🌟 Faith Council 2025/2026

At Mesne Lea, we believe in nurturing not just academic excellence, but also strong values, character, and community spirit. One of the ways we do this is through our Faith Council — a group of dedicated pupil leaders who help to promote our school values and support spiritual and cultural development across the school.

Our Faith Council brings together children from Years 2 to 6 who are passionate about making a difference. They meet regularly to reflect on faith, values, and the wider world, and to plan initiatives that encourage kindness, respect, and community engagement both within and beyond our school.

💬 What does the Faith Council do?

Our Council members:

• Promote our core school values of kindness, honesty, respect, resilience, and determination by being positive role models.

• Work collaboratively across year groups to explore and develop their understanding of religious and world views.

• Help shape meaningful religious experiences and lead on whole school initiatives that bring our values to life.

What values are needed to be a leader?

Kindness

Respect

Determination

Thoughtfulness

Listening skills

Good communicator

How does your role help develop you personally?

Communication: Articulating ideas, sharing information, and speaking in front of groups.

Listening: Actively listening to classmates and staff to understand their views and concerns.

Negotiation and debating: Discussing ideas and finding compromises with different viewpoints.

Teamwork: Working collaboratively with other council members and school staff to achieve common goals.

Assertiveness: Confidently expressing our own ideas and representing the views of others.

Confidence: Gaining self-assurance from public speaking and taking initiative.

Leadership: Acting as a role model, taking responsibility, and leading by example.

Reliability: Attending meetings, completing tasks, and following through on commitments.

Problem-solving: Identifying issues and working creatively to find solutions for the school community.

What have the group achieved so far/ actions to date?

Autumn 1

• First meeting to complete leadership sheet
• Give out leadership lanyards
• Discuss what we think our role should be
• Begin to think of initiatives we could take part in/roll out across school
• Created resources to decorate the Year 2 Harvest Festival Assembly.
• Put up resources for Year 2 Harvest Assembly.
• Discussed the food items and the charity initiative as a reason for collecting.
• Discussed sending these to Walkden Gateway food bank and how the Faith Council can help to facilitate this.

Autumn 2

• Faith council met wb: 10/11/25 to discuss a Christmas activity for school. After discussions the council decided to set a whole school-class task.
• Wb 01/12 each class will be asked to write a ‘whole-class’ Christmas Shape poem based on values and beliefs around the Christmas period (religious or non-religious) to be handed in by 15/12 for judging by the council.
• The prize is a whole class Haribo selection.
• Faith council also discussed working/visiting the elderly at Manor Lodge starting in Spring 1. Children would like to spend 1 afternoon per half term on a craft-based activity etc.
• Mrs Williams will visit Manor Lodge on 09/12 to speak to Elaine (staff member) when the School Choir visits to sing.

What are the next steps for Faith Council?

• Discussed Faith Councils involvement with the elderly at Manor Lodge Care Home and what initiatives we can do with them on a termly/half-termly basis.
• Discussed setting a Card Competition for the Christmas/Festive period both for Religious/Non-Religious children; ‘Season’s Greetings’.