Children from Forster Park Primary, Marvels Lane Primary and Rushey Green Primary were asked to represent Lewisham's pupils at the Democracy Day on June 3rd and they had some tough questions they wanted answered. They had all been involved in the Lewisham Young Citizens Internet Project which was set up to find out how much children know about the Council and to identify the issues that concern and interest them. They met Dave Sullivan, the Leader of Lewisham Council, Althea Efunshile, the Director of Education and the Mayor and Mayoress of Lewisham.

Questions were asked about a variety of topics. Here are the recollections of children from Marvels Lane Primary:

Lorraine:
Well, it started with a questionnaire and then we filled it all in and typed it on the Internet. We sent it through to the Council and were invited to go there last Wednesday. We were allowed to ask one question each. I asked: Our Years 2, 3 and 4 used to go to the mobile library which parked outside our school. Recently it has stopped coming. What can the Council do to ensure such important services are maintained and not cut?

The Director of Education responded by saying that even though she valued the mobile library it was under used and not cost effective. She would have a look at the figures again and see if anything could be done.

Nicky:
I thought it was interesting to speak to the councillors about all the things that schools need and what the schools have been doing. I asked: Many playgrounds in Lewisham schools are bare with hardly any playing fields. Will primary schools be getting more money to improve their playgrounds?

The Leader of the Council replied that at present there was not enough money but when, and if, more money became available there would be more playground equipment.

Sasha:
I asked: We have lots of after school clubs and we have heard about after school clubs from the Government. What is the Council's views on this? How has the Council planned to provide good quality after school clubs for children in Lewisham?

Ms Efunshile replied that some schools already had after school clubs and she believes they are a good idea.

Eloise:

I asked: Will the school dinners change now that a new catering company is taking over from Direct Team?

Councillor Sullivan said that was a good question to ask. The Mayor said that he had had a reception where the new caterers provided the food - it was very good.

Renford:

I found out about lots of new things like how a council works and about the Mayor. I was interested in reading all the posters and reading about who the councillors are and who is the Grove Park Ward Councillor. I really enjoyed my visit and would like to go again and meet more councillors. I asked the Leader of the Council about bullying. I said: As a Year 6 pupil, I am concerned about the issue of bullying in secondary schools. What can the Council do about it and how are they working with schools to deal with it?

Mr Sullivan said that parents and children need to get the message across that bullying is unacceptable. Children must speak out and inform on bullies. Schools have anti-bullying policies. It is for everyone to do something about bullies.

The questions flowed for over an hour. Dave Sullivan and Althea Efunshile managed to sort out most of the problems and promised to follow up on the problems that needed more investigation. The children won't let them forget their promises!