Building the COMMUNITY

STEP FOUR:
Building the COMMUNITY

It’s only a culture if everybody owns it. With the school’s support and active participation, we like to work directly with groups of students and parents, co-creating a shared, active understanding of the key elements in the school’s culture. We unpack learning with the learners themselves so that they own the processes and the learning language.

We include their parents, their ‘learning families’, in ways that make sense and build support. We don’t subscribe to the notion of ‘educating our parents’ although we appreciate the intent. We prefer to think of the process of building ownership as co-creating meaning with our community. That way we’re building culture.

In terms of sustaining culture over time, the role of the governing body is clearly critical, and yet Trustees/ Directors are often detached from the learning systems of the school. When invited, we like to work closely with ‘the Board’.

Purpose

To work with all learning stakeholders to build a common learning culture with broad, deep buy-in. In so doing, to create a genuine learning community, comprising ‘learning families’; a community in which everybody learns.