By Baroness Walmsley - 23rd November 2011
Baroness Walmsley calls on the government to take on board children's views with regard to school life.
In December, the UK celebrates 20 years since it signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This legally binding treaty protects a broad range of children's human rights, including the right to be heard in decisions affecting their lives.
One area that has a great deal of impact on children's lives is their education. Children all around the country spend upwards of six hours a day, five days a week in schools. One would think, therefore, that children's unique perspective on school life would be consistently sought. However, the UK has come under repeated criticism from the Committee on the Rights of the Child for failing to protect children's right to be heard in school decision-making.
In 2008, the government passed a landmark piece of legislation to ensure that every school governing body invites and considers its students' views. Three years later we have yet to see when this will be implemented. It should go well beyond School Councils, valuable though they often are.
Seeking children's views on school life should not be controversial and is sure to result in more effective education and better relationships between staff and students. School governing bodies are already required to have regard to the views of parents, so why not students themselves?
The coalition government made a promise last year to give due regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child when developing policy and legislation. This commitment should be a springboard to ensure that all schools involve students in their decision-making. What a great achievement that would be to mark 20 years of children's rights in the UK.
Joan Walmsley is an NSPCC ambassador and was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Education and Children/Children, Schools and Families (2004-10). She was raised to the peerage in 2000.
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