Effective practice
Student voice and agency is not a separate program or project. Effective practice is a way of working. It means always asking:
'Who is this work for, and should they have a seat at the table?'
The resources on this page support meaningful student voice and agency in any context. Follow these simple steps:
- Clarify what you're trying to achieve.
- Determine who should have a seat at the table.
- Use the Lundy model and the Continuum of voice and agency explained below to guide you in facilitating student voice and agency.
- Close the loop by providing thorough feedback to your students.
The Lundy model of child participation
The Lundy model of child participation is an internationally-recognised framework designed to ensure that children and young people have genuine input in decisions that affect them. It was developed specifically to help put Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice by supporting children's right to express their views and have those views respected.
This practical approach can be used to foster authentic engagement in any context in our system. It applies to working with individual students, facilitating whole-class, whole-school or community initiatives, or developing system-level resources.
Developed in 2007 by Professor Laura Lundy at Queen's University in Belfast, the model captures the 4 essential elements of meaningful participation.
Space, voice, audience and influence
Each element of the Lundy Model works in sequence and is essential for moving beyond tokenism to achieve meaningful voice and agency.
Space
Space means providing all students with safe, inclusive opportunities to express their views and take action. This might be through an anonymous survey, a suggestion box, a one-on-one conversation, a student forum or a well-supported public speaking event. The options are endless.
Voice
Voice means supporting all students with the skills and information they need to participate meaningfully. We need to give students choice in the way they express their views. For some of our learners, their communication may be through non-verbal means.
Audience
Audience means ensuring students' views are actively listened to by the relevant decision-makers. Sometimes this requires formal channels of communication, such as with student representative councils, so that students know who has heard their voice and how they have responded.
Influence
Influence means listening to students' voices and taking action, as appropriate. It's important to be realistic about what is possible and what is not, and be sure to be transparent and provide clear feedback and follow-up.
The continuum of voice and agency
The continuum of student voice and agency provides practical guidance for choosing the most appropriate approach for engaging students in different situations.
All categories are valid and useful. Each should be considered based on the needs of students and the purpose of engagement.
Direct engagement is preferred whenever possible. However, there are circumstances where indirect engagement is necessary to respect sensitivity, time constraints or student capacity.
Direct Engagement
Most student voice and agency activity will involve direct engagement. There are 3 main categories:
- Consult: Seeking student perspectives to inform decisions
- Collaborate: Partnering with students to co-design solutions
- Student-led: Enabling students to initiate, manage, and lead activities, or advocate for their own ideas.
Each approach offers unique opportunities for students to meaningfully influence their learning and school life.
Eg. Surveys including NSW Public Schools Survey and My Say My Way, interviews, focus groups, discussions, yarning.
Eg. Co-designing with individual students or student representative groups, yarning.
Eg. Student-led idea generation and decision-making as appropriate, yarning.
Our annual surveys provide a key mechanism for consulting students so their voices are heard at system level. Each year in Term 2, students in mainstream settings have the opportunity to share their insights and perspectives through the NSW Public Schools Survey.
Students with disability requiring substantial or extensive levels of adjustment for learning can participate through the My Say My Way inclusive voice program.
Indirect Engagement
Indirect engagement involves capturing student voice through data, evidence, or by proxy through trusted representatives. This approach is suitable in situations where the matter is sensitive or demands quick responses, where involving students directly is unlikely to influence the outcome, when students have previously been consulted, or when they are unable or prefer not to participate directly.
For example, in highly sensitive situations, it may be appropriate for a trusted adult, such as a wellbeing coordinator, to represent the student's voice.
Eg. NAPLAN, HSC, attendance, enrolment, behaviour, retention and post-school destination data.
Eg. Direct consultation with teachers, parents, SLSOs, counsellors and support workers
Close the loop
Providing feedback is an essential component of effective student voice and agency. When students share their ideas or take action, they need to know how their input has influenced decisions or outcomes. If this step is missed, students may be discouraged and less willing to participate in the future.
Closing the loop means providing feedback that is:
- timely
- thorough
- student-friendly.
If a suggestion is used, explain how. If not, let students know why not and keep the conversation open. This builds trust and shows students their ideas are valued.
By closing the loop, we encourage students to stay engaged and confident that their voice and agency matters, at school and in their broader community.