Value led…
Mossbourne Academy is a state school in Hackney, one of the most deprived areas of London. The Academy is a new build and prior to being rebuilt it used to be described as one of the worst schools in the country. Many of the children still come from deprived backgrounds however the change is now the school gets outstanding results.
The former Headmaster, Sir Michael Wilshaw was inspirational and had a good team of teachers, but what did he do to get those pupils to focus on learning?
He made sure that each of them were led by values which gave them a discipline and structure that was lacking in other areas of their life. Each morning the students would recite a mantra, which combined a sense of purpose and also a code of behaviour that they could be led by.
“I aspire to maintain an inquiring mind, a calm disposition and an attentive ear so that in this class and in all classes I can fulfill my true potential”
Values drive behaviour so Sir Michael also ensured that discipline was made explicit, that misdemeanors were punishable. One hour’s detention for misconduct in class and more serious incidents led to a three-hour detention on a Saturday morning.
Each pupil was expected to wear their uniform with a tie straight and a decent haircut and teachers were addressed as “Sir” or “Miss”.
What can we learn from Mossbourne Academy for business?
- Does everyone in your team understand your purpose?
- Do you have clear values that you are reminded of on a regular basis?
- Do the values come to life – do you know the behaviours expected?
- Do you have discipline in your organisation?
- Do you all respect each other?
Please contact nuggets to arrange a “values workshop” – bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk
