Pupil Voice
Pupil Questionnaire
Pupil Voice
At Elmbridge, pupil voice is very important to us; we feel the children should have a say in the development of the school. So 3 times a year, we hold a ‘Pupil Voice’ session involving every child from Year 1-6 over a 2 year rolling cycle. The children are split into groups which focus on different curriculum areas of the school. The groups are made up of children from different classes. They discuss whether previous actions have been met across an aspect of school and what they would like to develop. The children always have strong opinions and all of their views are taken into account; where possible changes are made according to their wishes.
Here is the Pupil Voice Feedback from March 2024:
Subject | We like | We would like |
Art | Expressing our feelings on the page
Learning about different styles
Working with illustrators for book week | To create our own mural
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Computing | Using computers to research things for other subjects
Playing a variety of coding games
Typing – it’s good and can help us with spellings | To learn how to create our own games
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DT | Being creative, designing/making Ferris wheels and stuffed toys
Learning how you can make things your own (design)
Trying food from different countries | To share with other classes/year groups |
French | Learning a different language and finding out more words/using new vocabulary
Playing the games to help us remember the words that we are learning
Having the worksheets to help us write French words | To play interactive games to help people that have missed lessons to practice their French language and catch up.
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Geography | Learning about:
| To make a model of what we are learning
To have more research of topics
To make a volcano |
History | Learning about ancient civilisations e.g. Egyptians – it makes you wonder how they did it | To have more role play, drama, Horrible Histories and art to be included in the lessons |
Maths | That the ‘Solve its’ have become more challenging asking us to solve problems in different ways
The ‘Puzzle’ workshops (Year 3)
The levels of ‘Do It/Twist It/Solve It’
That every lesson is different but linked together | To have a times table challenge or year group/house challenge (think about how we can practice times tables in year groups)
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Music | Composer of the week
Performing in the Spring concert
Using technology with music
Looping and using technology (in Year 5) |
To make sure music is happening each week! |
PE | Activities and social/athletic and sport (keeping fit)
Having lots of equipment in lessons (hall equipment)
Learning new skills
| To have football teaching from outside agencies
To have external sports visitors
To learn rugby in year 6
To have more sports day events
To extend clubs to more year groups
To mix year groups for PE |
RE | Learning about the important parts of each religion and then getting more information after
Learning about more than one religion; we learn about lots
Presenting work in lots of different ways, not just writing | To have more religious assemblies done by visitors and pupils
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Reading | How it’s fun and interesting
That the information you might read in one book helps in all the different subjects
Having a chance to share books from home | To have more practical books that teach us what to do like Lego builds and Minecraft
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Science | Learning about shadows - how they move and their angles (Y3 and Y6)
Learning about rocks – making a fossil
Learning about plant reproduction
Learning about the digestive system – had fun with the experimental stomach | To explore – experience knowledge rather than just being told |
Wellbeing | Having more mindful moments
The ‘Cabin’ for stories, reading, yoga, making things (pastoral)
Group/partner work
Using ‘myHappyMind’ resources – e.g. happy breathing when stressed | To learn more about friendships and bullying in the curriculum
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Writing | Writing in pen (KS2)
Finding new words and putting them in our work
Writing fiction (stories) | To maybe introduce ‘word of the week’.
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Here is the Pupil Voice Feedback from November 2023:
Subject | We like | We would like |
Art | Expressing ourselves Using a variety of equipment Making what we want | To work with a real artist |
Computing | Solving problems to fix computers Programming - building games independently Typing, PowerPoint, Office skills | A variety of types of coding/resources e.g. Python |
DT | Using equipment e.g. saws makes you feel creative Free choice in cooking - you can express your individuality and choose what you make and taste what you have made Y3 doing cross stitch/running stitch Y1 designing a puppet and sticking things together | More choice of what we cook and a bigger selection of materials |
French | Learning a new language which helps us when we go to France Salut! | To play more games in French lessons and when we read for pleasure, we would like to read French texts |
Geography | Looking after our world Learning about the water cycle, volcanoes, weather, deserts and the UK Reading stories about people in places Learning about natural disasters | To learn more about the wildlife in different parts of the world and why they are there |
History | Learning about the past - activities people did Learning about Egypt, how people did things, transport, historical dress, Anglo-Saxons, the Victorians, the Vikings, the Stone Age, Rosa Parks, WW2, the Tudors, trips | More experiences, for example role-play, acting it out and trips. This will help us understand more about history. |
Maths | Challenges MOT sessions - warming up your body for the maths lesson and getting your mind set How every lesson can be different | To have a times table challenge or year group/house challenge |
Music | Playing the musical instruments Individual instrument lessons Singing assemblies (infant and juniors) particularly singing pop songs | To use more of a range of instruments in class |
PE | Using the equipment/apparatus House sports PE with other classes Working on your fitness - fun and active External visitors delivering football sessions Working in teams | Visitors for each year group Different sports, more equipment/apparatus More ball sports, more than just throwing Whole year group PE sessions |
RE | Learning about different religions and having children as subject experts Going to visit different religious buildings Having assemblies by different religious people/children in school | More visits/visitors To make more decisions about how we present our work |
Reading | Reading lots of interesting books Learning lots of new vocabulary Seeing the higher range gives you something to aim for | A chance to read books out of our range To adjust the criteria of the reading challenge To quiz throughout a longer text - it is too much to remember otherwise |
Science | Learning about scientists and the experiments they did including the black scientist experiments Going outside to do investigations and experiments Learning new things e.g. 'what is gravity'? 'How is electricity made'? 'How do volcanoes start'? | To learn about gravity, chemistry and mixing liquids and do more 'Wow' experiments
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Wellbeing | Circle time games Time to talk (50% of the time) Having worry monsters Talking about things that matter to all of us - e.g. racism Mindfulness - mindful moments | More mindful moments |
Writing | Using interesting words - fun Poetry Writing in pen (KS2) Spelling tests | A chance to have some 'free writing' time and to write about what we enjoy
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Here is the Pupil Voice Feedback from March 2023:
Subject | Likes | Improvements/Changes |
Art | Having more choice of what we do is fun Looking at artists’ work Using different equipment, not just paint | Do more art (we did talk about only having so much time in the timetable and they said they would like to do it more than once a week |
Computing | Coding Games being used in lessons and free time, especially Times Tables Rock Stars Using a range of Microsoft programmes | Making computers faster when using them |
DT | Cooking – making healthy carrot muffins and pizza Working in groups Textiles – plush toys, blanket stitch, cushions, pop up cards Mechanisms – ferris wheel, slingshot cars Making rockets in Class 1 Lanterns | Do DT more regularly |
French | We like learning French. It is good to learn new words Useful skill to have a new language We can have conversations with people on holiday It is fun – we can play games We enjoyed language ambassadors (Y3 & Y4) | We want to play games with a French person and have conversations in class Year groups to all use ‘salut’ |
Geography | Learning about different countries (e.g. Greece, Poland) Biomes (desert, grassland, rainforest) Learning about hotter and colder countries Climate change and the effects of it Pollution – how it affects the planet Natural disasters (e.g. volcanoes, tsunami) Urban/rural land mass Cycles (lifecycles/water cycle) | More creative methods (e.g. sticking, gluing) Learning about things that affect us right now More pictures More outside lessons Learning about animals |
History | Being archaeologists and looking at artefacts from the past Learning about previous rulers How the world has changed | We would like more of the resources/ sources/ videos used in lessons. |
Maths | Times tables How it is challenging Multiplying numbers (infants) Revising and recap of work covered The different methods used in Maths (division, fractions, percentages) Starters at the beginning of lessons Tests (only from the youngest children) | Power points that don’t work correctly More challenges |
Music | Playing the instruments in our music lessons so that we get better Composer of the week – being able to help select music We like when everyone joins in with the song Young Voices, iRock, Spring Concert Musical visitors to the school, e.g. pianist | Music lessons for the Infants Longer for music lessons Woodwind instrument demonstration in assembly Singing lessons Musical visitors in the Juniors |
PE | More gym apparatus (wall, vault) Our minds can settle when we are doing PE We feel excited More equipment being used, e.g. hula hoops Trying new sports, e.g. cricket, dancing, netball, hockey and rugby Representing the school in different events Disney football Benchball The Year 1 trip to Oxtalls Swimming (a different environment to do PE) Helping myself and my friends with safety | Update the outdoor equipment More footballs More clubs to help develop skills The class choosing the lesson and what equipment to use |
RE | We like that we don’t just learn about religions. We learn about non-religious people too We can express our beliefs and hear other people’s beliefs too
| Have more food-related lessons More visitors from non-religious viewpoints Have more autonomy over presentation |
Reading | Fiction books with a subject focus, e.g. ‘Murderous Maths’ Humorous books like the Wimpy Kid series Changing reading levels and the words get longer | People putting books in the wrong places We would like book monitors for the main reading areas – not just in classrooms |
Science | Loved experiments Liked visits or when people came to school Liked working with chemicals (!) | More experiments (one way we have actioned this is by giving Green Day the theme ‘Wow Factor’ where teachers were encouraged to give the activities a science theme. These activities were in addition to the science curriculum and allowed the children to have a wider range of experiences e.g. pond dipping, giant bubbles, kite building, slime etc.)
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Wellbeing | Year 5 – learning about first aid, smoking, drinking Year 6 – learning about drugs Year 2 – learning about breathing Reflecting Talking to teachers TEA & Friends Pastoral TA Helping Hands (year 6 pupils helping year 2 pupils) Free time Running – Fit 15 Calming time Art | Year 6 would like more Year 5 would like to do after lunch Would like to talk in free time More toys |
Writing | Script-writing Choice from an original idea Non-fiction reports on topics of interest e.g. foxes Writing out stories More poetry | Some ‘free time’ to do writing every week, not necessarily in class book Greater independence Longer on the same day on a task so we don’t forget (e.g. English all morning rather than two lessons on two days if we are writing a long task) Do more independent and free writing More time to write and to write things up neatly Chances to type up and present work Chance to read aloud to class Updating the wall Photocopying and taking work home |
Here is the Pupil Voice Feedback from December 2022:
Subject | Likes | Improvements/Changes |
Art | We can draw anything we like It is creative It doesn’t matter if we don’t know how to do something, we learn in the lesson | Artists to come in |
Computing | Practising logging on Playing with words on Word Playing games Making shapes in Word Inputting pictures Emails (outside of school) Coding Learning different symbols when typing Coding club Coding games Making/drawing pictures | Other types of coding e.g. Python Higher quality of computer e.g. faster/more modern Logging on easier Different apps/programs on computers/bigger variety |
DT |
Learning new skills It’s fun to work in a team Using trial and error / problem solving Using saws to make things | Using more technology
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French | We like learning a new language, it is a useful skill to have another language. We can order food etc. when we are on holiday. It is fun! | Make French lessons more exciting and interactive. Children want to be involved in more conversations and role play.
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Geography | We find it interesting – especially when we get to learn about things like “biomes” We learn about the United Kingdom We love learning about our world and how to look after it. | We would like to learn more about different countries. Where they are in the world/capital cities/food/flags etc.
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History | Allows us to make links Enjoy the eras covered Time travel in your head Trips i.e. Roman Villas | Independent research – create our own question
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Maths | The addition and subtraction work The teacher explains the concepts well Enjoy TTRS – timed so I can get quicker Maths can be challenging so I get to use my brain Enjoy spotting mistakes Solving Tiny’s problems | The worksheets we use need to be less confusing (teacher always says they are confusing) Y6 algebra and fractions take too long, boring and hard.
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Music | Performing, singing and dancing Hearing different genres of music Music clubs/instrument lessons Being creative and making own music | Using a wider range of / some new instruments
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PE | Really fun Learning new sports like tennis, netball Playing sports keep me fit Keeps you healthy Fun activities, playing catch with the balls | More equipment Use apparatus Learn different sports Make it longer |
RE | Learning about different religions – old and new Some teachers let children be ‘subject leaders’ and talk about their religion Learning cross-curricular about religion – DT Diwali pots/Rangoli patterns | We would like more visits to religious buildings or have visitors. Remind staff to allow children to present work in different ways.
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Reading | Travelling into a different dimension Moving through the points on AR Like using the school libraries – books are easy to find | More books for higher levels, fantasy, horror/thrillers More science fact books KS2 opportunities to read for pleasure |
Science | Loved experiments Liked visits or when people come into school Liked working with chemicals | More experiments
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Wellbeing | Learning about the body All children know who to talk to Time out | Falling out needs to improve Wellbeing Day – creative, yoga, talk, tai chi, mindfulness reading |
Writing | Writing about the class ‘focus’ book Handwriting pens/practise We like to use our imagination and express our feelings | To be given more freedom and independence to write whatever we like. More time to write and write things up neatly. |