EVALUATING / REVIEWING THE WORK OF THE STUDENT

COUNCIL

Dear Student Council Liaison Teacher,

This optional booklet is intended to help highlight and celebrate the work of the
Student Council during the year and to identify possible areas where the
Student Council could improve in the future - should you chose to use it.

Student Council members should review their work and this booklet provides a
useful template for carrying out this process. Members could be thinking about
certain questions - particularly those on pages 10 and 13 as sometimes they need
to be reminded of what they have actually achieved and what constitutes work
done!

The Student Council should also look for feedback from the students of the
school. They might think about a system of getting general students’ feedback
by putting the questions from page 11 of this booklet on the Student Council
notice-board or making an announcement requesting comments so that they
could bring students’ observations to the meeting and use them in conjunction
with their own opinions when the evaluation report is being filled in.

The best way to do this evaluation is to have a special meeting to talk about the
questions and to fill in the booklet. When the Student Council members have
completed their section, it should then be passed on to you as Liaison Teacher,
from there to the Parent’s Association, the Principal and finally the Board of
Management, so that they can fill in the pages relevant to them.

When all of the feedback has been received the Student Council should write a
short report based on the information now contained in the booklet and make
sure that everyone involved gets a copy of it.

Keep a copy of the evaluation and the report on your Student Council file so that
future Student Council members can learn from it.

Good luck.

Deirdre Phelan,
Student Council Coordinator,
Second Level Support Service.

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2
 CONTENTS

SECTION 1: PROFILE OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL 4

SECTION 2: COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL GROUPS

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT 5

TEACHING STAFF 6

PARENT’S ASSOCIATION 7

PRINCIPAL 8

STUDENTS 9

SECTION 3: STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES 10

SCHOOL POLICIES 11

SECTION 4: GENERAL QUESTIONS 13

SECTION 5: PARENT’S ASSOCIATION 14

SECTION 6: STUDENT COUNCIL LIAISON TEACHER 15

SECTION 7: PRINCIPAL 16

SECTION 8: BOARD OF MANAGEMENT 17

SECTION 9: STUDENT COUNCIL FILE 18

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 SECTION 1: PROFILE OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL

LIAISON TEACHER: _________________________________________________

CHAIRPERSON: _________________________________________________

DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: _________________________________________________

SECRETARY: _________________________________________________

ASSISTANT SECRETARY: _________________________________________________

TREASURER: _________________________________________________

ASSISTANT TREASURER: _________________________________________________

P.R. CO-ORDINATOR: _________________________________________________

P.R. TEAM: _________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

S. C. MEMBERS: _________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

NUMBER OF MEETINGS HELD IN THE YEAR: ____________________________________

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HOW OFTEN WERE MEETINGS HELD? ____________________________________

SECTION 2: COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL GROUPS

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Describe your interaction with your school’s Board of Management.

Did you provide the Board of Management with the names and details of the newly elected
Student Council?

Yes:
No:

How many times were Student Council representatives invited to present at Board of
Management meetings during the year?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Did you have your Student Council constitution ratified by the Board of Management?

Yes:
No:

Did you send any updates or reports of your activities to the Board of Management?

Yes:
No:

Did you make a funding application to the Board of Management?

Yes:
No:

If yes, what did you apply for?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did you invite a Board member to attend a Student Council meeting during the year?

Yes:
No:

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Did you ask the Board to make suggestions for Student Council activities?

Yes:
No:
TEACHING STAFF

Describe your interaction with the teaching staff of your school.

How often were you invited to present at staff meetings during the year?

___________________________________________________________________________

Were Student Council issues on the agenda of Staff Meetings during the year?

Yes:
No:

If yes, name the key issues.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did you invite any specific members of the staff to any of your meetings?

Yes:
No:

If yes, who did you invite and for what reason?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did you provide regular updates and reports for the teachers?

Yes:
No:

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7
 PARENTS ASSOCIATION

Describe your interaction with the Parents Association.

Did you provide the Parents Association with the names and details of the newly elected
Student Council?

Yes:
No:

Did the Parents Association invite a Student Council representative to attend one of their
meetings?

Yes:
No:

Did you keep the Parents Association informed of your activities?

Yes:
No:

If yes, how did you keep them informed?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did you invite a member of the Parents Association to attend a Student Council meeting during
the year?

Yes:
No:

Did you ask the Parents Association to make suggestions for Student Council activities?

Yes:
No:

If yes, what suggestions were made?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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 PRINCIPAL

Describe your interaction with your Principal.

Did your Principal see all of the agendas before the meetings?

Yes:
No:

Did you invite your Principal to your meetings?

Yes:
No:

When your Principal could not attend your meetings, how did you update the Principal?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did your Principal see all of the minutes from your meetings?

Yes:
No:

How did you make proposals to your Principal?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Did your Principal make suggestions for Student Council activities?

Yes:
No:

If yes, what were these suggestions and did you carry them out?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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 STUDENTS

Describe your communication with the students of your school.

STUDENT COUNCIL NOTICE BOARD

Do you have a Student Council notice-board? Yes: No:

Is your notice-board in a prominent place? Yes: No:

Does your notice-board have photos and names of the Student Council? Yes: No:

Did your notice-board always show the date of the next meeting? Yes: No:

Did your notice-board always show the agenda for the next meeting? Yes: No:

Did your notice-board always show the minutes from the last meeting? Yes: No:

Did your notice-board show all of your activities during the year? Yes: No:

Was your notice-board eye-catching and colourful? Yes: No:

Did you use photographs on your notice-board? Yes: No:

What have you done with all of the photos taken during the year? _______________________
___________________________________________________________________________

How often was your notice-board updated? _________________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Did any Student Council members address a school assembly? Yes: No:

Did you use the school intercom on a regular basis? Yes: No:

Did individual SC members keep their classes informed? Yes: No:

Did the PR group visit classes? Yes: No:

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS

Did you put together a Student Council Newsletter during the year? Yes: No:

Did the Student Council contribute to the school newsletter? Yes: No:

Did the Student Council contribute any articles to local newspapers? Yes: No:

Did you raise the profile of your Student Council in any other ways?
___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 3: STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

Describe the activities you have undertaken this year. Mention who was involved and why you
undertook the particular activity.

1.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

7.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
SCHOOL POLICIES

Name and describe the school policies you were involved in this year.

1. Was it a new policy or a review of an existing policy?

New:
Review:

2. Who were the people involved in putting together or reviewing the policy?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Did you consult with the rest of the students in the school?
Yes:
No:

If yes how did you get the students’ opinions?

Held a special Student Council meeting:

Did a survey of the students:

Handed out a questionnaire:
Held a general meeting of students:
Addressed classes:
Set up a suggestion box:
Other:
Explain: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. How did you keep students informed about the progress of the policy?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Did you receive feedback from the relevant people about the progress of the policy?
Yes:
No:

6. Did you put the final version of the policy in your Student Council file?
Yes:
No:

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7. Did you write a student-friendly version of the policy?
Yes:
No:
SCHOOL POLICIES

Name and describe the school policies you were involved in this year.

1. Was it a new policy or a review of an existing policy?

New:
Review:

2. Who were the people involved in putting together or reviewing the policy?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Did you consult with the rest of the students in the school?
Yes:
No:

If yes how did you get the students’ opinions?

Held a special Student Council meeting:

Did a survey of the students:

Handed out a questionnaire:
Held a general meeting of students:
Addressed classes:
Set up a suggestion box:
Other:
Explain: ____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. How did you keep students informed about the progress of the policy?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Did you receive feedback from the relevant people about the progress of the policy?
Yes:
No:

6. Did you put the final version of the policy in your Student Council file?
Yes:
No:

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7. Did you write a student-friendly version of the policy?
Yes:
No:

SECTION 4: GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. What should we stop doing?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. What should we continue doing?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. What should we start doing?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Any further comments?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 5: PARENTS ASSOCIATION

1. Describe your interaction with your school’s Student Council.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Did you receive any updates from the Student Council of their activities? If so how?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Did the Parents Association communicate in any way with the Student Council?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Did the Parents Association make any suggestions to the Student Council about areas that
they might work on?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Has the Parents Association identified any school issues on which they could consult or work
with the Student Council?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. Have you considered requesting the cooperation of the Student Council in finding out
information from students regarding particular issues e.g. through surveys / questionnaires?

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 6: STUDENT COUNCIL LIAISON TEACHER

1. Comment on whether you think the Student Council achieved its full potential this year and
what were the contributing factors?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Were Student Council issues well received at staff meetings?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Other than meetings how is the teaching staff kept informed of ongoing Student Council
work?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. What recommendations would you make to the Student Council in order to improve how they
do things?

1. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. What is the biggest challenge facing you as Student Council Liaison Teacher?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 7: PRINCIPAL

1. Comment on whether you think the Student Council achieved its full potential this year and
what were the contributing factors?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Describe your interaction with the Student Council during the year - meetings, agendas,
minutes, plans, reports, proposals...

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Did the Student Council ask for your suggestions for activities or input at meetings during the
year? If yes, briefly describe.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. What recommendations would you make to the Student Council in order to improve how they
do things?

1. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. In what areas of school life would you like to see the Student Council getting more involved?

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 8: BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

1. Describe your interaction with your school’s Student Council e.g. Have you met with any
representatives, ratified the Student Council constitution, approved a small funding
application...?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Did you receive any updates from the Student Council of their activities? If so how?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Did the Board communicate in any way with the Student Council?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Did the Board make any suggestions to the Student Council about areas that they might
work on?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Has the Board identified any school issues on which they could consult or work with the
Student Council?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. Have you considered requesting the cooperation of the Student Council in finding out
information from students regarding particular issues e.g. through surveys / questionnaires?

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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

SECTION 9: STUDENT COUNCIL FILE

At the end of your term of office, you should now check your Student Council File to make sure
you have a record of all of the following documents, to be kept for reference purposes. You
might think about presenting this file to your Principal or Board of Management at the end of
your term of office.

The Constitution

Blank nomination forms

Blank ballot papers

Student Council Contract

Student Council Plan

Agendas

Minutes

Financial Records

Funding Application

Copies of reports distributed

Copies of letters sent and received

Updates to the Board of Management

Copies of articles for newspaper/newsletter

Records of meetings with the Principal

Record of Student Council items presented at Staff meetings

Newsletters

Articles written

Surveys/questionnaires undertaken

Draft policies

Final policy documents

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Student Friendly version of the policy documents

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