, a new group of children are chosen.

Buddies
Buddies are a network of year 6 children who have applied and been trained in how to play and support KS1 children during their lunchtime break. They organise games and help children who need support during this time as well as liaising with our Midday Supervisors if needed.

Sports Leaders
Sports leaders are a group of Y5 and Y6 pupils who applied at the start of the year to support sport in and outside of school. They receive training on leadership skills to deliver active lunch sessions to KS1 and KS2 working closely with the Buddies. They also support events run by the school such as the annual house cross-country race and sports day and will be helping out at TWKSSP events.

Responsiveness Representatives
The Responsiveness Representatives are the voice of the pupils at Claremont, contributing ideas and making decisions about how all pupils learn. As representatives of all pupils, they share their honest opinions (that they think will be good for others in the school) about how all pupils learn in and out of class. The Responsiveness Reps might not always agree and may have different opinions to each other, but they will talk about them, and look at both the pros and the cons. They listen to their peers, are listened to by those who can make changes, and have the power to affect what happens in the classroom.

School Charities

Each Autumn term, the school chooses charities to support. For 2023-24, we are continuing to support Nourish Foodbank with monthly collections and we have voted for the following two charities:

• A Dog's Tale
• Aspens