‘There is a long-standing controversy about the relationship between culture and leadership. Do leaders shape culture or are they shaped by it? Is symbolic leadership empowering or manipulative? Another debate swirls around the link between culture and results. Do organisations with robust cultures outperform those relying on structure and strategy?’ (Bolman and Deal, 2013)

Key elements of a strong school culture are trust, efficacy, teamwork, engagement with data, organisational learning, and continuous improvement. A school culture does not maintain itself once developed but needs constant work.

‘Is school culture constructed, or is it simply the product of its activities? Is it wise for a leadership team to try to define the culture?’ (John West-Burnham et. al. 2015)

A culture of mutual trust and respect between colleagues fosters effective relationships and supportive professional environments. Setting clear expectations can help communicate shared values that improve classroom and school culture.

‘If a school’s culture influences its effectiveness, surely it would be wise for the leadership team to, first, be able to describe its culture and then, more importantly, make alterations to it.’ (John West-Burnham et. al. 2015)

Evaluate school culture by considering the following:

• Staff are willing to collaborate and assist each other to improve practice
• Leaders nurture and encourage collaborative working
• Leaders establish, communicate and model continuous development
• Leaders understand, analyse and evaluate the school community’s values, priorities and needs
• Leaders regularly articulate the vision and values of the school
• Staff access and engage with school data to ensure they understand the school’s priorities
• School improvement priorities are regularly updated and shared with staff
• There is a high level of trust across the whole school community
• Staff and pupils are emotionally supported 
• Relational trust is built through day-today exchanges
• There is accountability for shared standards
• Staff have autonomy and support 
• Leaders are open to new ideas
• Staff are trusted to try new things and make mistakes 
• Good practices are rewarded and built into daily life
• Staff have positive attitudes towards evidence-based practice
• Leaders understand staff expertise and strengths
• Implementation of new interventions are aligned with school priorities and pupil outcomes
• Leaders gain trust by demonstrating competence and consistency
• Staff are encouraged to be part of the decision-making process
• Pupils and parents are part of the decision-making process

‘It is important that leaders set clear goals and have high expectations of staff and pupils. School culture is not developed solely through the actions of school leaders, nor can we expect to gain relational trust from them solely from our position of authority’. (Grissom, Egalite and Constance, 2021)

This blog was written by Bretta Townend-Jowitt, Education Consultant and Trainer.