Pupil Leadership Group – Spring 1:

At Dawn House School, we value our pupils’ opinions and use their feedback to help make our school better. We meet every half-term to go through a set agenda. Our Spring 1 Pupil Leadership Group meeting brought together students to reflect on what’s going well at the school and discuss ideas for improvement. Here’s a summary of the key points:

What’s Going Well:

Students expressed their enjoyment of various aspects of school life, including better lessons, Food Technology, Occupational Therapy (OT), Forest Schools, Enrichment, and the opportunities for practical learning. Events, trips to colleges, and the launch of Dawn’s Diner were also highlighted as standout experiences. The students also praised the variety of activities like sports, lunch clubs, and options available to them.

School Environment:

The school site continues to receive positive feedback. Students particularly appreciate the vast space, sports pitches, gym, music room, pool, library, and the facilities such as wheelchair ramps and sensory integration rooms. The abundance of trees, the sensory bus, and Forest Schools all contribute to enhancing student well-being.

Improvements Suggested:

While the school environment is largely well-received, students provided suggestions for further improvements. These included steps with wheelchair access, adapted gym equipment for people with disabilities, and new additions such as a climbing wall, bike track, and picnic areas. They also called for more books in the library and additional lunchtime clubs to enrich student life.

Internet Safety:

Internet safety remains a priority, with students identifying key risks such as hackers, scams, and cyberbullying. They also discussed how important it is to be careful with sharing personal information and how to handle upsetting situations online. The school continues to focus on educating students on staying safe in the digital world.

House Events and Team Organisation:

The leadership group unanimously agreed that the current house teams are too large and suggested splitting them into smaller groups. Proposed new team names included Elephants, Foxes, Dragons, and more. The students also emphasised the importance of organizing teams by age to improve participation and fairness.

Other Business:

Several initiatives were proposed, including decreasing merit prices for activities, and more whole-school trips. Students also advocated for more independent trips for meals and shopping, as well as the expansion of the library’s book collection. The creation of new lunchtime clubs was also suggested to provide even more opportunities for student engagement.

Thank you to our pupils for their helpful feedback, and stay tuned for more updates!

DHS – PLG Minutes – Spring 1