This crisis has proved that schools are made great through the collective spirit of their staff, writes co-head Megan Dixon, as she explains how her primary’s response has been based on building ‘communities of practice’
As I write this, I realise how exhausted I am. In March, I started a new role - as co-principal of a small primary school. Three weeks later, I found myself saying goodbye to the children I had just started to get to know and sailing, with a small and utterly dedicated staff, into the unknown, turbulent waters of partial school closure.
At points like this, one thing becomes clear: schools are made great through the collective spirit of their staff. I have watched in awe as my colleagues have risen to every challenge and stepped up to take on new and unfamiliar ways of working. They have tackled every setback with a smile and a giggle. They have embraced online working, become experts in supportive telephone conversations and have become enthusiastic adopters of online professional learning.
Through this turbulent time, a body of research that I have drawn upon to guide my leadership is the work of social anthropologist Jean Lave and education researcher Étienne Wenger-Trayner, who outlines “communities of practice”, which are “formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavour” (Wenger-Trayner, 2015).
These groups are characterised by a shared interest (the domain), a shared interest in helping each member of the community to learn and develop (the community) and the development of a shared practice (the practice). As a school community, we have responded to the situation we are in by coming together as a community of practice. Our domain is the education and care of all the children and families. We are developing our community with daily online check-in meetings, and we are building new teams that respond to the new demands we face - we now have a communications and media team (not common practice for a small primary school). We are open and honest about what we do and do not know, and everyone is eagerly embracing the opportunity to learn new skills and approaches.
Every voice is valued, every contribution acknowledged; all skills, experiences and opinions are crucial in responding to the challenges in the best way we can. Above all, we approach our work with kindness, consideration, humility and humour.
One thing I am convinced of: after the crisis has passed, nothing will be as it was. Without doubt, we are living through extraordinary times that will have a lasting impact. When the dust has settled, we will have the opportunity to change and develop our ways of being in school, based on the lessons we are learning now about the value of kindness, integrity and social capital. We are working together to ensure that everyone remains physically, emotionally, cognitively and psychologically safe.
No fear or favour is allowed.
Megan Dixon is a senior associate at the Education Endowment Foundation and director of English/co-director of the Aspirer Research School
This article originally appeared in the 8 May 2020 issue under the headline “A community united against coronavirus”
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