Last week, the Mayor of Solihull invited pupils from Solihull Prep School and Widney Junior School to have their school council meetings in Solihull’s Council Chamber.
After a warm welcome from the Mayor, two pupils were chosen by the school as chair and vice-chair to lead the meeting. Then, the primary school children engaged in lively discussions about their experiences at school and made decisions about what they would like to change.
Solihull Prep School, helped by older students from Solihull School, debated whether to have chickens, reptiles or fish for their school pet, whether they should have less homework and whether they should learn more varied sports in their PE lessons.
The items on Widney Junior School’s agenda included whether pupils should be allowed more toilet breaks during their lessons, whether they should be able to bring mobile phones into school and whether they should be allowed to eat in class.
The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said:
“It was a pleasure to host the members of Solihull Prep School council and Widney Junior School council last week in the Council chamber. We had some very interactive debates where the children could make their case heard by using the microphones, in essence replicating what happens at our Council meetings.
“These bright young pupils brought excellent discussion points to the table and engaged readily in debates about animals in school and mobile phones. I was really impressed by all the children’s contributions to their meetings. I hope they enjoyed the experience – maybe some will even think about becoming councillors in the future!
“Visits like these are a fantastic opportunity to give students an idea of the decisions we make here at the Council and I’d love to encourage more schools to pay us a visit.”
If your school would like to visit the Council chamber, or you would like the Mayor to visit your school, please contact mayor@solihull.gov.uk or fill out an online invitation form.