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Student Voice & Agency
At Beaumaris Secondary College, we believe in the power of student voice. We recognise that our students are not just learners but also valuable contributors to our community.
Shared Decision Making
Students are part of the shared decision making at BSC including;
- Uniform Policy Working Party
- Canteen Working Group
- Planning year level events such as the Year 11 & 12 Formals
- Changes to the structure of the BSC day
- Sharing their interpretation of our Attitudes to School Data
- School Council Council Representatives
The Bigger Buddy System
The Bigger Buddy System is a student-led initiative designed to strengthen connection, support and belonging across year levels at Beaumaris Secondary College.
Through GOAL sessions, students are given opportunities to ask questions, share experiences and learn from one another. These cross-year level connections help ease transitions between learning stages, encourage student mentoring and create meaningful conversations about school life, learning and personal growth.
Led by our student leaders, the Bigger Buddy System reflects our commitment to building a college community where students feel connected, supported and known. It also brings our motto, Belong, Believe, Become, to life by helping students see that they belong within our college community.
See The Bigger Buddy System in action
Student Voice & Agency in Action
Oskar E (Year 9) - June 2025
Mr Bartlett had the pleasure of accompanying Year 9 student Oskar Edwardes to the South Eastern Victoria Regional All-Staff Forum Education Conference in Warragul on June 19, 2025. Oskar delivered a powerful and eloquent speech on the importance of authentic student voice, agency, and the impact of being known, understood and respected in education. His message was clear: students deserve to be active participants in shaping their learning experience — not just recipients of it.
We are very proud of Oskar's maturity, insight and passion as we continue to nurture the leaders of tomorrow!
Beauy Voices
Beauy Voice is an annual student-led initiative that gives every year level the opportunity to reflect on their experiences at Beaumaris Secondary College and provide meaningful feedback to help shape school priorities.
The program is grounded in the Attitudes to School Survey, which is completed each year by students, parents and staff. Introduced in 2024 and developed in collaboration with our Student Year Level Leaders, Beauy Voice enables students to explore the survey data for their cohort, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and share suggestions that support a positive learning environment.
Each GOAL group reviews data relevant to their year level — including areas such as effective teaching practice, school safety, sense of connectedness and teacher–student relationships — and provides feedback to their GOAL Mentor. These insights are compiled into a comprehensive year-level report and discussed further during roundtable sessions with student volunteers, creating a clear snapshot of student perspectives across the college.
A key element of Beauy Voice is action. Each year, students work together to select a focus area and develop a professional learning session for teachers, offering authentic student perspectives and practical ideas for improvement. In past years, student-led sessions have helped shape school goals and strengthened learning and wellbeing practices across the college — demonstrating the powerful impact of student voice in driving positive change.
Beauy Voice continues to evolve each year, ensuring Beaumaris Secondary College remains a school where every student is heard, valued and able to contribute to a community where to learn is to grow.
Teach the Teacher
The most successful part of Beauy Voices was the Teach the Teacher presentation. I was fortunate enough to work with a fantastic group of Year 10 students. In collaboration with VicSRC, the students reviewed the Attitudes to School data, identified areas of concern they felt were significant for their year level and then developed a professional development session for teachers. The area that students selected to work on was rubrics and feedback. Honestly, it was one of the easiest programs to run. The students designed the inquiry question, decided the formatting and style of presentation, created an icebreaker to run at the start of the session, invited staff to share their thoughts and collected feedback for reflection. Each PLT has stated that this was hands down the best professional development they have had all year. Additionally, it has sparked such a conversation that the rubrics and feedback will be part of the school’s annual plan for next year. The students are very excited to continue collaborating with teachers in 2025, and I similarly, cannot wait to continue working with such a brilliant group of young leaders.
Mr Ardi
December 2024
Amplify Program
The Amplify program aims to enhance student voice in the college and continue to develop the innate leadership that we believe lies in each and every student. We help students to 'own' their learning and development, and create a positive climate for learning by empowering students to share their feedback and collaborate with teachers on our curriculum.
In 2023, the Amplify leaders designed our survey and tested it on a small number of Year 7 classes. After some refinement, the leaders delivered it to the entire Year 8 cohort. This data was then presented to teachers in their Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) and the students provided ideas to help refine the survey based on the feedback. Our leaders then further refined the survey, based on their reflections as leaders and the feedback received, and rolled it out across Years 7-10. Moving forward, the Amplify leaders will present a semester overview of student feedback to PLTs and offer their insights to assist in refining our curriculum.
Empowering Students Across Victoria
Oskar E is supported by Beaumaris Secondary College with his work as an Ambassador Intern at VicSRC. Oskar was elected to the Victorian Student Representative Council Executive Committee for 2025! This incredible achievement gives Oskar a unique platform to represent students across Victoria and help shape decisions that impact young people. Oskar's dedication to leadership and advocacy perfectly reflects our school values, and we're proud to have him as part of our school community.
Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with the Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC) as an Ambassador Intern. In April, I participated in an intensive workshop organised by VicSRC, where we focused on enhancing students’ advocacy and leadership skills. As part of this transformative experience, I developed a project proposal aimed at amplifying student voices within our local community. To my delight, my proposal was selected for implementation.
My proposal is called Local Schools Council (LSC) program.
The purpose of the LSC program is to address the need for consistent and meaningful communication between students from different schools in the area, creating a clear pathway for collaboration in future events and projects. Possible ways that this program could achieve this are organising student voice events and forums and working with stakeholders to provide student voice on matters that affect high school students in the area. Basically, it is a multi-school student council.
I’ve learned valuable lessons about leadership, teamwork, and the power of student advocacy. As I continue this journey, I look forward to further growth and making a lasting impact within our educational community.
Oskar E (Year 8)
June 2024
VicSRC Congress
September 2025
Jasper H (Year 8), Cameron H and Ariston J (Year 10) showcased their enthusiasm for learning and leadership at the VicSRC Congress. Their passion for participating in education through extracurricular activities shone through as they shared ideas and collaborated with students from across Victoria to help shape the future of education!
