As I consider my school and its priorities for the year ahead, I think it’s important to note that these views have been shaped by my own context and the challenges we are continually facing at local, national and global level.
Of course, we all aim to raise attainment and provide opportunities for children to reach a positive destination beyond education and into the world of work. These are key to any school meeting the needs of their learners, and there will be a flavour of it in every school’s improvement plan.
The past couple of years, though, has shown how unpredictable life can be and has meant that schools need to react and be adaptive to new and very challenging situations. So, I am going to highlight just three priorities, all of which put relationships at the heart of things:
- Community wellbeing
- Meaningful inclusion
- Family engagement
Before I elaborate, I do want to explain that I am under very similar pressures to other headteachers at a local and national level, but I am accountable to my community first and foremost. As stated earlier, this isn’t about dropping plans to raise attainment, but about helping to create the environment for learning so every child can succeed. Let’s delve deeper.
Community wellbeing
Of course, we want our children to be happy, healthy and thriving in their school environment. Our children have a much better understanding of their rights and how to challenge if their needs are not being met.
We continually put our children first, but we need to think about wider support for those who have the biggest impact working with our children - namely the staff and parents. Creating a sense of belonging takes time and will help keep the “feel-good factor” in your school.
However, external pressures such as the cost-of-living crisis are affecting not just families but also staff. School attendance and staff retention are still concerns for a number of schools. How this is supported or challenged will inevitably have a knock-on effect on the type of culture you are trying to create in your school.
Meaningful inclusion
We are seeing the emergence of a better understanding of inclusion and what that means to staff and families. Adapting and changing a learning environment to suit the child requires knowing each child and having continuous dialogue with families and other agencies supporting them.
I use the word “meaningful” to show it is not about dropping a child into the same environment as everyone else and hoping they will succeed. We owe it to our communities to make sure we do everything in our power to make our schools more accessible to everyone.
Family engagement
Communication with our families requires headteachers to be more available than they might have been in the past.
The easing of restrictions has taken time to bring life back into schools. As we continually talk about Covid recovery - and I’m sure this term will still be used for a long time to come - it is important to note that for me this is not about attainment and filling the gaps of “lost learning”.
We want our families to come into school and be part of their child’s learning once again. Digital technology has enabled several school communities to share more readily without the need for in-person visits and while this is exciting, we want our families to be confident to play a part in the education of their child and the life of the school.
I have focused on three interlinking priorities, all based on building positive relationships. It’s worth stating again that, while I have chosen to leave out some of the “big hitters” in education - such as attainment - and how I plan to tackle these, I do not intend to undermine their importance.
There is a lot to think about in the year ahead, but please remember this: while I have discussed the importance of supporting wellbeing in our school communities, it is also crucial to look after our own as we navigate the trials and tribulations of being a primary headteacher in Scotland.
Steve Beattie is a primary headteacher in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
