Wilson’s hosts Sutton Schools Student Council

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On Friday 7 November, Wilson’s hosted the second ever Sutton Schools’ Student Council. 14 schools from across Sutton attended, each bringing a  number of student and staff delegates to discuss matters that young people in the Borough had identified as important to them. These topics included knife crime, anti-social behaviour, safety on public transport, vaping, discrimination and smartphone use in schools.

A panel of professional experts, including the borough Head of Education, the leader of Sutton Council, the police and those from projects proactively tackling discrimination, knife crime, addiction and the underage selling of vapes in the area, came together to answer student questions on the topics.

Delegates had chance to discuss their concerns before assertively challenging the panel about what is being done to best support young people’s safety and wellbeing. Their ideas were championed by Mr Cole, who led the meeting as host, and ensured that professionals did not have a chance to side-step any difficult questions!

The meeting was engaging, informative and pragmatic enough that delegates unanimously voted to hold another schools’ council later in the academic year. It was an occasion that reminded of the vital importance of the voice of young people in shaping the future of our area, and also the need for those in positions of authority to be held accountable for their decisions.