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8.
February
2019.
First Minister Visits Lansdowne Primary School to officially open children's Senedd.

Lansdowne Primary School in Canton has launched a new initiative which gives pupils the opportunity to engage with politics.

The Lansdowne Senedd, which is modelled on the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff Bay, was officially opened last week by the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford. The project enables pupils to regularly participate in sub-committees that tackle key aspects of school life including sport, the environment, digital literacy, equality and diversity, well-being and pupil rights.

The purpose behind the initiative relays to the school's vision that staff and leaders should develop healthy, confident, enterprising, ambitious, ethical and well informed citizens of Wales for the future.

Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Councillor Sarah Merry said: "I am delighted that the children of Lansdown Primary School are getting first-hand experience and understanding of politics whilst being given the opportunity to discuss the issues that are important to them."

The Right Honourable Mark Drakeford AM said:  "It's wonderful to see so many young people excited by their learning and actively involved in the learning process, making key decisions about their school. The school is encouraging innovation in our young people, responsibility and resilience".

Head teacher at the school, Mrs Kinsey said: "This is one of the key changes, we as a school are making in order to develop our pedagogic vision for 2025.

"Wales is looking ahead with a national mission to really develop a new and meaningful curriculum and we as educators must continue to embrace these changes and be optimistic about the future of Welsh education."

A senior leadership team enables staff and pupils to fully engage in Senedd by giving quality time weekly, and believe that pupils will develop more meaningful skills in authentic contexts. In addition, the school also has a caring crew and a Diggon group, which means ‘enough' in Welsh, and tackles homophobia in school.

Pupil voice in the school is already well established in the Infants and the school has been praised for this in its Estyn report in 2017.

Mrs Cooper, deputy head teacher added: "This initiative shows the positive aspects of the curriculum from the children's view point, in a way which allows them to be very much involved. "They have a genuine input into the management of the school, developing the qualities set out in the report by Prof Donaldson".