- Date:
- 27 Sep 2022
Policy
Policy
This page explains how schools can enable student voice, agency and leadership.
It includes consideration about how students:
- can share their ideas and perspectives
- build the skills for agency and independence
- contribute to their classrooms and school communities.
This policy outlines how the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes 2.0 (FISO 2.0) and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) support student voice, agency and leadership. It also provides information about other relevant guidance and programs.
Details
The principles of student voice, agency and leadership recognise the importance of students:
- sharing their experiences, ideas and concerns
- being able to ask questions, provide feedback and take part in discussions
- engaging in decision-making processes that affect them, their peers and their school community.
When schools seek student feedback, students see that their views matter. When schools involve them in decisions, students see they can contribute to improvements.
The FISO 2.0 includes student engagement as one of 5 core elements contributing to student learning and wellbeing.
The Victorian Curriculum 2.0 provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to engage in life-long learning and exercise agency. This includes the Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical, Intercultural, and Personal and Social capabilities.
The VTLM 2.0 incorporates practices that support student voice, agency and leadership. It also helps to establish learning environments where students are more likely to feel able to exercise student voice, agency and leadership.
Refer to the Definitions section of this policy for definitions of student voice, agency and leadership.
Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
The FISO 2.0 encourages schools to involve students in school improvement and decision making.
The FISO 2.0 Engagement core element includes the following dimension:
Activation of student voice, agency, leadership and learning, including a focus on the self-determination and agency of Koorie students, to strengthen students’ participation and engagement in school.
The FISO 2.0 illustrations of practice show examples of how students can contribute to school improvement. Refer to the Guidance tab for further information.
Contact: schoolplanning@education.vic.gov.au.
Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0
The VTLM 2.0 helps schools create the conditions that support student voice, agency and leadership. It does this through:
- inclusive and culturally responsive practices
- respectful relationships
- positive classroom management.
The VTLM 2.0 encourages and builds the skills required for student voice, agency and leadership through practices that:
- invite student feedback and insights
- enhance student learning independence and self-regulation
- build learning success and mastery, and application and transfer of knowledge.
Refer to the Guidance tab for more information.
Contact: professional.practice@education.vic.gov.au.
Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian schools to ensure they are well prepared to keep children and young people safe and protect them from abuse.
The Standards include requirements to keep children, young people and students safe, including involvement of students in child safety.
Child Safe Standard 3 requires schools to ensure children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously. This standard supports schools to create a culture that values and promotes student participation. This includes:
- informing students about their rights and responsibilities in an age-appropriate way
- recognising the importance of friendships and peer support
- enabling students to actively participate in creating a culture that is safe for them and their peers.
Child Safe Standard 7 focuses on ensuring that schools have complaints processes that are child-focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone. Schools must have policies, procedures and practices to:
- have a complaints handling process focused on students and their safety needs
- take complaints and concerns seriously
- respond promptly and thoroughly.
The PROTECT website(opens in a new window) has guidance and resources to support schools to implement the Child Safe Standards including example actions that schools can take.
- Child Safe Standard 3: Child and student empowerment(opens in a new window)
- Child Safe Standard 7: Complaints processes(opens in a new window).
Contact: child.safe.schools@education.vic.gov.au
Mature minor students
The law recognises that as children become older and more mature, they are more capable of making their own decisions about a wide range of issues including decisions about their education. The department’s policy on decision making by mature minor students supports schools with guidance on when and how to assess a student as being a mature minor for the purpose of making their own decision about a particular issue, without the involvement of their parents or carers.
Mature Minors and Decision Making
Contact: legal.services@eduction.vic.gov.au
Student members of school council
To support the inclusion of student voice in decision making, school councils at all Victorian government schools with a Year 7 cohort and above are required to include a mandated student member category (unless that school has a student category exemption). These members are elected by all students enrolled in Year 7 or above at the school.
Student members of school council have the same role and responsibilities as other council members including full voting rights.
School Council – Composition and Office Bearers.
Contact: school.council@education.vic.gov.au
Survey tools
Student Attitudes to School Survey
The department coordinates the Student Attitudes to School Survey which is conducted annually in term 2. All students in years 4 to 12 are invited to participate. The survey asks students about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, family, friends, health, and wellbeing (including bullying). Student answers are anonymous and are used by the department to help improve student outcomes, safety and wellbeing in schools.
Contact: school.performance.data@education.vic.gov.au
Bully Stoppers: survey tool
The Bully Stoppers: survey tool(opens in a new window) contains a range of survey templates that can be used by schools to gain an insight into the experience and opinions of students and other members of the school community about safety and wellbeing, including bullying.
Complaints and concerns
The department’s Parent Complaint Policy – Victorian government schools (DOCX)(opens in a new window) includes complaints raised by students who are mature minors:
The School Policy Templates Portal has a template Complaints Policy available for schools to download. The template policy includes sample content relating to both parent and student concerns and complaints:
Students may also Report racism or religious discrimination in schools(opens in a new window) through the report racism hotline or email.
Contact: Raise a complaint or concern about your school(opens in a new window).
Definitions
Student voice
Student voice refers to students:
- sharing ideas
- asking questions
- listening to others and being listened to
- giving and receiving feedback on issues within and outside of the classroom.
Voice enables students to:
- express themselves in their learning environment
- make meaningful contributions in their learning and school communities.
Student agency
Student agency refers to students:
- building self-regulation skills
- acting independently
- reflecting on learning progress
- using knowledge in complex and independent ways.
Agency enables students to:
- build the skills they need to take responsibility for their learning
- independently apply their learning in their classrooms, schools and beyond.
Student leadership
Student leadership includes formal and informal roles.
Leadership gives students the chance to:
- represent themselves and others
- influence positive change
- contribute to decisions
- support student wellbeing and inclusion in their schools and communities.
Related policies
- Bullying Prevention and Response
- Child Safe Standards
- Complaint Resolution
- Data Collection and Surveys
- Equal Opportunity and Human Rights – Students
- Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
- Mature Minors and Decision Making
- Victorian Teaching and Learning Model.
Relevant legislation
Guidance
Guidance
Definitions
For definitions of student voice, agency and leadership, refer to the Definitions section of the Policy tab.
Key features of student voice, agency and leadership
Student voice is evident when students:
- ask questions to strengthen their understanding
- seek feedback from teachers and peers
- share their ideas and opinions
- give feedback to peers, teachers and the school
- feel confident to contribute in meaningful ways.
Student agency is evident when students:
- are increasingly able to exercise independence and self-regulation in their learning
- use feedback to progress their learning and reflect on their learning experience
- can monitor their own learning growth
- contribute to the creation of a culture that is safe for them and their peers
- contribute ideas and take part in decision making processes.
Student leadership is evident when students:
- set high expectations for themselves and feel motivated and empowered to exercise agency
- have self-efficacy and believe they can learn and build their knowledge and skills
- can represent themselves, their peers and their school as members of a school community
- support students who may not be heard, who are disengaged, or who lack the skills and confidence to express views and opinions
- take part in student representative bodies and contribute to school decision making.
Student voice, agency and leadership in the FISO 2.0 illustrations of practice
The FISO 2.0 illustrations of practice provide examples on how to use student voice, agency and leadership to support school improvement. These include:
- students’ views, priorities and feedback are heard and responded to by leaders through meaningful interactions, through which students openly share their experiences and leaders authentically support a solution-focused approach to improving outcomes
- student leaders have clear roles and responsibilities in the co-design and implementation of wellbeing policies and programs, model inclusive leadership principles and values and represent their school and its students confidently
- students participate in regular, meaningful student-led forums that collect and analyse student feedback and perception data and evidence, informing how leaders and teachers make decisions about learning and wellbeing
- students are provided opportunities to lead and demonstrate agency in collaboration with teachers and parents/carers to create a shared understanding of how to support and enhance learning and wellbeing in respect to the school’s culture and context.
Contact: schoolplanning@education.vic.gov.au.
Student voice, agency and leadership in the VTLM 2.0 Elements of teaching
The VTLM 2.0 helps schools create the conditions that support student voice, agency and leadership. It does this through:
- inclusive and culturally responsive practices
- respectful relationships
- positive classroom management.
The VTLM 2.0 encourages and builds the skills required for student voice, agency and leadership through practices that:
- invite student feedback and insights
- enhance student learning independence and self-regulation
- build learning success and mastery, and application and transfer of knowledge.
Planning
Schools can use the following guides to learn more about using student voice to develop and improve teaching and learning programs. Student feedback provides important insights into student learning, experience and engagement. Schools can use evidence from exit tickets, surveys and discussions. This data can inform program updates, such as practice improvements, text choices or sequencing of topics.
The planning guides are:
- Lead a whole-school curriculum approach(opens in a new window)
- Develop and deliver quality curriculum materials(opens in a new window)
- Enact a Multi-Tiered System of Supports(opens in a new window)
Enabling learning
The following guides support schools to enable student learning through positive relationships, cultural responsiveness and positive classroom management. When students feel engaged and supported they are able to exercise student voice, agency and leadership.
The Enabling learning guides are:
- Inclusive learning
- Cultural responsiveness
- Positive Classroom Management Strategies
- Enable student self-regulation and self-efficacy
Inclusive learning guide
The Inclusive learning guide(opens in a new window) highlights how safe and inclusive learning environments support belonging, engagement and learning success. Active listening and student feedback enable student voice and help to build respectful relationships. High expectations show students their teachers believe they can succeed. Effective teaching practices and reasonable adjustments help students meet those expectations.
Cultural responsiveness guide
The Cultural responsiveness guide(opens in a new window) highlights the importance of valuing student cultures. Teaching and learning programs can include students’ cultures, languages and stories. Teachers can empower students to share feedback, cultural knowledge and perspectives. Students should feel safe to share, without the expectation they are community experts.
Positive classroom management strategies guide
The Positive Classroom Management Strategies guide(opens in a new window) introduces practices that optimise classroom time and engagement. They include strategically sequencing tasks and planning for student choice. Planned choices allow students to exercise agency in learning. These might include how they respond to tasks, the tools they use, the order of tasks, where they work, and whether they work alone or with peers.
Enable student self-regulation and self-efficacy guide
The Enable student self-regulation and self-efficacy guide(opens in a new window) provides guidance on teaching and modelling self-regulation and metacognitive strategies. Building these skills improves student focus and confidence. It also improves their ability to manage their learning. This provides the foundation for increased student agency in learning, and learning environments.
Explicit teaching
The following guides support schools in using explicit teaching to help students build the knowledge and skills they need to exercise agency in their learning and beyond.
The Explicit teaching guides are:
- Focus the learning
- Explicit explanation and modelling
- Scaffold practice
- Monitor progress
Focus the learning guide
The Focus the learning guide(opens in a new window) highlights the importance of learning objectives and success criteria. These provide a basis for students to track their progress. They also help them reflect on their understanding, and make adjustments to improve.
Explicit explanation and modelling guide
The Explicit explanation and modelling guide(opens in a new window) notes the importance of sharing thought processes through teacher modelling. This makes implicit processes explicit and helps students develop their metacognitive skills.
Scaffold practice guide
The Scaffold practice guide(opens in a new window) explains that scaffolds help students to maintain a high level of success. Teachers should reduce scaffolds as students build fluency and mastery. This supports the transition to independent practice.
Monitor progress guide
The Monitor progress guide(opens in a new window) highlights how feedback can build agency in learning. Feedback helps students understand how their learning is progressing and identify next steps. Responsive teaching provides students with the support they need to succeed in their learning. This enhances self-efficacy and learner independence.
Supported application
The following guides support schools to use supported application strategies to provide students with opportunities to apply their learning with increasing independence and agency.
The Supported application guides are:
- Vary practice
- Revisit and review
- Apply learning and build mastery
Vary practice guide
The Vary practice guide(opens in a new window) highlights the importance of varying the way students apply learning. When teachers space and vary practice, students develop fluency and build mastery. With questioning techniques, teachers prompt students to actively use and explain their learning. Through varied practice, students learn to transfer learning to new situations.
Revisit and review guide
The Revisit and review guide(opens in a new window) notes the importance of revisiting knowledge at increasing intervals. This strengthens connections in long-term memory and makes knowledge easier to recall and apply. It also notes the importance of teaching revision strategies. Students can then distinguish between effective and ineffective approaches. This helps them build study habits and manage their learning with increasing independence.
Apply learning and build mastery guide
The Apply learning and build mastery guide(opens in a new window) reminds us that students strengthen knowledge through open tasks, problem solving and inquiry. First they build a sound knowledge base. Then they engage with tasks where they select, organise and integrate knowledge. This leads them to generate new learning beyond what they have been taught. Group work builds skills in collaboration and communication. Metacognitive strategies help students to monitor, direct and review their own learning.
Resources
Resources
Department resources
- Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0)(opens in a new window)
- Inclusive student voice toolkit (DOCX)(opens in a new window)
- PROTECT website(opens in a new window) for templates, guidance and checklists to support compliance with the Child Safe Standards
- School Policy Templates Portal (staff login required)(opens in a new window) for templates including for complaints and to support compliance with the Child Safe Standards
- Bully Stoppers – survey tool(opens in a new window)
- Report racism or religious discrimination in schools(opens in a new window)
- Professional Practice Note 12 – Amplify supports engagement of learners in literacy(opens in a new window)