New Bridge School: Putting student voice at the heart of the curriculum 

Rizwana Sarwar, is a PSHE and Life Skills Teacher at New Bridge School and College, our SEND School of the Year Awardee 2024. Rizwana talks to ACT about the success of student voice in designing the New Bridge curriculum and the importance of engaging students in the community and world around them. 

My path into teaching

My journey began over 21 years ago. I qualified as a SEN teacher in 2004, initially working at Oldham College in Greater Manchester. For 10 years, I was part of an SEN team in the Educational Support Unit, specialising in post-16 students. It was here that I developed my passion for teaching. In 2015, I joined Newbridge and my role expanded, gaining an additional qualification allowing me to teach students from KS3 to KS5.

While my specialism has always been in living skills, I’ve taught a range of subjects, including English, functional skills, and employability. More recently, over the past four years, I’ve been teaching on the RSHE curriculum, which has been a fascinating area to explore and has become a significant part of my role. 

Supporting students, shaping futures

Newbridge serves a very diverse, multicultural community with students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. As an RSHE and living skills teacher, I believe it’s crucial for our students to engage with the world around them. Our goal is to prepare them for adulthood by equipping them to become independent, well-rounded citizens. Citizenship education is vital for helping them navigate the real world and understand their role within it.

Citizenship Teaching Award: Student centred curriculum design

Getting the award was a huge surprise! When I first received the nomination, I didn’t think we’d be awarded it, but when I found out we were, it was such an honour. However, I truly believe the students deserve this recognition most of all. The real impact has come from the student voice through the Newbridge Parliament.

We started Newbridge Parliament four years ago. Initially, we used suggested meeting questions from the Smart Schools Council, engaging the entire college in debates during their “learning for life” lessons. As the years have passed, we’ve developed a solid team, and now, we even have a logo that represents our students, which we print on hoodies and badges. It’s incredible to see what the students have achieved since we started.

Our Newbridge Parliament, formed through student input, has shaped the curriculum. The students identified gaps in their knowledge and told us what they wanted to learn. I worked with them to create a tailored curriculum, and the process continues to evolve with their ongoing feedback.

The Parliament is involved in a variety of initiatives, including a food-growing project for local food banks, podcasting, termly blogs, newsletters, and fundraising efforts. They also actively participate in the social development aspects of the curriculum, helping them grow into active citizens.

Cross-curricular work has been essential. We collaborate across departments to support each other, and one key focus is embedding elements of Citizenship into subjects like English. It’s a work in progress, but we’re committed to expanding this across the college.

Staying on track for success

One of the main challenges is ensuring that the actions derived from the student voice are followed through every month. Time constraints are commonly a challenge, especially during busy periods of the academic year. Our headteacher is very supportive of this work, and we’ve always had his backing in ensuring that projects are aligned with the student voice. It’s important for us that we continue to prioritise Citizenship education and make it sustainable. 

It’s also crucial that we continue to involve other departments in Citizenship events. For example, we are planning a cultural awareness “super learning day” to celebrate different cultures, which gets everyone involved and ties into British values. 

Championing Citizenship education

Incorporating Citizenship into the curriculum is essential. It’s not just about teaching life skills but about engaging students with their communities and fostering a sense of advocacy, ensuring they are engaged in meaningful, real-world issues.

We always seek feedback from parents and carers to ensure we’re listening to their voices and that they understand what is being taught and why. We value their input and make sure to integrate it alongside the student voice to create a holistic approach to our curriculum.

Looking ahead

The future of Citizenship education is incredibly exciting. The world is constantly changing, and students today are deeply interested in issues like climate change and social justice. They are eager to learn about the world around them and the contexts behind current affairs. Citizenship education is broad and continually evolving, so it remains incredibly relevant. One of my students recently reflected on how democracy has changed over the last 20 years, and it’s this kind of curiosity about the everchanging world that makes Citizenship so vital.