St. Mary's Selected to Participate in the NCSE CREATE Initiative
St. Mary's Secondary School is delighted to have been selected to participate in the NCSE CREATE Initiative, a national programme developed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to support meaningful student participation and strengthen student voice in schools.
The initiative is grounded in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which recognises every young person's right to express their views on matters that affect them and to have those views listened to and taken seriously.
Over the coming school year, our CREATE team will work alongside NCSE advisors and other participating schools to develop a whole-school approach to student participation. The programme is based on the Lundy Model of Participation, ensuring that students have:
- Space to share their views,
- Voice to express their opinions,
- Audience to ensure their views are heard, and
- Influence so that their views help shape decisions within the school.
As part of the initiative, students will have opportunities to contribute through a variety of inclusive methods, including surveys, discussion groups, digital technologies, creative activities and other approaches designed to capture the voices of all learners. The programme will be supported through shared learning days, professional learning communities and ongoing guidance from NCSE Student Participation Champions.
At St. Mary's, we believe that listening to our students is central to creating an inclusive, caring and high-achieving school community. By participating in the NCSE CREATE Initiative, we are reaffirming our commitment to ensuring that student voice plays a meaningful role in shaping teaching, learning, wellbeing and school life.
We look forward to sharing updates as this exciting initiative develops throughout the year.