Our school is proud to nominate our student body for the Student Voice Impact Award recognizing their exceptional involvement in shaping our outdoor spaces and fostering a culture of active participation in school decisions.

Current Project: New Playground Design.

This project journey began with the formation of a dedicated Student Playground Committee tasked with leading the whole student body in the reimagining our playground. The committee, comprising students from year 6, collaborated closely with landscape architects to bring the vision of the wider student body to life.

Through a series of meetings with the whole student body, and meetings with the landscape architects, students shared their ideas and preferences, which were then incorporated into the design plans. These meetings provided a platform for students to express their creativity and ensure that the final designs were student centric. The result is a playground design which includes favoured elements including slides, digging patches, cubby spaces and places to accommodate all year levels.

Culture of Involvement in School Decisions: Our school has cultivated an environment where student involvement in decision-making is not just encouraged but is a fundamental aspect of our practice. Students have been involved in creating interesting and inviting outdoor and communal spaces for years, including improving bathroom areas, iconography and designs for house colour shirts for students’ sporting events. This culture is reinforced through structured practices that ensure student voices are consistently heard and valued.
Family Group Discussions at Whole School Assemblies: One of our school’s key, sustainable practices is the use of Family Group discussions during whole school assemblies. These discussions provide a forum for students to voice their opinions on creating spaces that affect them. Each family group, consisting of students from each year level, engages in meaningful dialogue, fostering a sense of community and mutual respect. The insights gathered from these discussions are then refined further by senior student committees and progress and final outcomes shared with the broader school community.

Student Committee Discussions: The Student Playground Committee's collaboration with landscape architects is a testament to our commitment to student-led initiatives. Meetings between the committee and the architects allowed for feedback and refinement of the new playground design. This iterative process ensured that student input was not only considered but was central to the project's success. The committee's involvement will continue with keeping the student body updated with progress updates and considerations for safety.

Our school's commitment to embedding student voice as an ongoing practice has not only enhanced our physical environment but has also fostered a culture of active participation and leadership. By involving students in shaping our outdoor spaces and ensuring their voices are integral to school decisions, we have empowered them to take ownership of their educational experience.
We believe that our students' leadership and collaborative efforts exemplify the spirit of this award, and we are honoured to present their achievements for consideration.

The Playground Design initiative allowed all students in the school to have a voice in and contribute in meaningful ways to a play space which will impact all students. Organising a year 6 student committee of students, empowered them with significant and real leadership opportunities in the school. They became the conduit between the student body and the landscape architects entrusted with passing on student voice which led to real and improved changes in the design. This partnership with the landscape architects builds on work performed with these professionals in the school and continues to be of benefit to the students, the school and the architects.

While the current playground has not yet been built, the impact on the student body and in particular the year 6 student committee has been significant with students citing their surprise that their ideas were used in a 'real design' and pride in being able to contribute to a legacy even after they leave. Students have shown greater respect for works they have contributed to in the school and student of all year levels, regularly come to leadership with new ideas that they have as the school now has a culture of listening to and encorporating student voice.

This initiative involved the whole student body in real and significant ways. The processes developed to collect student voice are now embedded in school life through assemblies and regular student meetings. The impact and feedback from the landscape architects reflected and supported the significant and impressive contributions from students.