In Crail, the Junior Community Council met with Councillor Hayes in the first JCC meeting in school. The pupils have regularly met all term to discuss their concerns about the school and community.
The meeting was conducted just as the adults, complete with a written Agenda and Chairperson Austin, P7, opening the session with a hammer and gavel.
Councillor Hayes was put through her paces by the direct questions she was asked. In her introduction, she explained her job was to help people and to try to make improvements happen. The Committee wanted answers about everything from school lunches, potholes in the road, grass cutting and the schedule for installing the play park equipment next to the school.
Alycia Hayes spent time explaining Council policies and how and why some jobs take so long to be completed. Many of her answers were budget related; however, the pupils were surprised to learn that council staff shortages cause some of the delays to council works since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Councillor Hayes left the school with a notebook full of questions to follow up with the promise she would send back her school answers.
We hope this will be the first of these meetings, and next academic year, a new committee will be elected to follow up on this valuable work.
The children learned that by having a council representative there to explain council decisions face to face, they could see local democracy in action, and their concerns were being listened to. A huge well done to all the Junior Councillors.
The school and the community should be very proud we have such caring and respectful young people in our village.
