ABSTRACT
There are a number of schools across the UK that is doing excellent work in terms of listening to their students, their teachers and/or their parents. Many student councils say that they have limited opportunities to engage with their school leadership. In building a school that meets the needs of the wider community, it is important that local organisations and businesses and local people have an opportunity to participate and share their expertise. Whilst a school's governing body is rightfully the place where the school's values and vision are articulated and agreed by representatives of the school community and the local area, and used as a reference point for school decision-making. A good place to start is with the Cooperative schools movement, the very ethos of which challenges the marketisation of the English education system and its commitment to driving up standards through competition.
