By EdCaptain editorial desk · Published
The school council notice comes home, and your child wants to stand. Then comes the request: “Can you help me write my speech?” It is easy to turn a few ideas into a polished adult performance. A more useful kind of help leaves your child with words they understand, a realistic idea and a message they can stand behind.
This guide is for parents and caregivers of children aged 6–12 preparing a short statement for an internal school council election. Follow the school’s instructions. Your job is to help your child think and prepare, rather than run the campaign or promise a result.
Start with the job, before the speech
Ask what your child thinks a representative does. They may imagine choosing the lunch menu, changing homework or wearing a badge. Read the role description together or ask the teacher what pupils can actually influence, how often meetings happen and how representatives report back.
The NSW Department of Education describes student representative councils as elected groups representing students in school decisions. It also stresses hearing varied perspectives. That offers a useful starting question: “How would you find out what classmates think, including people who are not your close friends?” Local roles and powers vary.
Check that your child wants the work as well as the title. If they discover that meetings clash with something important, they can ask questions before deciding whether to stand.
Find out what help is allowed
Check the nomination deadline, speech length, permitted notes, poster rules and expectations about adult assistance. Ask what support is available for a child who uses signing, AAC, a recording or another communication method. Do not assume that speaking quickly from memory is the only acceptable format.
If the instructions are unclear, a short question can help: “My child would like to stand. May I write down their dictated ideas, and are cue cards allowed?” Being their scribe or helping with access can preserve ownership; silently replacing their ideas does not.
Collect their ideas without editing every sentence
Put out a sheet of paper and a pencil, or use the communication tools your child normally uses. Ask three questions, leaving time for the answers:
- Why would you like to represent the class?
- What is one thing classmates would like the council to discuss?
- What could you personally do as a representative?
Write their answers as they say them. “I’m good at remembering what people asked” may be more believable than “I possess exceptional organisational qualities.” Ask what an unfamiliar word means to them before keeping it in the speech.
If they cannot think of a concern, suggest listening rather than inventing one. With the teacher’s agreement, they might ask classmates an open question about school life. Avoid collecting private stories, names or complaints for a public speech. A safety concern belongs with a responsible adult, not in campaign material.
Check the promise before making it sound impressive
A child may sincerely promise a new playground or longer breaks without knowing who decides or pays. Help them separate a change they want from an action they can undertake.
Try asking: “Can the council decide that? Who else would need to agree? What could you honestly say you would do first?” An uncertain idea might become, “I would ask whether we could try a quieter lunchtime activity,” rather than “I will build a new quiet room.” Keep the example only if it reflects your child’s actual interest and the school’s arrangements.
The Australian Electoral Commission’s school-election guidance for candidates recommends respectful campaigns, no bribes or incentives and promises within the representative group’s power. Use those principles to discuss honesty; check the school’s own campaign rules rather than importing another programme’s timetable.
Help them shape a short message
Offer a simple order, then let your child choose the wording:
- Purpose: why they want to do the role.
- One useful idea: what they would like to raise, with an honest next step.
- Listening and follow-through: how they would gather views or report back.
A real example can support a claim. If they say they listen well, ask when they have done that. They do not need a prize, a dramatic story or a list of achievements. Do not invent an example or borrow another child’s experience.
Read the draft aloud and ask, “Would you actually say this?” Cut words they would not use and anything that repeats the same point. Leave room for their humour or a plain, direct style. The speech does not need to sound like yours.
Keep practice useful and limited
Offer one rehearsal to check whether the message fits the school’s limit. Ask which help they want: listening, timing or checking that the main idea is clear. If it runs long, let them choose what to remove.
For nerves, our guide to preparing for a school presentation in manageable steps offers separate support. Do not turn speech preparation into repeated performances for relatives. If your child needs a different presentation format, discuss it with the teacher before the day.
Ages 6–9: record spoken ideas in short phrases or pictures. Help the child find one point they genuinely want to make. A picture cue or a few familiar words may be more usable than a page to memorise, if the school permits it.
Ages 10–12: invite the child to draft first, check the role’s limits and review one claim at a time. Ask them to explain their intended first action. Offer editing as a choice; an adult vocabulary upgrade is not the goal.
Agree the family’s boundaries
A small school election should not depend on expensive printing, gifts or adult lobbying. Follow the school’s materials rules and agree what the family can realistically provide. Do not contact classmates or their parents to ask for votes.
Help your child respect other candidates and friends’ choices. A friend can like them and support someone else. No one owes a public explanation of their vote. Raise concrete concerns about intimidation, exclusion or an inaccessible process with the school, rather than asking the child to handle them alone.
If elected, the next task is listening and representing, not having every answer. Our guide to including quieter voices gives practical ways to invite ideas without singling someone out.
If not elected, acknowledge the disappointment without claiming the result was unfair or rushing into another achievement. When they are ready, ask what they liked about preparing and whether they still want to share their idea through another school route. The work of forming an honest message remains theirs, whichever name is announced.
Sources and further reading
- Australian Electoral Commission: instructions for candidates in school elections
- NSW Department of Education: representative student voice and agency
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