Values-based Education

World Values Day, 16th October 2020 – A Reflection

I love the diagram by Darius Foroux, who is an entrepreneur, author and podcaster. It succinctly highlights the understanding that I have of values. Some people are able to articulate their values from the get-go. I cannot say that this was the case for me – but when I was starting a brand-new school – a blank canvas – the values that I carried with me became part of the school’s mission and ethos.

It is safe to say that change is inevitable – and living through the current global pandemic we can testify that this is the case! We have never been as tested, stretched or challenged we are right now. The education sector is undergoing some fundamental changes and its interesting to see how educators adapt. Some are attempting to apply yesterday’s rules in today’s world; some are lost and appear to be floundering – and some are standing on the rock of their values and are adapting without losing their understanding of their why. Values are, like the diagram by Darius Foroux, the foundation of our character and they define our actions. 

The seven values that I discussed as part of the Diverse Educators workshop on October 16th as part of World Values Day were (in no particular order): compassion, respect, fun, diversity, loved, collaboration and authenticity. These values were evident in the free special school that I founded and led for five years. They were incorporated into the aspirations of the school and were evident and lived for both pupils and staff. These included: 

• Our ‘Golden Rules’ were child-centred and easy to follow; 
• the curriculum had lots of opportunities for children and young people to learn how to work together; 
• I composed the school song that was sung every week by staff and pupils; 
• Every child and young person was a member of the school council. We ensured that everyone’s voice was heard and the older pupils helped to run the school council sessions each week. A weekly question was set by the senior leader. The link to setting up an inclusive school council is here: 

https://home.smartschoolcouncils.org.uk

• ‘Star of The Week’ certificates were awarded each week in assembly, but they were not always awarded for academic success. We loved celebrating the little wins as well as the big!

Staff are any school’s biggest resource and I was able to ensure that my values permeated their day-to-day roles. These included the following:

• The ‘ABCD’ Awards each week – ‘Above and Beyond the Call of Duty’ – staff were nominated by their peers to be awarded recognition of when they had acted ‘Above and Beyond The Call of Duty’ in their day-to-day roles. It had power in that the staff nominated each other and it enabled staff that didn’t have a loud voice to be heard by them doing what they did habitually 
• Staff would work in mixed groups on whole school projects – enabling collaboration and respect for differing viewpoints
•  Success was celebrated – in written and verbal formats every week – and staff felt valued and respected for what they brought to the school community – from organising wellbeing breakfasts to supporting parents when they escorted pupils from school to parents collecting their children and young people at the end of the day
• ‘FAF’ weeks – staff left at four each day for a designated week to enable rest and recuperation
• We had goodies in the staff room – sweets, fruit, fizzy drinks, biscuits – not always but sometimes – just to make a week/day/term go a little easier!
• Support staff had a voice and met with me as a group once every half term to air concerns

These small but highly important gestures enabled me to know that I was doing all that I could to ensure that the precious cargo that we were nurturing and supporting (the pupils) were valued and equally their wellbeing played a role in the growth of the children and young people that we served.

My summary of the thoughts that I have discussed are listed below:

Takeaways:

• Value individuality and promote it
• Give opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively – our curriculum had lots of opportunities for children and young people to learn how to work together

• Our ‘Golden Rules’ were child centred and easy to follow
• Encourage laughter
• ‘Be flexible’ with the rules from time to time
• Create a sense of belonging – a shared experience that bonds the community

It sounds so simple – yet it is one of the first things that is overlooked when there are the daily pressures of life to contend with… and when social distancing and lockdowns weren’t a “thing”, we were driving towards being establishments that proved that “we were the best at…. None of that matters so much at the moment. It is how we connect; how we are and being enough that matters. Values are our compass – and in these turbulent waters, we need to ensure we do not hit the rocks by ignoring our values.

“If we are heard, then we can speak. If we are loved, then we can love others. If we are nurtured, then we can grow.” 

Audrey Pantelis