A group of teenagers took over a council meeting on Tuesday evening to call for more inclusive education in Knowsley.
The unusual meeting of Knowsley Council’s Children and Families Board was chaired by 17-year-old Abi Kirkby, a member of the borough’s youth cabinet, and heard from several other young people in place of the usual council officers.
Ms Kirkby’s youth cabinet colleagues used the opportunity to press the council to introduce “drop down days” at the borough’s schools to teach children a more inclusive curriculum.
Already in use at All Saints Catholic High School in Kirkby, drop down days involve the whole school suspending normal lessons for a day so children can learn about topics such as black history, LGBT education, hate crime, disability awareness and other inclusive education subjects.
Dean Leake, another member of Knowsley Youth Cabinet, told the committee that 79% of young people in the borough did not feel represented by the current education system.
He said: “It is clear that a change is needed in order to fully include all our young people, especially those from deprived or marginalised backgrounds, and show them that they have the ability to succeed.
“But if they can’t see themselves represented in their own education, how are they supposed to do that?
“We know that it is vitally important that students in Knowsley hear from people with different cultural backgrounds as our borough is predominantly white British. Therefore it is our responsibility to broaden the minds of our young people, teaching them far beyond their own experiences as everybody’s experience is valid.”
Both Mr Leake and Luka Ashcroft, also of the youth cabinet, told the committee they had experienced “ignorance” from other students throughout their school careers regarding their sexuality.
Mr Ashcroft said: “I am fed up and exhausted of trying to explain my sexuality”.
Kate Horne, a student at Cronton College, added that the drop down days could also provide role models from a variety of backgrounds and help combat hate crime.
She said: “Having someone you can both admire and relate to is incredibly important.
“If a range of people are represented and considered someone to look up to, hate crime would surely decrease.”
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The board welcomed the students’ presentation and agreed to back calls for drop down days at Knowsley schools in order to ensure a more inclusive education for the borough’s young people.
Members also heard from representatives of the Care Leavers’ Forum, who called for a more rounded education to prepare them for adult life, including lessons in managing bills, basic DIY and cooking.
This led to an offer from All Saints headteacher Tony McGuinness to arrange some cookery lessons for care leavers in January using facilities at his school.
At the end of the meeting, regular committee chair Cllr Margaret Harvey praised Ms Kirkby’s steering of the meeting, saying she was “the best chair this board has ever had”.
