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Learner participation in educational settings
Guidance and support materials to help schools and early years settings develop an understanding of learner participation and plan for implementation within their setting. The guidance offers :
- a clear definition of learner participation
- principles for participation
- the rationale and benefits of participation
- an outline of the four arenas in which participation happens.
The resource also contains five film case studies which exemplify practice and a number of other support documents. This includes the 7 Golden Rules (cypcs.org.uk). to help schools to develop authentic participation.
An important part of the resource is the filmed case studies. These provide helpful examples of practice in at least one of the four areas outlined in the guidance. These case studies are designed to prompt viewers to consider their own contexts for learner participation and to plan for change.
Exemplification can help practitioners to apply and generalise ideas and understand their own practice. Accompanying each video is additional information on the schools and early years settings journey within participation.
How to use this approach
The Learner Participation in Educational Settings (3-18) guidance was initially developed in response to research that was commissioned by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and carried out by the University of Stirling. This demonstrated that schools who were performing higher than expected in attainment had a strong focus on learner participation.
In response to this a framework was developed which outlined clear arenas in which participation took place, which included:
- learning, teaching and assessment
- opportunities for personal achievement
- decision making groups
- connection with the wider community
When exploring how they might take forward learner participation, schools should consider how they want to develop their practice. The self-evaluation mapping tool and learner Participation planning tool can support them to do this. Extensive dialogue about participation and the introductory presentation (PPT) should help practitioners to develop a shared understanding of what is involved in supporting learner participation.
Practitioners should also seek to understand the principles of participation including the need to create inclusive and respectful opportunities for all children and young people to be involved in participation. An important aspect of this is ensuring that intergenerational dialogue takes place. This means that adults are able to see children and young people as equal participants in two-way conversations. It recognises children’s rights and seeks to ensure that outcomes are shared with children and young people.
Improvement questions
- To what extent do we have a shared understanding of what learner participation involves?
- Do the values and practices within our setting, respectfully include children and young people in active participation?
- How well do we embed participation in each of the 4 arenas of learning including: learning, teaching and assessment; personal achievement; decision making groups and wider community?
- Do we recognise the impact and benefits that embedding learner participation in our setting can bring – in areas such as learning and teaching, attainment, relationships and culture and ethos?
- How ready are we to fully develop and embed learner participation in our setting?
This video demonstrates learner participation in the arena of 'learning, teaching and assessment'.
In St. Eunan’s Primary, pupils are invited to reflect and have a say in matters that affect them including learning, teaching and assessment through the 'Changemakers initiative'. Changemakers are pupils from throughout the school who collect, analyse and communicate evidence and experience about the quality of learning and teaching.
The initiative focuses on approaches the pupils themselves value in their learning and sharing these more widely. With support and training, Changemakers provide in-depth feedback about the quality of, for example, lesson pacing, questioning, levels of difficulty in tasks and topics addressed.
This video demonstrates learner participation in the arena of 'opportunities for personal achievement'.
In Our Lady’s High School, one key project is the planning, participating in and evaluating visits to Malawi and China. These visits help pupils to understand the lives and cultures of others and afford many opportunities for skill sharing and reciprocal learning between cultures. Pupils reported valuing the opportunities to volunteer and share in decision making about many project initiatives and events. This participatory approach to personal achievement supported rich learning environments, improved attainment and better relationships between staff and pupils.
This video demonstrates learner participation mainly in the arena of 'wider community'.
In Ferguslie Pre-five Centre, one initiative that brings the community together with staff and children in a participatory way is the morning café. Children take orders and help to run the service and manage the business. As part of this project they were able to visit local coffee houses to help them develop their own ideas. Staff take into account their knowledge of how children learn to create meaningful approaches to learning in this context. As a result, children talk confidently about what they enjoy learning and how some of their skills have developed.
This video demonstrates learner participation mainly in the arena of 'decision making groups'.
In Bearsden Academy, pupils have for some time, been involved in having a say in school governance matters. Staff were keen that pupils were more widely involved in school improvement processes and began this approach by asking pupils to share their initial thoughts on school improvement. This led on to pupils being more widely involved in self-evaluation and developments within the school. The Bearsden Aspirational Team involves 30 young people from S1 to S6 in sharing evaluative comments on the quality of their learning with staff in a respectful, helpful and positive manner. Young people help complete and review a school improvement plan and work collaboratively to take responsibility for that plan.
This video demonstrates working across all arenas.
In Braes High School, all of the arenas come into play through pupils involvement in the 'Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme'. This work uses peer-to-peer communication and support so that pupils can become more aware of the ways they can safely intervene when they witness incidents of violence and bullying.
There is a school wide structured approach to the development and training of pupil mentors who work with younger pupils to encourage members of the school community to take action against bullying and violence. Part of this approach is the development of pupil-led decision making groups with opportunities for reporting, adult support and involvement. The initiative has had a ripple effect through the pupils' own lives, the culture and ethos of the schools involved and their associated communities.
Barrhead High School have worked with Education Scotland to train their Learning Ambassadors. This group of young people have worked with staff and learners to identify strengths and improvements to the learning experience across the school.
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