When pupils graduate from school, they are expected to have a democratic mindset. They should be interested in politics, be able to form informed opinions about the parties represented in elections, engage in participatory processes as active citizens, by means of shaping their living environment, or raise their voice when necessary. This requires not only political knowledge relevant to democracy, as taught in the subject of political education, but also respective social skills and the gradual development of a democratic attitude, which is indispensable in any democratic culture. Pupils can develop these skills in their own school environment, practicing what we know as “democratic participation”.

A democratic school culture lies at the heart of whole school approaches. This course focuses on practical implementation and explores on how the specific instrument of class councils can serve as a powerful tool to promote student voice and agency in whole school development processes. Although changing an entire school system is complex and takes time, class councils offer an easy way to begin and provide an important first step towards greater participation in school life. In this course we will learn more on how to successfully implement this method and about its advantages not only for our pupils but for the school community as a whole.

Even though this is a self-paced course, adapted from a version that ran from Monday, 17 November 2025, to Wednesday, 3 December 2025, we encourage you to re-visit the course’s forums and Padlets, reflect on what your peers shared and use their input as food for thought for your own teaching practices, school and classroom life and interaction with your students.

The course is offered by the European School Education Platform. Visit our website for more information.

Duration and workload

This course is based on a version that ran from Monday, 17 November 2025, to Wednesday, 3 December 2025. The original course provided participants with opportunities to interact during a specific active timeframe of 2.5 weeks, exchange ideas, prepare their final activity and engage in the peer assessment process. However, we recognise that not everyone was able to attend during the scheduled timeline.

To make the course accessible to a wider audience, we’ve developed this self-paced format. This version allows you to explore the content and complete the activities at your own pace, whenever it suits you best.

What the self-study format means:

• Flexible schedule: You decide when and how to engage with the course materials. There are no deadlines, live sessions, or required meeting times.
• Independent learning: While the original course included discussions and peer reviews taking place in certain days and weeks, this format empowers you to work independently, using the same materials provided during the initial version. Please note that discussions in the forums and contributions on the different external tools (ex. Padlet) will not be moderated, allowing for a fully self-directed learning experience.
• Self-assessment: To replicate some of the reflective benefits of peer feedback, you will be encouraged to evaluate your own work using the provided assessment criteria.

Course competences