Trusted by 500+ UK schools and 50+ MATs

School polls and votes that students actually take seriously.

Q: What kinds of polls and votes can we run?

Anything your school needs to put to a vote. Student council elections, head boy and head girl, form rep elections, charity of the year, school meals preferences, event feedback, extra-curricular choices, house competitions, dress-down day themes, and any other question where you want a structured, auditable result instead of a show of hands.

Q: Can student council elections use a secret ballot?

Yes. Any election can be set to secret ballot. When enabled, the voter's identity is never linked to their vote, even in the audit log. This is the right choice for student council, head student and form rep elections. For simpler polls like charity of the year or event feedback, you can use an open vote if you prefer.

Q: Can we run form rep elections across the whole school at once?

Yes. Batch elections let you set up form rep elections for every form group in one go. Each form votes for its own candidates. Results are generated per form and as a whole-school aggregate. This replaces the process of running 30 separate elections manually.

Q: How do polls and votes contribute to Ofsted evidence?

Every poll and vote runs through the same reporting engine as your surveys, consultations and governor elections. Participation data, results and outcomes all feed into your annual stakeholder engagement report. This gives inspectors evidence of active student participation and democratic engagement under Personal Development and Leadership and Management.

Q: Can students submit candidate statements?

Yes. For elections, candidates can submit their own written statements and photos through the platform. Staff moderate submissions before they go live. This builds ownership, teaches democratic participation, and creates a transparent process that the whole school can see.

Q: How quickly can we set up a poll?

Under a minute for a simple poll. Five minutes for a formal election with candidate statements. Student lists load from your MIS automatically, so there is nothing to type. We walk you through the first one.

Student council elections, head boy and head girl votes, charity of the year, event feedback, form rep elections. Choice Voting runs them all with the same audit trail, the same reporting engine, and the same evidence pack that feeds into your annual stakeholder engagement report.

Whether you are a head of year running student council elections, a deputy head responsible for student voice, or a school business manager who needs everything in one system, this handles it for you.

✓ Student council and leadership elections with full audit trail
✓ Quick polls and votes for any school decision
✓ Event and activity feedback built in
✓ Every vote feeds into your annual evidence report
✓ Branded to your school, accessible to every student

Book a demo →See how it works

Polls and Votes

3,241

Total Participants

4,567

Votes Cast

84%

Turnout Rate

Events by Type

Council Elections86%4

Leadership Votes91%2

Charity Votes82%3

Event Feedback78%12

Form Rep Elections88%7

Monthly Participation Trend

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

What are school polls and votes?

School polls and votes are structured ways for schools to run student elections, gather quick opinions and collect event feedback. They range from formal student council elections and head boy or head girl votes to quick polls on school meals, charity of the year choices and feedback after events or activities. Choice Voting brings all of these into one platform with the same audit trail, reporting engine and evidence pack that covers your surveys, consultations and governor elections. Every vote counts towards your annual stakeholder engagement evidence.

A show of hands is not student voice.

When a student council election is run by show of hands in assembly, the school has no record, no audit trail, no participation data and no evidence for inspectors. When event feedback is collected on scraps of paper, it goes in a drawer. Choice Voting turns every poll and vote into structured, reportable data that feeds into your annual evidence pack.

Every poll and vote your school needs.

From formal elections to quick feedback polls, Choice Voting handles them all. Each one feeds into the same reporting engine and contributes to your annual stakeholder engagement evidence.

Student Council Elections

Form representatives, year group representatives, whole-school council chairs. Secret ballot, candidate statements, full audit trail.

ElectionSecret ballotAudit trail

Head Boy and Head Girl

Run your head student elections with candidate profiles, hustings support, and a transparent vote that the whole school can trust.

ElectionCandidate profilesSTV or FPTP

Charity of the Year

Let students nominate and vote for the school's charity partner. Builds ownership, generates assembly content, and demonstrates SMSC.

VoteNominationsWhole school

Event Feedback Polls

Quick polls after sports day, careers fair, open evening, school trips or any event. Structured feedback instead of a comment box.

FeedbackQuick setup2 mins

Form Rep Elections

Every form group elects a representative. Run them all at once across the school with one setup. Results in minutes, not days.

ElectionBatch setupPer form

Quick Opinion Polls

School meals, dress-down day themes, new extra-curricular options, house names. Any question your school wants to put to a vote.

Poll1 min setupInstant results

Set up a poll in sixty seconds.

Whether it is a formal student council election or a quick lunch menu vote, the process is the same.

Pick your type

Election, poll or feedback. Set the question, add candidates or options, choose your voting method.

Set who can vote

Whole school, single year group, specific form or a custom list. Student data loads from your MIS.

Open the vote

Branded with your school logo. Students vote on any device. Anonymous where needed, tracked where not.

Share the results

Live results when the window closes. Full audit log. Data feeds into your annual evidence report.

Everything you need. Nothing you do not.

Secret ballot or open vote.

Student council elections get a secret ballot. Charity votes can be open. You choose the right method for each poll.

Candidate profiles and statements.

Students submit their own candidate statements and photos. Moderated by staff before going live.

Batch elections.

Run form rep elections across every form group in one setup. Each form votes for its own candidates. Results per form, aggregate for the school.

Live results.

Results display the moment the voting window closes. No counting, no spreadsheets, no delays.

Branded to your school.

Your logo and your voice. Students see their school, not ours.

Accessible to every student.

Screen reader support, keyboard navigation, simplified language. Every student can participate regardless of ability.

MIS integrations.

Wonde, Scholarpack, Integris and Arbor. Student lists load automatically, segmented by year group and form.

Audit trail for everything.

Every poll, every vote, every result logged and timestamped. Exportable as a signed evidence pack.

Feeds into your annual report.

Every poll and vote contributes to the same stakeholder engagement evidence as your surveys, consultations and governor elections.

School polls and votes: the questions schools ask us most.

What kinds of polls and votes can we run? +

Can student council elections use a secret ballot? +

Can we run form rep elections across the whole school at once? +

How do polls and votes contribute to Ofsted evidence? +

Can students submit candidate statements? +

How quickly can we set up a poll? +

Keep reading.

→ How to run a parent governor election (step by step)→ What evidence does Ofsted expect for parent and pupil voice?→ Skills audit for your governing body → Parent governor term of office

SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENTATION

You do not just get a platform. You get a team behind it.

Every school that joins Choice Voting gets hands-on onboarding, exemplar policies and frameworks, a ready-made participation calendar, benchmarking against other schools, and a named support contact who picks up the phone.

We help you set up your student council elections, configure your poll templates, and make sure your first vote runs exactly as you want it.

✓ Guided onboarding, live in under two weeks
✓ Election and poll templates ready to go
✓ Annual participation calendar mapped for your school
✓ Named support contact, phone, email or video call

See everything your school gets →

SHARE WITH YOUR GOVERNING BODY

Download a sample of the annual stakeholder engagement report your governing body receives. It includes participation data from polls, elections, surveys and consultations.

Download Sample Report (PDF)Sample report uses fictional data for Westfield Academy.

Run your first school poll in sixty seconds.

Student council elections. Charity votes. Event feedback. Every vote feeds into your evidence pack. Your first one gets a full walkthrough.

Book a demo →Talk to the team