Taking Part in Democratic Decisions

This week, we’ve been learning all about democracy, one of the British Values that helps make our country a fair and kind place to live.

Democracy means that everyone has a say in making decisions. Instead of one person deciding everything, people get to share their ideas and vote for what they think is best. It’s a way of making sure everyone’s voice is heard!

We talked about why democracy is important – it helps us to:

• Make fair choices that include everyone’s opinions

• Learn to listen to different ideas

• Respect the decisions of the group, even if it’s not what we voted for

What Makes a Good Leader?

We also thought carefully about what it means to be a good leader. A good leader is someone who:

• listens to others
• shares ideas kindly
• helps everyone work together
• makes good and fair choices
• sets a good example
• always tries to do the right thing, even when it’s tricky
• has good thinking skills

Most importantly, a good leader makes sure everyone feels included, respected and valued.

Our Junior Leadership Team Elections

This week, we held elections for our Junior Leadership Team.
We had 15 wonderful candidates who courageous put themselves forward.. Each child prepared and delivered a thoughtful speech, explaining what would make them a good leader and how they would help our school community.

We were so proud of how respectful and kind everyone was during the voting process. When the results were announced, the children showed amazing character – they celebrated their friends’ success and congratulated each other warmly.

It was a brilliant example of democracy in action right here at St James’ CE Primary!

Our new Junior Leadership Team will soon begin sharing ideas from the class and helping to make our school an even happier and healthier place to achieve and believe. We’re excited to see the positive changes they’ll bring.

Help at home by:

• Talking about choices: Let your child help decide small things like what to have for dinner or which game to play.
• Holding a family vote: If you can’t agree on a film or an activity, have everyone vote and go with the majority!
• Encouraging listening: Remind children that everyone’s opinion matters – even if we don’t all agree.

We’re so proud of Year 1 for showing maturity, respect and kindness this week. They are growing into thoughtful British citizens who know how to make fair choices together.