Members' library

• Leading schools
  • Leading personalised learning
    • Leadership for personalised learning
      • Culture and values
        
        • Making it happen
        • Vignettes

Culture and values

At its most fundamental level of expression, leadership is about securing clarity of values and shared purpose. These two factors are significant variables in determining the culture of any school.

In the context of personalising learning the following principles and purpose would seem most appropriate to informing leadership strategies and behaviours.

1) An explicit focus on, and commitment to, the wellbeing of every individual expressed through the implementation of the five components of Every Child Matters:

• being healthy
• staying safe
• enjoying and achieving
• making a positive contribution
• achieving economic wellbeing

2) Working to secure both excellence and equity across the school system by minimising within-school variation and maximising individual potential.

3) Recognising the move from provider-led to client-led public services.

4) Helping to create a shared commitment to personalised learning through the development of shared scenarios for the future.

"Special measures clarified the mind and reinforced the belief that cultural change was what was needed….My vision was to initiate cultural change: to grow the collective vision from agreed core values and principles. Cultural change does not occur by systems and procedures alone." (Headteacher, Birches Head High school)

Leadership ensures that the culture and values that favour personalised learning are supported by:

• a clear scenario for the future of the school, designed around personalised approaches to learning
• budgetary planning that focuses on the resource implications of new approaches to learning
• developing the capacity of the staff to work in the new learning environment
• reviewing roles and responsibilities to ensure that ‘form follows function’
• building the school’s capacity to work in networks and clusters
• forging links between all phases of education to ensure continuity, progression and consistency

Case studies

The full case studies provide practical examples of how leaders are putting the ideas behind personalising learning into practice. Brief examples (vignettes) relating to culture and values are also available.

• Full case studies
• Vignettes

Making it happen:practical tools

Use these practical tools to review this topic.

Reflective questions

Q: How do leaders express a commitment to the five outcomes of the ECM agenda?

Q: Identify one policy and one strategy that the school could put in place in order to sharpen its focus on personalised learning.

Q: How is your leadership helping to create a shared commitment to personalised learning?

Q: School culture has been defined as 'the way we do things around here'. In order to lead the personalisation of learning, what do you need to change in the way your school does things?

Related publications and resources

• Leading personalised learning in schools:helping individuals grow
• Seven strong claims about successful school leadership
• What we know about school leadership
• Learning-centred leadership
• SSAT  - Personalised learning

Leadership for personalising learning: a framework