What is school culture and climate?

Such a powerful question, we often say we want a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe and valued, but this cannot happen without thought and action.

Lets start with school culture, this in itself is of 2 parts. The first part is created by the leadership team. Their role is vital in creating a culture of learning within their staff and students that is sustainable through transitions of both staff and students. The second is the culture reflects all within the school, so having an environment that celebrates who we are and where we come from.

Next is school climate. This again is driven and guided by the leadership team, with the flow on effect of the staff creating this climate both in and out of the classroom. The climate or wairua of the school will be experienced by all who enter and reflect the heart of the school, its values and all it holds dear. Just as every school is different, so are the communities surrounding it.

Challenges can be linked to lower socio economic areas, where students must overcome poor housing, hunger, language barriers and a lack of basic necessities. In the Principal sabbatical report notes, “ The majority of the impacts affect how a child is able to access education.” (2014) A flow on can be a reluctance for parents to enter a school, due to language barriers, shame or negative prior experiences in schools. Our role is to break down these barriers and equalise learning opportunities.

There are agencies that acknowledge these challenges lower socio-economic and work to support schools in overcoming some of these challenges, such as Fruit in Schools and KidsCan. They provide food for breakfast and lunch, socks, shoes and jackets, and even stationary and camp fees.  

Our school is a decile one school and deals with many of these challenges students face. Our leadership team, Senco team, teachers and the BOT work to create and maintain a culture of excellence for all, in fact this is our school motto. This is supported in the video, William H. Trusheim, Ed.D. (2015), refers to the development of a positive climate. He acknowledged it can develop by default but it is more likely if it is developed by intention, led by the leadership of the principal.  It does not focus solely on academic excellence but recognises and celebrates excellence in all areas. Our three school values are Respect, Passion and Personal Responsibility. We celebrate these and start each term looking at what this means in our school and personal lives. It is the foundation of the language used, it is alive and thrives thus, our culture is maintained and sustained. It is visible in every class, our hall and office area.

Our climate is positive and safe and maintained through the use of Restorative justice and open communication. We want to empower our students so they are celebrated and given leadership opportunities wherever possible. We run parent workshops in relation to what they want as well as the major curriculum areas. This is so our parents are empowered and can support their child’s learning.

Regular newsletters, our school website, and an open door policy means our parents are informed and feel welcome to come in whenever they feel the need.

I suppose the biggest challenge once you have established a school culture and climate that reflects its community, it is maintaining this and insuring it is sustainable when you have changeover of both students and staff.

References

Academy for SELinSchools. ( 2015, Apr 28).What is school culture and climate? [video file].Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore