judgement and excellent GCSE and A level results take priority in every decision that we take.' (Chapter 17 on toxic leadership picks up some of these themes.) Vision statement Here the tense becomes a future one. Of the big three, this can be the most problemat- ical, generating more of a wish list than a direction. It is in such statements that phrases such as 'helping every child achieve their potential' or 'striving to be the hub of our local community' can become commonplace. Many of these sound worthy but are either intan- gible or rely on something outside the school for their realization. What happens if the local residents have their own ideas as to where they want the community hub to be located? One school that captures the concept of a vision statement is that of St. Stephen's Primary School, Bristol. These are two statements drawn from the full suite of six: 'Imagine A school that inspires and nurtures all individuals to become confident and adaptable learners for life, a school that builds resilience and challenges each person to realise their full potential.' 'Imagine a school that embraces the uniqueness, curiosity and creativity of all children, a school that prepares children to invent the future and to achieve their goals' (2015). An extended account of St. Stephen's development of its vision statement is contained in the vignette. Vignette Evolving a vision statement: St. Stephen's Infant School, Kingswood, Bristol The current head, Tim Ruck, was appointed in 2006, One of the first things that he did was to work on a vision statement for the school and to explore how it could develop real traction in the life of the school community. In September 2006 he initiated the first vision-setting day. The meeting included teaching staff, support staff, parents and governors. The focus was 'What do we want our school to be like?'. This session resulted in a working group that formulated their first vision statement around the ideas of being happy. healthy and eager to learn. The vision statement is now part of a three-yearly review when it is revised and then followed by extensive consultation with parents and carers as well as staff and children.
judgement and excellent GCSE and A level results take priority in every decision that we take.' (Chapter 17 on toxic leadership picks up some of these themes.) Vision statement Here the tense becomes a future one. Of the big three, this can be the most problemat- ical, generating more of a wish list than a direction. It is in such statements that phrases such as 'helping every child achieve their potential' or 'striving to be the hub of our local community' can become commonplace. Many of these sound worthy but are either intan- gible or rely on something outside the school for their realization. What happens if the local residents have their own ideas as to where they want the community hub to be located? One school that captures the concept of a vision statement is that of St. Stephen's Primary School, Bristol. These are two statements drawn from the full suite of six: 'Imagine A school that inspires and nurtures all individuals to become confident and adaptable learners for life, a school that builds resilience and challenges each person to realise their full potential.' 'Imagine a school that embraces the uniqueness, curiosity and creativity of all children, a school that prepares children to invent the future and to achieve their goals' (2015). An extended account of St. Stephen's development of its vision statement is contained in the vignette. Vignette Evolving a vision statement: St. Stephen's Infant School, Kingswood, Bristol The current head, Tim Ruck, was appointed in 2006, One of the first things that he did was to work on a vision statement for the school and to explore how it could develop real traction in the life of the school community. In September 2006 he initiated the first vision-setting day. The meeting included teaching staff, support staff, parents and governors. The focus was 'What do we want our school to be like?'. This session resulted in a working group that formulated their first vision statement around the ideas of being happy. healthy and eager to learn. The vision statement is now part of a three-yearly review when it is revised and then followed by extensive consultation with parents and carers as well as staff and children.
2_35_setting-direction-vision-values-and-culture.-max-coates.docx