In the last article, I reasoned that a school vision should be the beating heart of a school, ensuring consistency in purpose, actions and relationships. The vision should have a moral purpose that transcends external stakeholders’ needs while simultaneously being aware of and incorporating the needs and desires of groups such as government and employers without diluting the core moral purpose.
Before developing the vision with the school community, we should explore and encourage others to explore their own values, principles and beliefs in relation to schooling, examining any conflicting thoughts. Finally, to form a vision we need to go back to first principles to ensure any assertion made in our vision is a fundamental truth with no hidden assumptions.
Supporting your vision
No vision should stand in isolation. A vision represents the end of your journey, but you will need directions to get there and markers to inform you when you are veering off the road or losing your sense of direction. It’s vital, therefore, that your vision is supported by supported by value statements.
There is a strong element of blue-sky thinking when it comes to forming your value statements. They will be the backbone of your school, so they shouldn’t succumb to compromise or be watered down to please stakeholders. Don’t be afraid to be idealistic when sharing your most ambitious ideas.
To illustrate the process of developing clear value statements, I will use the thought processes I followed and then proceeded to work through with staff and governors. This approach resulted in statements that provided a clear rationale for our vision and helped to develop a consistent ethos across the school.