Schools enjoy funding boost after taking part in consultation
Two borough schools have received a funding boost after taking part in a council-run consultation.
St Giles Church of England Primary School and Delves Junior School from Walsall were both lucky winners after pupils took part in a consultation for the We Are Walsall 2040 partnership project led by Walsall Council.
The council and We Are Walsall partners carried out one of the biggest listening and engagement exercises ever conducted in the borough, with more than 8,000 people and organisations responding, including several schools.
The consultation effort saw young people across Walsall encouraged to share their views and give their ideas on how they want the future of Walsall to look and, as a thank you for their input, all of the schools that took part were entered into a prize draw.
First prize, which was won by St Giles Church of England Primary in Willenhall, was a £500 gift voucher with Delves Junior School securing a £250 second prize.
Councillor Garry Perry, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resilient Communities, said: “I’m thrilled with results of our latest consultation and so pleased to see so many children getting involved to share their thoughts and ideas.
"The children of Walsall are the future so it’s important that we take into account their hopes and dreams when planning the We Are Walsall 2040 vision.”
Mr Dakin, Headteacher of St Giles CofE School, said: “We were delighted to win the £500 prize and spent the money on lots of new books for our library.
"It was great to get involved with the We Are Walsall 2040 project and encourage the children to have their say; it opened the doors for lots of valuable conversations about their local communities and their hopes for the future.”
Ms Arnold, Executive Headteacher of Delves Federation said: “Taking part in the We Are Walsall 2040 consultation was a great way to get the pupils to discuss their local community and for us to understand what’s important to them.
"It was wonderful to get involved and give the children the opportunity to have their say and show the children that their voices matter.
"We were delighted to win the £250 prize and we spoke to the pupils about what to spend the money on, deciding on new basketball equipment which they can’t wait to start using.”
Pupils discussed what they liked and disliked about where they live and what would make it better.
Children also spoke about their priorities for 2040 and their hopes for what the borough would be like as a place to live, work and socialise in the future.
More information about the project can be found by going to walsall.gov.uk/business/regeneration-and-investment/vision-future-we-are-walsall-2040.
