After our successful Young People’s General Election, we’ve decided to ask young people in our member schools a question every week. We’re calling them Symphony Questions. Here’s the first week’s question and result!

Involving 4,000 pupils in 11 schools across the UK, we asked:

Which of these words should best describe our school in the coming year?

Secondary Result: Successful

Involving secondaries in London, Suffolk and Essex, it’s a win for successful.

Drive is clearly a defining characteristic of young people in secondary schools, with successful taking 46% and motivated 29% of the vote respectively - a combined 75% of the total vote.

Whereas ambitious 7% & supportive 18%, received relatively low support. Interesting.

Primary Result: Ambitious

Schools from Budapest, London, Ilford, Bradford and Chichester were all clear: it’s a win for ambitious.

Not quite the huge lead found in the Secondary result, ambitious took 34% of the vote. It’s nearest competition came from motivated 27%, followed by successful 21% & supportive 18%.

Also, very interesting.

What do these results tell us?

Young people in primary secondary schools seem to have different value-sets. They could suggest that primary pupils are more interested in the process of learning (being ambitious) than the outcome (success).

Whereas with secondary-aged pupils, it’s all about the outcome; and with exams on the horizon, can we blame them?

However what’s most interesting, for us at least, is the poor performance of supportive. A value that, we would guess, would win if teachers were polled.

Next week’s Symphony Question:

Do you think having a Royal Family makes Britain a better country?

Our New Year’s Resolution to our membership is to help them come up with relevant, engaging and thoughtful questions to help get all pupils having their say. Schools usually come up with their own meetings, but we’re giving them additional questions if they’d like them.

Following the successful trial of this form in our General Election Question Series, for 2020 we’ll be recommending a blend of action-led & topical questions to ask each week.

Want to get involved or suggest a question? Send us an email at membership@smartschoolcouncils.org.uk