Approaches to pupil leadership: Community Action Plan/Brock Street Playpark

North Queensferry Primary School is located within a small village in Fife. At the time of inspection, the roll of the school was 61 children across three composite classes. Most children who attend the school live within the local area, with approximately 30% of children attending as a result of placing requests. Most children live in Scottish Multiple Deprivation Index (SIMD) deciles 7-10.

The improvement issue

A well-used local playpark was in need of refurbishment. As the school is very much part of the local community, they were invited to actively participate in developing the Local Community Action Plan. Following a consultation exercise about local amenities involving the local authority community education staff and the children, it was identified that that there was a lack of play equipment suitable for younger children or children who may have mobility issues. They also highlighted the lack of seating for adults visiting the playpark.

What North Queensferry Primary did

Over a three-year period, children representing the school attended a variety of meetings with teaching and community staff, residents and elected officials. The children contributed to ideas for fundraising and consulted on plans and designs for the park itself. For example, children suggested they could be sponsored by family and friends to walk to the Forth Road Bridge from the school. The money (£440) they raised was added to the other funding already secured. Following these meetings, children would report back to and consult with others. This helped ensure that children’s ideas and voice influenced plans for the park. This included ensuring new facilities were accessible to all, which was an area children felt very strongly about from the outset.

What the sustained impact has been

The children were actively involved in formal meetings with the local authority community education staff and community leaders to review the Local Community Action Plan. This has helped to enhance children’s communication skills. The children recognise that their voice has contributed to a positive change in their local community. As a result, the children have been inspired to further support the project by arranging community events to raise funding.

The children were involved in completing land surveys, designing play areas, identifying suitable equipment and looking at how much the project would cost. This has led to the children actively using their skills in science, technology, engineering and maths. They have also enhanced their awareness of finance and budgeting. It has helped foster problem solving skills in a real-life context. 

Throughout the project children were involved in discussions with local authority staff, community leaders, and wider community and peers. As a result, children have developed a greater awareness of the practical processes and decision making involved in such a project. This has included expectations around timescales, importance of regular meetings, thinking about health and safety concerns and financial considerations and constraints.  This increased awareness is helping children to develop an understanding of the need to build realistic expectations, patience and resilience when working on long-term goals.

Children had the opportunity to explore the variety of jobs that were required to make the project successful. Learning about different roles has helped the children to understand better the world of work, discover their own interests and begin to set goals for the future. It has helped to broaden their outlook and encourage informative, confident choices as they grow.