Student Parliament & Student Voice

Natspec Student Voice Parliament

Our student council members take part in the Natspec Student Parliament which comprises of Natspec member colleges from across the country. The Student Voice Parliament meets twice per year, with the agenda set by the Parliament members. This addresses important issues that affect our students such as Government Disability Strategy and a need to increase understanding in the wider community about our skills, abilities and accessibility needs.

Student Council

Our Student Council includes a representative from each of the Ascent classes as well as other interested students. The council meets once per month to discuss a range of issues such as lunchtime activities, the college environment and any worries or concerns the students may be having. The agenda is issued before each meeting and the minutes are published and available to access in college.

The student council has made suggestions for lunchtime clubs to support students with their regulation and social skills and to have a positive impact on wellbeing. They also plan regular wellbeing events throughout the year to include relationship building, developing new skills and mindfulness.

Meetings

In our student council meetings, we follow an agenda which covers a range of different topics including actions from the last meeting to check what has been put into place. Each member is also given the opportunity to bring forward issues from their own classes. Students take turns to write the minutes, and everyone is given the opportunity to give their opinion on each topic raised. Our students have come up with some amazing ideas for how our college could be even better and we aim to put all of these into place.

UK Parliament week

The Student Council takes part in events promoting democracy across the region. We participate in UK Parliament Week which is a nationwide campaign to provide students with information about how Parliament works. The student council produces quizzes and competitions to help spread the word and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to find out more about how they can get involved. It is vital that students are aware of how they can continue to share their voice and advocate for themselves through adulthood when they are no longer in college.

Students have also taken part in a visit to parliament to find out more about how democracy works, who our MPs are and how they can have their say.

Student Questionnaires

Throughout the year, students’ complete questionnaires to give their opinions and thoughts on a range of topics. Each term they are asked to complete a student voice evaluation, a welfare rating and/or a questionnaire about college life. The results of these questionnaires are shared with class teams and the therapy team so that we can act on any issues and make improvements for our students following their suggestions.

Student voice through everyday life

It is also very important that student voice is heard through everyday activities. It is vital that students feel that their voice is heard throughout their college life, in order to develop their self-advocacy skills and confidence for life outside of college.

Tarran says:

“It is important to have a student council because it can make the student voice heard and get action taken to improve the facilities. The student council has a great impact on quality of life at college. I enjoy being part of the council because I am able to help improve everyone’s experiences and make a positive impact on the college.”

Alicia says:

“In the student council, we make decisions about things that would be beneficial to the students in college. It is important for our voices to be heard so that staff know what things we need to add or make changes to so they can help us better understand, learn and cope in college”.

Student Council Members

Why is the student council important to you?

“It helps me to express ideas and thoughts about things that are important to me in college.”– Sam Williams

“Because I can communicate with everyone. I feel happy to be part of the student council.” – Alex Sullivan

“It is important because it provides opportunities to develop leadership attributes that can be transferred to future employment. It also makes me more confident as I am relied on by my class when taking on responsibilities.” – Dominic Hindle