Junior Leaders and School Council

At Beeston Primary we run Smart School Council which enables all pupils to have a voice. All pupils learn to run the meetings and how to take notes and record them. JLT organise and manage Smart School Council liaising with SLT about actions they want to take and discussing current issues.

Junior Leadership Team (JLT)

JLT meet regularly with SLT to discuss current issues, their fundraising ideas and actions they would like to take. Autumn 1:

This half term JLT built on the work from the previous team to organise and run a fundraising event for Zarach. Zarach is a charity that supports children who do not have a bed of their own. The charity provides beds, bedding, pyjamas and other essential items to families experiencing hardship, helping children to get the good night's sleep they need to thrive at school.

During the week commencing 5th October 2026, the children will be taking part in a Golden Mile Challenge to raise money for Zarach. The challenge will take place during the school day, and children will be able to walk, jog or run a mile to help us raise as much money as possible for this very worthwhile cause. You can download your fundraising form here.

On 9th October JLT organised a 'Hello Yellow' day in conjunction with Young Minds for World Mental Health day where pupils also raised money for this important cause by wearing yellow.

JLT used Smart School Council to ask pupils about their thoughts on improvements to the end of day procedures in school. They then worked with SLT to make suggestions around improvements. These are due to take place over the October half-term holiday. Look out for their upcoming letter updating parents and carers about the changes.

School Council

At Beeston Primary, we believe every pupil should have a voice in shaping our school. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 take part in our Smart School Council meetings once a fortnight, sharing their views and ideas. Our Junior Leadership Team (JLT), elected each year, meets regularly with senior leaders to discuss these ideas and help make positive changes. Over their time at Beeston Primary School all children will learn how to run a school council class meeting and how to record the meeting to feed back to JLT and SLT.

Smart School Council is organised and managed by JLT who use this regularly gathered pupil voice to inform whole school actions and drive school improvement. We update this page each half term with the Junior Leadership Team’s actions and reports on school council discussions and outcomes, so you can see how pupils’ voices are helping to make a difference.

In Autumn one these are the questions classes have been discussing. See below for more in depth information.

We have been looking at the reward shop and products available, what products would you like to be able to buy?
Can you think of one idea that would help everyone arrive at and leave school safely, while being kind and considerate to others?
What would you most like our school to do to help the planet and tackle climate change?

25th September 2026

Meeting summary

Pupils are fairly settled on what would help with safe arrivals and departures. A painted waiting area for parents on the playground is the strongest preference so far, with just over half the groups voting for it. The other main idea is a two-way system to separate incoming and outgoing traffic, which some groups also backed. One group put forward a different angle altogether: a coned waiting area with an ordering system where parents move to the back of the queue if their child isn't ready yet.

The groups who commented went deeper into the logistics. They're thinking about how to manage the flow - not just where parents wait, but how they move through the space. They also raised something separate: walkers and children leaving on foot need their own route or different exit times so they're not caught up in the parent pick-up chaos. That's a practical safety point that goes beyond the painted area idea.

11th September 2026

Meeting summary

Sensory toys are pulling ahead strongly, with nearly half the groups voting for them so far. Arts and crafts is the next preference, chosen by about a fifth of groups. The 'any other ideas' option is also drawing real interest - just over a quarter of groups - which tells us pupils have specific things in mind beyond the four main choices. A few groups have left comments naming what they want: fidget rings, squishies, chew toys, pop-its, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and bigger Lego sets all came up. One group asked for remote control cars and books too.

No groups recorded ideas for improving the school more broadly in this meeting.