Helping drive school improvement is a vital role of the junior leadership team at Viking Academy Trust.

Their aim is simple but crucial – to support senior leaders in the running of the Trust’s three partners, Upton Juniors in Broadstairs, Chilton Primary, and Ramsgate Arts primary.

Elected by their peers, each school’s individual leadership group meets together three times a year in order to learn from each other or work on joint ventures.

The latest fact-finding get-together saw Upton and Chilton visit RAPS to find out more about its specialist arts curriculum and consider if there were any ideas they thought would then work well within their school. It was also a chance for the RAPS children to show what makes their provision special.

Following a lunch and chat, the combined JLTs enjoyed an informative presentation from RAPS detailing their Arts curriculum, what subjects were covered and how they were taught.

The children then got to experience a lesson delivered by two specialist drama teachers, engaging in activities based around the classic story of Alice in Wonderland.

RAPS pupils also gave a guided tour around other Arts curriculum lessons taking place around their school.

Hannah Cheshire, Deputy Head of School from Chilton Primary, was on the visit. She said: “It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to gain an insight into life in another school and consider if there were any ideas they could take away that they felt would benefit their own communities.

“They loved experiencing the drama lesson and it was fantastic to see them joining in and stepping out of their comfort zones.”

The inter-school networking and pupil voice initiative can involve many aspects ranging from fund raising to making lunchtimes more exciting – the junior leaders’ views are vital in raising what is important from them and in shaping school improvement.

Executive Head Teacher of the Trust Michaela Lewis says the joint JLT networking sessions and the roles each group has to play in their own schools are vital.

She explained: “This initiative is working very well. The children give us suggestions they collect among themselves and from their fellow pupils. This information is discussed by our senior staff and we embrace their ideas and suggestions, which are discussed thoughtfully and seriously.

“It is a positive benefit to the ongoing development of the Trust’s community and it fully involves our children in having a true voice in what could be done to further enhance life in our three schools.”

*Contact Viking Academy Trust Executive Head Teacher Michaela Lewis on 01843 582847