On Thursday 6th November, Student Council members from each school within the Wickersley Partnership Trust (WPT) came together at Rawmarsh Community School for a special meeting with WPT Leaders. The focus of the session was to discuss and share ideas about the quality of education across our Trust’s schools.
The meeting gave students the opportunity to express their thoughts and experiences directly to a panel of senior leaders, which included:
- Helen O’Brien, CEO at Wickersley Partnership Trust
- David Owen, Director at Wickersley Partnership Trust
- Mr Hardcastle, Headteacher at Wickersley School and Sports College
- Miss Roper, Headteacher at Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School
- Shaun Flynn, Chair of Governors at The Gainsborough Academy
Mrs Skelton, Headteacher at The Gainsborough Academy, kickstarted the session by running a pre-meeting with the students. During this time, students from different schools worked in mixed groups to discuss key questions from the agenda, preparing to share their feedback and ideas with the panel.
As part of the discussion, students reflected on what it’s like to learn across our Trust, what makes great teaching and how they know they are making progress. They described their school experiences as positive and engaging, with teachers who care and lessons that are enjoyable and well-structured. Alongside this, students also offered some constructive feedback around how learning experiences could be made even better with ideas centred around online learning, communication and teacher recruitment – all suggestions that our Trust is keen to take on board as part of our ongoing commitment to improvement.
WPT’s commitment to student voice continues to ensure that our students are actively involved in shaping their own learning experience and helping to make positive changes across all schools.
Helen O’Brien, CEO at Wickersley Partnership Trust, said: “Student voice is so important across our Trust and it’s been fantastic for our school Student Councils to get together to discuss the quality of education at our schools. It’s been really helpful to hear first-hand from those who are directly affected by the quality of education. The feedback gathered will be used to help shape and improve the learning experience across all our schools.”
Evie, Y7 student at Rawmarsh Community School, commented: “I’ve really enjoyed learning more about other schools and meeting students from across Wickersley Partnership Trust. It’s really nice because we get to find out what other schools do and get to know other students who we will be working with in the future. Meeting like this helps us see how the Trust can improve with all of our ideas.”
Notes from the meeting have been distributed to Headteachers – in both primary and secondary phases – who will use the insights to help guide future developments and ensure every student continues to receive high-quality education.
Looking ahead, there will be further Trust Student Council meetings later in the year, focusing on other key areas such as enrichment and sustainability. These sessions will continue to give students the opportunity to share their ideas, influence decision-making and play an active role in shaping the wider development of Wickersley Partnership Trust.
