The Multi Schools Council was started in 2012 to give children and young people with SEND and mental health needs a voice in the issues that matter to them. By providing children and young people with an opportunity to improve their confidence, and develop their personal and social skills, we enable them to drive change, and challenge negative stereotypes about SEND and mental health in schools.
The Multi Schools Council is made up of three pillars: Multi-School meetings, work in schools, and the local ambassadors. Within the meetings pillar, each term children from mainstream and special schools meet to learn more about each other and put their plans in place for making a difference. Not only does the Council help break down perceptions, it promotes important values like democracy and tolerance and unites children and young people around the issues that matter to them most. Within the work in schools pillar, the children and young people plan and deliver workshops with peers in different schools to improve their self-esteem and give them a sense of connectedness. They also raise awareness through school assemblies and training for staff. Within the local ambassador pillar, ambassadors form special interest groups based on their area of understanding or interest for example we have groups advocating for autism, rare syndromes, anti-bullying, public speaking and sport.
The Multi Schools Council started in Essex in 2012, we now have 648 children and young people from across the county coming to MSC meetings. These children and young people are supported by 144 Multi Schools Ambassadors who are themselves young people who are experts by experience. There are now over 480 schools in Essex who are part of the Multi Schools Council. We have begun to expand across 4 more local authorities. There is now a Multi Schools Council presence in Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and South End. Our aim is to have a Multi Schools Council representative in each local authority to put children and young people with SEND and mental health needs in the driving seat of the decision making processes that impact their lives, in pursuit of an equitable and inclusive society.
You can visit our website https://www.multischoolscouncil.org.uk/ where you can watch our videos, listen to our songs, and see a Multi Schools Council meeting. You could even become a member for free mschoolscouncil@gmail.com. The Multi Schools Council CIC is a registered charity which means we can protect the interests of the children and young people with SEND and mental health unconditionally.
