I received the following message from Dame Rachel De Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England yesterday, Thursday 17 November 2023.

“I have launched this survey, The Big Ambition, to hear from all children and young people in England aged between 6 and 18 years old. Adults can answer on behalf of a child or young person aged up to 18. You can find a link to that survey at the foot of this letter. I will use this survey to take children and young people’s views to the Government.

I want to ensure that the voices of all children in the Maidenhead area are fairly represented in the findings so that I can share their views with the most senior members of the country.

I must reiterate that it is vital that all children have their voice heard through this survey because, as Children’s Commissioner for England, I have a statutory duty to protect and promote the views and interests of children. The Big Ambition provides a much-needed opportunity for the children of England to tell political decision makers what is important to them ahead of the General Election. I will be sharing their responses with Government to ensure that children’s voices are heard.

Please share the survey and resources with teachers in your school and encourage them to use it in their lessons. Children can complete the survey in assemblies, form times, PSHE or in other lessons this term. The survey can also be done as homework and parents can assist children who cannot complete the survey themselves (children under 5 and children with Special Educational Needs). This is a great opportunity to teach children about politics and why it is important for them to use their voice. Be sure to check out the lesson plans on my website if you want to teach your pupils more about politics before they fill in the survey!”

As Principal of the only through school in Maidenhead, I have a huge interest in encouraging Pupil Voice, the emblem for which in our school was designed by the children and of which we are very proud. My family’s Latin Motto, which sits in the school badge we founded and developed says “Ut Omnes Unum Sint” translating as “So that all may be one.”

Having a unifying set of values is not the same has have the same view of everything, indeed as a school and nation we share the wish to have very different choices in terms of identity and ambition. When Halifax FC visited Maidenhead United last Saturday, it was definitely not to play out a 0-0 draw (Maidenhead won by the way). But both sets of spectators have a shared love of the sport of Football, and for many their leisure time becomes the driving force of their lives. For others, it’s the opportunity to gather knowledge and learn, swapping perhaps the Terrace for the Library to further their ambitions. For yet more, it’s about service to others, building the community links that make town and society thrive.

And all of those possibilities arise from enabling in our young children the opportunity to make choices and express their opinions, and of course to endeavour to surface some options so they see we have considered those concerns. So I welcome the Children’s Commissioner’s ‘Big Ambition survey’, and by writing this blog, encourage others to do so too!