Envisage: What works
Key elements
The key elements of a values-centred whole-school culture are:
- a school vision and strategic planning based on values that encompass all elements of school life – structures, facilities and administration
- a whole-school approach embedding values through curriculum and co-curriculum, in both implicit and explicit ways
- partnership with the school community, including implementing and monitoring values across the school
- supportive learning environment of the whole-school culture, which focuses on the student as a whole person
- quality teaching where values are integrated with key learning goals and appropriate support is given for staff professional learning.
Findings from school practice
School practice suggests the following advice to schools embarking on establishing a values-centred school culture:
- School leadership is critical in developing values education as a core part of schooling.
- A shared values language developed in consort with staff, parents and students increases the success rate of embedding values education.
- The school's vision and strategic plan must articulate and highlight values as core to school business.
- Values education is integrated across all parts of the school culture, not simply as an add-on program or an individual event.
- Staff need requisite skills to deliver values education in both explicit teaching and their own modelling to students.
- Systematic and systemic consideration of school structures including facilities, timetable and administration need to be included in a values education whole-school approach.
- Consider using an external facilitator to help embed values education in the school and as a catalyst for change.
- The development of a values-centred school culture takes time – allow three to six years to embed values into the school ethos in a sustained, organic way.