School Councils Conference Feb 08
One hundred and seventy children from the East Guildford area spent an exciting morning at the Guildford Borough Council Chamber on Wednesday 27th February. Nineteen schools were represented by the members of their school councils who met the Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Mike Nevins, and found out about his role, as well as that of Guildford Borough Council.
All the schools are members of the East Guildford Confederation; a network of infant, primary, junior and secondary schools working closely together and in partnership with other agencies and services in the area. During the morning the children, aged from six to fourteen, were given the opportunity to meet children from other schools and discuss their experiences of starting school and moving to new schools. The children were encouraged to share their views on ways in which this transition process can be improved – this will then be incorporated into future planning by the Confederation member schools. The availability and range of out-of-school and holiday activities were also discussed and the children were asked for suggestions on what they would like to see in the East Guildford area.
The Confederation was launched in November 2007 when representatives from schools and a wide range of other agencies collaborated on the action plans which will benefit the children, young people, families and carers in an area stretching from the centre of Guildford town to Merrow, Burpham, Clandon, Send, and Ripley to Shere, Chilworth and Shalford. Consultation with parents and carers is planned for the future and information and advice will be available through newsletters and a website.
Quote from Sue Giddings , Confederation Manager:
‘This consultation with the children and young people marks another step forward in the development of East Guildford Confederation. The member schools are already working more closely and sharing expertise and training opportunities, as well as further developing links with the other agencies and services who are working in the area. Through working collaboratively, we are planning to provide additional support for families and carers and also family learning opportunities. We would also like to ensure that there is access to a varied menu of activities for the children and that childcare is available where required, as well as increased community access to schools. It is extremely important that we find out about the needs of the children and young people, their families and carers and then try to meet those needs through the extended services provided by the East Guildford Confederation.’