AS CO-AUTHOR of the NSPCC school council study (TES, December 10) I have just returned from an international conference for pupils which explored the issue of “democracy in schools as part of citizenship education” organised by the Danish upper secondary students union in Copenhagen.
Representatives attended from many European countries including a bright bunch from Tyneside and the West Midlands.
They returned wanting to know why school councils are not a statutorily requirement; why secondary pupils are not represented on our governing bodies and why we have no organisation for pupils which can represent their views to policy-makers.
Good questions I thought.
Derry Hannam
Council of Europe
Traineradviser in Education for
Democratic Citizenship
