Learner Voice
Learners are the heartbeat of Brynllywarch Hall School and are always encouraged to be involved in their school and its community. Examples of this include learner representation on the student council, learner feedback to staff in pupil progress meetings, learner voice and working with the school and local community in the form of enterprise projects.
Student Council
Pupils at Brynllywarch Hall School can become actively involved in school matters by election to the Student Council. Each academic year, one pupil from each tutor group will meet on a half termly basis where they are encouraged to share their views affecting school and wider lives. A member of the teaching staff, senior leadership and school governor will listen to their views and support the Student Council to realise their goals.
The Student Council decide on topics for the school to focus on for each academic year. Activities may include whole school competitions linked into our reward scheme, assemblies, special projects and guest visits.
Agenda items on the student council for this academic year have included:
Recycling
New school
School bikes
Water fountain
Use of Welsh
Newtown carnival 2023
School uniform
Pool table refurbishment
School entertainment
Pupil Progress Meetings
As well as learners having opportunities to express their views throughout the day, there are more formal opportunities for learners to speak to their form tutors and the senior leadership team to discuss aspects of their school life. Learner feedback from this can then help inform next steps with regards their timetable and support.
Learner Voice
The success of young people’s educational experience is heavily determined by the attitudes that they bring to their learning, their sense of aspiration and the feelings they have about their place in the broader social context of the school. The PASS diagnostic is a powerful, multi-factorial measure of student’s attitudes to school, learning and success. Its robust nature enables the data it yields to be used as a means of establishing baselines and to support effective planning, implementation and evaluation of interventions at individual, group and whole school levels.
PASS assessment involves pupils completing short survey and their responses are analysed and categorised into 9 factors relating to school, they are –
Factor 1 – Feelings about school. Measuring students’ sense of well-being, safety and comfort in school.
Factor 2 – Perceived learning capability. Measures students’ views of how positive and successful they feel in their specific capabilities as learners.
Factor 3 – Self-regard as a learner. Measures the impact of their learning on their concept of self more generally.
Factor 4 – Preparedness for learning. Measures students’ perceptions of their behaviour and attitude in learning situations (including metacognitive skills).
Factor 5 – Attitudes to teachers. Measures students’ perceptions of their relationships with teachers. Measures students’ attitudes and responses to work in general.
Factor 6 – General work ethic. Measures students’ confidence in approaching and dealing with learning and perseverance when presented with challenging tasks and includes associated feelings such as a ‘high’ anxiety element.
Factor 7 – Confidence in learning. Measures students’ confidence in approaching and dealing with learning and perseverance when presented with challenging tasks, and includes associated feelings such as a ‘high’ anxiety element.
Factor 8 – Attitudes to attendance. Measures students’ attitudes to attendance at school.
Factor 9 – Response to curriculum demands. Measures students’ perceptions of the appropriateness of the level of difficulty of work they are asked to complete.
Further information regarding the PASS surveys can be found here.
The School day
Assemblies, tutor group time, PSE and other lessons provide opportunities for students to express themselves and share their ideas. Staff are trained to help students in their holistic development of becoming resilient, ambitious and capable life-long learners.
All Brynllywarch staff receive safeguarding training and are always available to talk to any student needing advice or guidance.