These course offers represent an inclusive approach to pupil voice based on children's 'right to thrive'. These training sessions work well at a whole-school level as well as within class or student/school council settings.
Article 12 of the UN Charter for children’s rights states:
“Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously”
This right recognises children and young people as actors in their own lives and we believe that empowering children to exercise their rights is essential for their wellbeing, their learning and their contribution to their local, national and global communities. CDEC is now offering training in a whole-school approach to pupil voice called F.I.D.S. - a 4-step framework designed to unleash the 'I CAN' superpower in every child.
Explore techniques for developing engagement and agency in creating active global citizens with an emphasis on social justice. Through the stages of FIDS (feel, imagine, do and share), your pupils will develop their oracy and communication, leadership and teamwork skills, and will feel empowered to make a difference within their school community.
The language in this process is the key to its success - asking children what ‘bothers’ them can reveal a host of issues that may otherwise have remained unknown. Children are then asked to focus on one issue and imagine what it would look like if it was solved. This serves as a platform for action, and celebrating impact is the final stage of the process.
Schools in Cumbria have been adopting the F.I.D.S. approach over the last year and have been astounded at the results. At Ambleside Primary, it’s been delivered across the whole school, involving every child from Reception to Year 6 and Lyndsay Tarr, the headteacher said, “this approach has enabled all of our children to work together and celebrate their achievements, from contributing to climate action to improving our community.” F.I.D.S. has been running at Ambleside since January 2025 and Lyndsay has received great support from governors and parents after sharing plans and information with them.
St. Michael’s Primary in Bothel have had similar outcomes with their application of the F.I.D.S. framework - a Year 5 pupil told us, “this is better than school council as we all get to work together. I love working with the younger children.”
F.I.D.S. can be applied to a wide range of curriculum and non-curriculum activities and is used in many different ways in thousands of schools around the world. Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says “…children are 100% designers of their future. This approach enables them to see their solutions happen and experience their impact, developing compassion, empathy and agency.”
F.I.D.S. can unleash the extraordinary creative talents of every child in a school and also support communication, teamwork and leadership skills while giving children a real sense of agency. We can see the positive impact it’s already having in schools in Cumbria and we’re delivering more F.I.D.S. training in spring 2026.
Dates
CDEC is delivering this course with a focus on Oracy on:
- Monday 19th January // 1pm - 4pm // Low Nook, Rydal Road, Ambleside LA22 9BB
CDEC is delivering this course with a focus on Oracy with Westmorland and Furness Council on
- Monday 9th February // 1pm - 4pm // Penrith Methodist Church, Wordsworth Street, Penrith CA11 7QY
- Wednesday 29th April // 9am - 12noon // Phoenix Business Centre Unit 8, Phoenix Road, Barrow-in-Furness LA14 2UA
Places for these events can be booked via your school’s SLA account – log in here
If you have any issues accessing SLA, please email the School Development Team at
school.development@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Options for clusters and MATs
Get in touch with us to talk about whole-school, cluster or MAT options - we recommend this approach for embedding the benefits of the training across your curriculum and across your school.
These would be bespoke courses delivered on a date and at a location that suits you - please send an email to alison@cdec.org.uk to discuss dates etc..