News
Posted on: 5/02/2026Learner Voice Council Primary Induction Day
On 20 January 2026, we held our fourth Learner Voice Council (LVC) Primary Induction Day, hosted at The Cranbourne Primary School. We were delighted to welcome back our primary schools, for a day dedicated to training pupils as they continue their LVC journey. The event brought together pupils and staff from across Danes Educational Trust, fostering a strong spirit of collaboration and leadership.
Pupils rotated through a dynamic workshop carousel designed to equip them with the practical tools needed for their upcoming missions. Nicola Spencer, Trust Learning Lead for English, guided the pupils through an impactful session on oracy, where pupils learned how to build confidence during a presentation. They immediately put these skills into action by presenting themselves to the group, showcasing the techniques they had just learned.
Alongside this, Shannon Anthony (Onslow St Audrey’s LVC Facilitator) led a vital workshop on survey design. Because of Shannon’s acute knowledge and experience as an LVC facilitator, she was able to provide highly relevant support that directly addressed the feedback from our primary facilitators regarding the need for better data-gathering tools.
The day also benefited significantly from the leadership of our secondary pupils. A key passion of Miles Conway’s (Trust Learning Lead for Learner Leadership) is transition, and this event served as a perfect example of secondary pupils developing their own leadership skills by teaching and mentoring their primary school peers.
This was seen in action as Matt Clarke and his pupils from Chancellor’s School shared "LVC Top Tips," providing invaluable peer-to-peer insights from pupils who have been part of the council for several years. Finally, Justin Reece and his pupils led an engaging team-building session. By challenging participants to untangle a "human knot," they visually demonstrated the importance of communication and why an LVC must work as a cohesive team to achieve its goals.
The Learner Voice Council is now celebrating its fifth year. It continues to serve as a vital platform for pupils to directly influence teaching and learning across their schools. The LVC empowers pupils to drive meaningful and lasting change by following a rigorous research cycle: planning, auditing, implementing, and evaluating.
Miles Conway, Trust Learning Lead for Learner Leadership, shared:
"It was an absolute pleasure to lead our fourth Primary Induction Day, and I am delighted by how smoothly the event ran. This success is a testament to the dedication of our primary colleagues (Helen Ansell, Jody Waters, Juliet Ford, Liz Black, Rachana Shah and Sarah Edwards), and the collaboration across the Trust. I am particularly thankful to Isla Grayson, Sarah Edwards, and the entire team at The Cranbourne Primary School for their incredible support in hosting us and ensuring the day was a success.
I am immensely proud to be in my second year in this role and to witness the significant progress we’ve achieved. The Learner Voice Council has seen substantial growth, and it is particularly gratifying to see our newer LVCs at schools like The Cranbourne, Roselands, The John Warner, and The Beaconsfield School established so successfully.
Finally, my sincere thanks go to our workshop leaders; Nicola Spencer, Shannon Anthony, Matt Clarke, and Justin Reece, along with their brilliant pupils. Their sessions on oracy, survey design, and team building are essential in training our young leaders to continue their LVC journey. To our primary facilitators: thank you for your continuous support in making the LVC a central part of our pupils' development."
The LVC would not run successfully without the support of our dedicated team of in-school facilitators: Emma Smart, Helen Ansell, Helen Cox, Jody Waters, Juliet Ford, Justin Reece, Liz Black, Matt Clarke, Paul Maddock, Rachana Shah, Rosamund Barnes, Sarah Edwards, and Shannon Anthony.
Category / All Articles
Categories
Archive
