School values: *THREAD*

At #Michaela, we embrace three key values that permeate our decision-making:

1. Personal responsibility
2. Duty
3. Authority
How do these values help our pupils?

1/

Personal responsibility.

When we are not happy with outcomes in our life, it’s natural & easy to blame our circumstances. But we constantly remind pupils that there are some things we can control & other things we cannot. 2/

If we focus on what we cannot control, we become disempowered. Such a focus means we cannot see the link between our actions and outcomes. 3/

But if we focus on what we *can* control, we suddenly become empowered because we can constantly ask ourselves: What could I do to achieve a better outcome next time? 4/

This narration is why we sanction lateness, HW non-completion, poor behaviour, lack of effort etc. All are a result of a choice made by a pupil. If we permit excuse-making we deny pupils the power to see how their actions link to a sanction & by extension,undesirable outcomes. 5/

Duty.
If pupils broaden their sense of ‘self’ to include their class, year group, school community & country, they feel they belong. Better this than a gang. Pupils feel a sense of obligation to act in the interests of the groups to which they belong. 6/

We reinforce these different group identifies by eg singing national songs, wearing a uniform, addressing a class or year group as a team etc. ‘Come on 9Z - we can do this!’ 7/

Pupils ought to feel it is as normal to help their peers in these groups as it is normal for the left hand to plaster a cut on the right. This can only happen when there is a secure sense of belonging & oneness. This culture is a powerful motivator. It improves behaviour. 8/

As teachers, we have a duty to protect our pupils, to hold our pupils to high standards and to be consistent with our colleagues in our rewards/sanctions. Consistency expedites habit-building. It is hard to follow through giving a sanction sometimes, but we are duty-bound. 9/

Authority.
Someone is always in charge. If the teacher doesn’t take charge of the classroom, the loudest/naughtiest/most influential pupil will. Authority is never absent. 10/

For a school to cultivate a culture of hard work & kindness, the adults must be in charge to teach pupils right from wrong. They need to hold pupils to high standards in terms of behaviour & work. 11/

Embracing teacher authority means teaching from the front; high quality teacher talk, rapid questioning. Direct instruction. We are not facilitators of learning: we are in charge of learning. 12/

Our knowledge of our subject & of the habits needed to succeed gives us the authority to explicitly lead the learning in our classrooms. 13/

By embracing these values, we at #Michaela have achieved great success. This success is partly measured by our GCSE results but also in ways exams cannot measure. Visit us to see! You’ll sense it in the school culture. 14/

To learn more about #Michaela order our book ‘The Power of Culture’. Preorder here. 15/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tiger-Teachers-Take-Katharine-Birbalsingh/dp/191290621X

I also talk about these values in this week’s episode of @pna1977 Naylor’s Natter from 1h 27m. Listen here.

15/15 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/naylors-natter-in-association-with-tdt/id1448601060?i=1000476129897