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School size: 1900+ students 

School type: Government, Coeducational, Year 7-12 

Student Voice at Frankston High School (FHS) begins and ends with student feedback. The efforts begin with their Student Leadership Council (SLC), made up of 70 students and comprising of several teams which focus on important areas for improvement and collaboration. Their SLC includes the following teams: 

• Recruitment and Promotions – responsible for recruiting new members and promoting the work of the SLC; 

• Events – coordinates events and fundraisers for important organisations; 

• Students – fostering diversity and inclusion via events and campaigns; 

• Wellbeing – endeavours to better student wellbeing by encouraging essential conversations and self-care strategies; 

• Connectedness – connecting students to the broader community through charity events; 

• Voice and Agency – see below. 

 The Frankston High community also contains many individual student-run groups which have specific focuses such as the Eco Team and Sports Leadership.  

 On top of the many avenues for student voice built into school structures, Frankston High demonstrates more authentic student voice than most by embedding student feedback into everyday processes. After students at FHS presented to the staff team about the importance of student voice and how to do it better, teachers then set about adapting their lessons based on student suggestions, including having a more student-centred approach. The school also utilises a resource called the Student Voice and Agency Survey which teachers can use to measure the effectiveness of their teaching from the perspective of students. Since using this survey, teachers felt their relationships with students and student engagement in class has improved significantly. The school prides itself on its efforts to embed a holistic approach to student engagement, leadership, and the overall educational experience of their students.  

Student Voice and Agency Team 

The Student Voice and Agency Team (SVAT) are driving change within Frankston High by spearheading new initiatives which demonstrate student voice and embed important practices into everyday processes of the school. Here are just a few of the projects they have been working on: 

• The SVAT conducted a curriculum audit in collaboration with the school’s Head of Curriculum to kickstart the process of incorporating student feedback and ideas into future curriculum changes. This began with junior and middle school curriculum surveys, data from which has already been implemented into 2024 curriculum revisions to be rolled out in the new year. This process also emphasizes the importance of regular feedback opportunities and has set the tone for continuous feedback cycles for curriculum updates in the future. 

• The SVAT has also been working towards sports uniform policy reform based on student feedback, and has lead to discussions with school leadership around future changes.  

• Finally, the SVAT has begun crafting what they call a ‘teacher toolkit’, to be used as a guide on how to implement and embed student voice practices and strategies seamlessly into the classroom. This has been done in conjunction with Social Education Victora and aims to improve student engagement and inclusivity in the classroom. The SVAT has submitted a working document for review by the school staff which has been met with positive feedback. Importantly, even based on a preliminary version of the toolkit, staff at Frankston High have commented on improvements in their own understanding of student voice and its importance in the classroom thanks to the toolkit. 

Peer support program  

Another cornerstone of student voice practice within Frankston High is the Peer Support Program which was launched in 2023. The program aims to bridge the gap between younger and older students by fostering a sense of community and building strong relationships across year levels. In the program, year 9 and 10 students deliver lessons to year 7 students once per fortnight, covering topics such as cooperation, problem solving, and creative thinking. The program is student-led, and has shown a significant increase in leadership opportunities, feelings of connectedness, and student engagement in learning.  

Staff at Frankston High describe the Peer Support Program as ‘transformative’, and clearly see the direct benefits of this type of student voice and agency. The year 7 students who participate in the program note that the program offers them a much-desired break from traditional learning, while also providing them with the opportunity to build relationships across the school. The year 9 and 10 students who deliver the program are described as exceptional role models, and staff have said that their work has instilled empathy, honed leadership, and nurtured teamwork among younger students.  

This program demonstrates the efficacy of embedding good student voice practices into school culture and offers an example of how seemingly unrelated issues such as connectedness and community can have a significant impact on the capacity and motivation for students to learn.