School Parliament
SCHOOL PARLIAMENT
Democracy is a strong feature at Whitehouse Primary and our School Parliament is playing an increasing part in informing and influencing decision-making within the school.
At the beginning of September, each class elects a peer whose role is to represent their views at the School Parliament.
Each Key Stage Lead also chooses a Deputy for their phase who attends all of the meetings.
The School Council is run by Mrs Manning. Members are elected for a year and meet every fortnight on a Friday afternoon. Over the years, the School Parliament has been involved in the following activities:
- recommended possible lunchtime and Golden Time activities
- suggested ideas to enhance the Astro turf area
- sold poppies and other articles to raise money for British Legion
- represented the school at Remembrance Service celebrations
- met with the founder of the local Foodbank and organised for her to deliver an assembly to their peers on her work
- spearheaded the FIND Christmas Appeal
- investigated ways to reduce wastage at WHCPS (electricity, paper, pick and mix packaging, pen and wrapping recycling schemes) and implemented a range of energy-saving and recycling schemes
- piloted a packaging recycling scheme for the pick and mix meals
- implemented the pen-recycling scheme
- met with local School Councillors to discuss public service and led campaigns to reduce litter (local council added an additional bin at the back of the school) and improve safety (pedestrian crossing near local Co-op pending) around the school
- visited the Mayor in his parlour and invited her back to our school
- organised and ran the "Five Day Walk Challenge" with Local Authorities
- made recommendations for changes in catering facilities at lunchtime
CURRENT CAMPAIGNS
Pupils' feedback on lunchtime catering facilities
February 2023
This information has now been passed to the CEO of the CET Trust
to be taken into consideration when selecting Whitehouse next catering provider.
Hot Dinners:
Portion Sizes | All Year Groups felt the portions were too small and the children were hungry in the afternoon
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Temperature | Food was not served hot enough
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Fish Friday | Not popular – looked funny colour! Children would like other options on a Friday on occasion e.g. chicken nuggets. No ketchup is now available |
Main / Vegetarian Choices | Often these are very different. The children would prefer similar options on the same day e.g. Lasagna / Veg Lasagna Children preferred pizza whirls to the current pizza slices Pasta is often dry and congealed together.
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Vegetables | The children did not like the vegetables being mixed. If there is one they dislike, they do not eat any of it. Would like a wider range of vegetables.
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Salad | Salad Bar is no longer available – many of the children enjoyed it alongside their meals, esp jacket potatoes.
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Potato Choices | The children would like a wider variety of potato options (waffles etc) Jacket potatoes – the children would like to choose what is on their potato / need wider choice. They also would like to choose the order of their toppings.
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Taste/Texture | It was felt the food is quite bland and dry. Not much sauce to the meals.
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Dessert | Desserts are often dry. Would like more hot desserts. Ice lollies melt before they can eat their dinner.
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Pick and Mix:
Containers | The Lids are too hard to remove (all Year groups)
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Choice | No choice of different breads – would like sandwich / bagel option Not able to choose different options as they used to be able to No choice of dessert – again very dry.
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Rolls | Need more filling in them Do not have spread in them, so very dry (e.g. just slice ham)
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Salad Bar | Again would like salad bar alongside their meal
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Other parts of P&M | Tortilla chips are tasteless and sometimes stale – can they have salsa back again? Fruit options are the same as fruit available for snack – could they have different options. Are keen to have the fruit juice cartons back.
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General Thoughts:
Portion Size | Too small across the school
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Menu Changes | Often have last minute changes, and too late to then bring a packed lunch.
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Menu not followed | Menu says things are available which are not (eg. salad bar) (NB – the menu has been amended and this is no longer on there)
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Sustainability | Children are keen to know if the food is sourced locally and sustainably farmed
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Cutlery | Children do not like the wooden cutlery and would prefer to go back to metal
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Waste | Due to the children not being able to choose the elements of the dinner, they are given food they do not like and there is a lot of waste.
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Issues raised on 25th January 2023
(Pending replies from Whitehouse Leadership Team)
- Can toilets have automatic flushing?
- More golden time - discussed how the highest attendance each week in each phase could possibly get 5 mins extra that week?
- If children stay in at break and lunch, then they may get no fresh air at all in a day - could this be moved over to the following day? The children accept that consequence needs to stay in place.
- More books in KS1 library.
- Children like RRSA days. They also like whole school days eg art, topic, but don't particularly like all day maths or english.
- No polo shirt, just a t-shirt if children want, as the buttons itch.
- Stop wasting paper.
- More play equipment - things to throw etc . Purple bags that Lee distributed previously was mentioned as something they liked.
- Platinum on behaviour chart?
- Could Y6 use computing suite more often as opposed to just ipads.
- Y4 to be banned from astro turf at break as they disturb Y6 (they creep onto it).
- Use house points more.
- Basketball / netball posts on KS1 playground. Football to be given an area for KS1 playground.
- Y6 girls to have football reinstated for them but not the boys as it is only the boys who cause a nuisance.
- What is happening to old KS2 play equipment- a possible update?
- Y6 boys use baslls on astro turf and then throw them and it hurts children.
- Some KS2 children say that ambers , reds are not considered when golden time starts an so some children don't lose time (Y4 especially)
- MDSAs to spread out more at lunch.
- Reading competitions to be more frequent.
- Outdoor shoes to allow access to field.
- Y2 girls only have 2 x toilets for 45 children.
- Y6 would like longer time for extended writing.
- Raffle for all those who have had a gold award in a term for a super prize.
PAST EVENTS