Senior members from Year 6 hold the following posts; Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Organising Secretary. The children have the opportunity to meet with the Governors and representatives of the School Association.  The children's voices are taken seriously and with the addition of a sizeable budget, the children are able to see that their role is valued. Members of the Council also participate in Learning Walks and New Parents evenings.

Eco Council

At Horfield we are all passionate about our environment.  We recognise that we each have a duty to care for our planet and to manage the world's resources wisely.  We aim to develop good habits and behaviours to reinforce environmental education in everyday life and the wider community.  Our rich curriculum provides opportunities for us to learn the knowledge and skills to know how to be responsible stewards of our planet.

Alongside this, we have a thriving Eco Council, made up of children from each year group from Year 2 upwards, who meet monthly to inspire and challenge us.  They encourage us to consider environmental issues such as recycling and waste, water and energy use, transport to school, our outdoor environment and the importance of healthy eating. 

We also have a committed Green Club who meet regularly, especially focusing on gardening and installing and maintaining our new poly tunnel.

International School Award

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop: 

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A whole school approach to international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community

Horfield was awarded the Foundation level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in May 2025 in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life and work in today’s world.

The International School Award prepares young people for life in a global society by increasing their understanding of other countries and cultures. It provides a motivational framework for teachers to develop themselves professionally and recognises a school’s commitment to developing global citizenship in young people.  It also gives opportunities to raise the schools’ profile through local and national media. 

Currently we are working towards the Intermediate level of the International School Award by evidencing that we have embedded international work into the curriculum, thus enriching pupils’ learning with a global perspective. 

Horfield’s international work includes an international partnership with the Kamurasi school in Masindi, Uganda which has really contributed to the children's understanding and appreciation of another culture.  We exchange songs and art on a regular basis. 

International Mother Language Day is now a fixture on our school calendar.  Recordings of our children introducing themselves or reciting a poem in their home language(s) are accessible to all teachers to share with their classes at any time. We also have a Languages tree with recordings of children singing in their home language or a language that they are learning.  Parents are invited to come in to share their language, stories, and culture with their child's class.  We have also shared the success of our IMLD with other schools at the local Association for Language Learning Primary Hub. 

We have Language Ambassadors to promote multilingualism and a global ethos within the school.  Our Language Ambassadors regularly share their home languages with their peers.  In the school year 2024-25 they have also learned some basic Ukrainian after inviting a Ukrainian mother into the school to teach us.  They did this to show solidarity with the children of Ukraine. 

We learn Spanish as a world language.  We have a curriculum that celebrates the whole Spanish speaking world and discuss in an age-appropriate way why Spanish is spoken in so much of the Americas, thus making children aware of the impact of colonization.