Focus on Education January 2021 No: 3

“The only thing we have is one another. The only competitive advantage we have is the culture and values of the company. Anyone can open up a coffee store. We have no technology, we have no patent. All we have is the relationship around the values of the company and what we bring to the customer every day. And we all have to own it.”

Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks

I am not about to suggest that a school is like a coffee shop! Yet the words

‘culture…values…relationship’ certainly resonate, and perhaps more so than ever in current times. I don’t talk much about exam results when I address prospective parents at Open day events; they can find them on our website, where they speak for themselves. But I do focus on culture and values, for they are what underpin the success and happiness of our school. Understanding the culture and sharing the values of our school strengthens our community and all it stands for. It informs our behaviour and results in consistent messages and expectations – both within the school and facing outwards:

“And we all have to own it.”

We may have excellent grounds, fine buildings and modern facilities, but it is the members of our community – our students, staff and parents who lend it its strength and character. People and the quality of our relationships matter more than anything else.

When we lose a much-loved member of our community, as we have done during the pandemic, we know how important those relationships are to our daily lives and to our daily happiness. The stronger the relationships, the greater the joy they bring, and the deeper the pain we feel at their loss. But, we also draw mutual comfort and support by standing together: “The only thing we have is one another.”

It has been a challenging term and indeed year both for the school and for many of our families, and I have been very impressed by the positive commitment of our students, and by the diligence and care of the staff. Huge progress has been made in so many areas and often in the face of considerable obstacles. We can look forward with optimism to brighter days ahead.

I watched Joe Biden’s inauguration with interest and was hugely impressed and humbled by the 22 year-old poet Amanda Gorman who said in her poem “The Hill We Climb”:

When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.

We’ve braved the belly of the beast.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.

So during this turbulent time be kind to one another, hold onto hope, look up and be the light we all need in our lives.

Stay well and safe.

Be kind to yourself and each other. Dr Bird