Teach Primary Issue 18.5

www.teachwire.net | 37 L E ADERSH I P W e need great teachers in school, and we need lots of them. We want as many top-tier educators to flood our classrooms and inspire our children as humanly possible. How can we create an environment that will attract and retain them? Culture, rightly, is a building block of school improvement. It can’t be detached from a school’s mission statement, ethos, vision, values, behavioural approaches, curriculum, approaches to staffing, teaching Culture is KING and learning, etc. because culture underpins all of these things. By the same token, all of these drivers are part and parcel of a school’s culture. A lot is made of culture. Who drives it, where it comes from, whether it is some sort of invisible entity, whether it is amorphous… The list goes on. My view is that culture is anything but amorphous; it’s not some sort of abstract ideal. I’m yet to work in a school where if a headteacher says ‘no’ to an initiative or idea, it subsequently happens. The head, as per the headteacher standards, should set the school’s culture. All leaders have a duty and moral responsibility to support and defend the culture that the head sets. Culture is a fundamental cornerstone of the headteacher standards and with good reason. Therefore, culture is a manifestation of the head’s values, morals, ethos and educational beliefs. Leaders should embody this culture and defend it. A few questions to ponder on when considering your culture are: • What is it like to work and teach in your school, all day, every day? • How often do you focus on and celebrate the positives within your school with your community? • To what extent do you create a sense of belonging? THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP