First for Welshpool High School

Welshpool High School Council is the first in Wales to be awarded the National Kitemark that focuses on ‘Children and Young People’s Participation Standards.

The Powys Children and Young People’s Partnership promotes the standards to organisations working with children and young people across the county to ensure that young people are fully involved in services that affect them.
Pupils at Welshpool High School explained that working towards the Kitemark allowed them to show off their achievements and reflect and share their progress.

Dale Maczak, a pupil in Year 9 and a member of Welshpool Student Council, explained: “As a school we were very pleased when we found out we had achieved the Kitemark award. We have been given the opportunity to talk about our success and have learnt a lot throughout the whole experience. We had to provide lots of evidence to show that our achievements were real. We are regularly involved in activities that affect our daily life at school. We recently had a role in the appointment of a new Assistant Headteacher. We have also been involved in reviewing policies, raised over £1,000 for Severn Hospice and work closely with our local Town Council, so we had lots to talk to the inspectors about.”

Powys Youth Forum members have been trained as Young Inspectors and a team of 14–20 years olds met with Welshpool High School staff and pupils to find out if the School Council was working in line with the Standards. The Standards ensure that young people have the opportunity to contribute, to have their voices heard and their views taken into account in decisions that affect their lives.

Head Teacher, Jim Toal, said: “We are delighted to be the first School Council in Wales to receive this prestigious Kitemark. As a school we place great emphasis on the importance of an active and dynamic Student Council. This award recognises the superb work of our student council representatives who have not only made a difference to the development of Welshpool High School but have also been very involved in local democracy and decision making through Welshpool Town Council and, at a wider county level, with the Powys Youth Forum. As a school, we believe that providing these opportunities are invaluable to our students, giving the skills and confidence to create the leaders of the future, who are informed, well-rounded and responsible.”

PICTURE (from left): Assistant Head, Jamie Loxam; Young Inspector and Powys Youth Forum Member Tom Turner; Head Teacher Jim Toal; Dale Maczak; Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler; Kerry Evison; Powys Children and Young People’s Partnerships’ Youth Participation Officer, Stephen Parkinson; and Chris Windsor. Dale, Chris and Kerry are all members of Welshpool School Council.