Greenside School provides education for students from two to nineteen years of age who have been assessed as having severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties (SLD/PMLD) The school was a partner in the Hertfordshire Participation Pilot and undertook research and development work which led to establishing a school council suitable for their students' needs. This work was designed and led by one of the school's senior teachers.

The school had found it difficult to run worthwhile school council sessions in the past due to the diverse ways in which their students communicate. The headteacher still felt it was important that students should have a voice in decision-making at their school.

The lead teacher proposed a plan of work involving contacting five other SLD schools to find out their experience of running school councils as well as working with a self advocacy organisation whose aim was to promote the voice of people with learning difficulties through empowerment. The group were invited into school to get to know the students informally and then to set up a school council. Data were then collected from these meetings using video and photographs to see if the students had made any decisions and communicated in any way during the meeting, as well as evaluating whether the organisation had provided the group with the correct setting and physical and social tools to communicate.

The lead teacher's account of this work describes developing a school council model that was effective in engaging their students in making decisions that had an impact on their life in school.

Smith, G. (2007) ‘Giving students a voice through the development of a school council in a school for students with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple difficulties’, unpublished Certificate of Educational Enquiry portfolio, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education