RECENTLY at Harrogate High School a new structure for the school has been created, this is Student Voice.

Student Voice is a means of involving students in the organisational structure of the school and engaging them in the school community.

This has been introduced throughout the school at Harrogate High, as it will benefit the way the students learn and the staff work. The students and staff part of Student Voice will help transform education from the 'bottom up' through co - productive learning.

Being a part of Student Voice means that students are able to take on a role as; Student Research, Peer Mentor, Peer Mediator, Department Working Party, Student Governor, Peer Listener, Student Interviewer, Peer Educator, and Student Tour Guide.

This means that students will take on tasks according to their role, to help deliver a better education to their present and future peers.
In addition Student Voice is developing successfully, the school's culture and ethos have been adapted to nurture and support the integration and expansion of Student Voice activities.

Especially in the sixth form centre at Harrogate High, the students are luckily enough to benefit from a brand new state of the art study room with 24 computers all with internet access, new tables and newly decorated to help configure the ethos in the sixth form centre to be pleasant and to be a place for learning.

This is part of the many changes underway in the school partly because of student voice.

Although some of the ideas arising at Student Voice meetings are challenging, and all require careful planning and achievement, the potential, however, is significant; engaging students and involving them at the heart of the learning community that is a personalised school.

Some people may argue that students don't have enough voice at school and are not able to make decisions' about their learning but this system at Harrogate High enables students' voices to be heard.

Encouraging student participation is vital to staff and students equally, students may never describe school as their favourite place to be, although with Student Voice ongoing in school it makes it more enjoyable and a better place to be.

Avoiding disagreements with students is not the way forward, by doing this teachers are failing there duties to make sure students understand there view and opinions, by having Student Voice involved and running in school means that children are encouraged to voice their opinions and understand the decisions that are made.

This is the first and foremost step to reduce political unconcern among children.

Even though Student Voice enables reliability, maturity and self confidence in the students, it also gives children the first footsteps in life outside of school.

Education can be given and learnt but never taken away from students.
This is why Harrogate High School thrives in making the change in learning, and giving children the best possible chance in life. Trips such as training and research projects have already been organised by the SV team, and many more should be happening in the near future.

Mrs Luffman assistant head teacher at Harrogate High School said: "The Student Voice was re-launched in a genuine bid to involve students in the organisational structure of the school and engage them in the school community.

"The approach is hoped to effectively help to transform education at HHS from the 'bottom up', through the co-construction of learning; the students have taken a phenomenal approach to the launch and we are excited about the future of Student Voice."