--- title: "School Council" url: "https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/school-council" school: "Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy" --- # School Council ### ![](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/images/images.jpeg) ### Our Smart School Council At our academy, we believe that every child has a voice and the power to make a positive difference. We use the Smart School Council model so that all pupils—from Reception right up to Year 6—can take an active part in shaping our school family. ### How Our Smart School Council Works Rather than just a few children making decisions, our Smart School Council involves everyone. It is built on three main parts: ### 1. The Communication Team Elected councillors from Year 1 to Year 6 lead our Smart School Council. These pupils are responsible for running class meetings, gathering everyone’s views, and meeting regularly to plan real actions for our school. ### 2. Class Meetings Our Year 1 to Year 6 Class Representatives lead short, pupil-led meetings in their own classrooms using the Smart School Council tool. Every child gets to discuss a question about school life, share their ideas, and cast their vote. ### 3. Action Teams Any pupil in the school who feels passionately about a project can start or join an Action Team! Whether it’s an Eco Team, a Playground Team, or a Charity Team, pupils work together with a member of staff to make their ideas happen. ### Living Our Values Through Pupil Voice Our Smart School Council isn't just about making decisions; it's how we put our Christian vision and core values into practice every single day: - Love & Friendship: Through Class Meetings, we make sure that every child’s opinion is listened to and valued. We treat each other’s ideas with respect and work together to make our school a happier, more welcoming place for everyone. - Hope: Action Teams give our pupils the tools to create positive change. We look forward with hope, knowing that no matter how small an idea starts, it can grow into something brilliant that helps our school or local community. - Courage: Standing up in front of your peers to lead a meeting or bringing a new idea to the Headteacher takes real bravery! We encourage our councillors and pupils to speak out courageously for what is right and fair. - Perseverance: Making school improvements takes time and effort. When an Action Team plans a project, our children learn to keep trying, overcome obstacles, and see their hard work through to the end. ### Meet Our Class Representatives Congratulations to our newly elected Year 1 to Year 6 Communications Team for this academic year! Look out for your class representatives on the playground if you have an idea you’d like to share, or talk to them during your next Class Meeting. > "Together, we listen, we lead, and we make a difference!" ### School council 2026 [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x720s/gallery/school-council-2026/IMG_2026-09-16-09-17-41-958.jpg)](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/gallery/school-council-2026/IMG_2026-09-16-09-17-41-958.jpg) ### Related News ![Image of School Council- Local Community - Litter Picking ](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/f8edaa49-6bfc-4b7a-82b2-90425db79c04.jpg) 16 Sep [2026-09-16-school-council-local-community-litter-picking](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-09-16-school-council-local-community-litter-picking) #### [School Council- Local Community - Litter Picking ](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-09-16-school-council-local-community-litter-picking) ![Image of School Council- PSHE- Spreading Christmas Cheer in the Community](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/Collage_2025-12-10_18_30_51.jpg) 10 Dec [2025-12-10-school-council-pshe-spreading-christmas-cheer-in-the-community](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-12-10-school-council-pshe-spreading-christmas-cheer-in-the-community) #### [School Council- PSHE- Spreading Christmas Cheer in the Community](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-12-10-school-council-pshe-spreading-christmas-cheer-in-the-community) ![Image of Year 5 - Parliament Week Activities](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/6ea96ed1-1cfd-43d2-a1c9-4ae44292b250.jpg) 3 Dec [2025-12-03-year-5-parliament-week-activities](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-12-03-year-5-parliament-week-activities) #### [Year 5 - Parliament Week Activities](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-12-03-year-5-parliament-week-activities) [View All News](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/school-council) ### Academy Life - [News](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news) - [Events](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/events) - [Clubs](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/basc) - [School Council](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/school-council) - [Attendance](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/attendance) - [Charities and Fundrasing](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/charities-and-fundraising) - ![School Games Gold](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Gold_Logo_25-26(1).png) - ![Healthy school](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/healthy_school.png) - ![Picture News](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/6_Years_of_Picture_News.png) - ![AP smilestar](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Screenshot_2026-07-27_10.26.27.png) ##### Location St James Crescent Darwen Lancashire BB3 0EY ##### Contact Us 01254 703260 ##### Stay Connected - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Darwenstjames) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/darwenstjames/) © Copyright 2021–2026 Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)