Understanding school culture…

…in daily practice.

Hello all. Welcome to the 161st edition of TEPS Weekly!

What is your school culture? How do you recognise what it is? 

To help you think about these questions, here are a few more questions: What does your school stand for? What do your school rules focus on? What are your students encouraged or discouraged from doing? What are the things they are praised or scolded for – discipline? exploration? test scores?

Your answers to these questions will give you an idea of how students experience daily life in your school and what your school values. These are closely connected to school culture.

Your school’s culture is made up of the shared beliefs, values and norms that shape the daily life and overall functioning of your school. Every school does have a culture, but the more important questions are whether that culture is being shaped with intention or not and if it helps create a positive experience for students and staff.

How a school culture operationalises can be better understood using the Tripartite Framework of Culture by Edgar Schein. It explains school culture in three layers: what we see (visible artifacts), what we say we value (espoused beliefs and values) and what we deeply believe (underlying assumptions).

LAYER 1: Visible Artefacts

These are the parts of culture that people can immediately see, hear or feel.

What this might look like in a school: The way the school looks, how people greet one another, assemblies, displays, uniforms, celebrations, routines

Example: 

1) A school displays student work on the walls, greets students warmly at the gate and celebrates effort in assemblies. This suggests that participation, belonging and student voice are valued.

2) Putting up trophies of student achievements, which may validate students' performance outside school.

Layer 2: Espoused Beliefs and Values

These are the values and priorities the school openly talks about.

What this might look like in a school: Mission statements, school values, behaviour expectations, academic goals, what the school says it stands for.

Example:

A school says it values inclusion, curiosity and respect. It tells students that everyone can learn and that mistakes are part of learning

Layer 3: Underlying Assumptions

These are the deeper beliefs people hold, often without saying them out loud. They shape behaviour the most.

What this might look like in a school: Beliefs about which students can succeed, what good behaviour looks like, whether mistakes are acceptable, whether discipline means control or growth.

Example:

1) A school may say it values equity, but if staff quietly believe that some students are less capable, that belief will still shape expectations, opportunities and interactions.

2) Whether you subscribe to the multiple intelligences theory or not.

School culture is strongest when these three layers align. For example, a school may say it values student voice, but if students are rarely listened to in practice, they quickly learn that voice is not really valued. In the same way, a school may display posters about inclusion, but if some students are sub-consciously seen as less capable, that belief will still shape the culture.

Importance of school culture

1. Impact on Students:

School culture shapes both student learning and wellbeing. How students perceive the culture of their schools impacts how they respond to it. When efforts are taken to treat students fairly as individuals, to give chances to participate and build good relationships, students feel safe, valued and emotionally supported, and they are more likely to persist through challenges and take intellectual risks. It can also shape discipline. When students experience care, fairness and belonging, they are less likely to show aggression, engage in bullying or become disconnected from school. A positive school culture can therefore prevent many behaviour issues from escalating, because students feel that they are part of the school rather than alienated from it.

2. Impact on Teachers:

School culture shapes not only how teachers work, but also whether they want to keep working in that school. When teachers experience trust, respectful relationships and supportive leadership, they are more likely to feel valued in their work. This can improve morale and strengthen commitment to their role. As a result, teachers are not only more likely to stay, but also more likely to become positive advocates for the school. But when a school has rigid top-down decisions, constant monitoring, limited collaboration and a fear of making mistakes or speaking honestly, teachers may feel like they’re assessed but not supported. This can make them feel stressed, disengaged and less committed to the school, affecting both their effectiveness and their willingness to stay.

How to build a positive school culture

1. Notice the culture that already exists: Before building a new culture, first understand the one students and staff are already experiencing.Example: 

   1. What kind of place is our school becoming? (exam-focused/orderly and disciplined/highly competitive/inclusive and student-friendly/vibrant and participatory)

   2. What do we really stand for in daily practice? (high standards/marks and expectations, punctuality and compliance/student participation/innovation and experimentation/kindness and care)

   3. What does it feel like to be a student here? (safe and supported/pressure to perform/watched and corrected/motivated and challended/participation over winning)

   4. What does it feel like to work here? (collaborative/isolative/overloaded/open to new ideas/monitored closely)

   5. What needs to change? (more discussions and less rote learning/more collaboration and a shared purpose among the teachers/stronger relationships with students’ families)

2. Establish a shared vision: The school leaders and teachers must agree on what they want for their students, taking into consideration the current context and general skills and dispositions needed to lead meaningful lives. Example: “Our school nurtures compassionate and inclusive critical thinkers who are ready to lead meaningful lives.”

3. Identify top 2-3 school values: In order to make the school vision a reality, choose a small number of values so that the culture is clear and easy to practise consistently.Example: If the school’s vision is to nurture compassionate and inclusive critical thinkers, it may identify compassion, inclusivity and critical thinking as its core values. These values support the vision by helping the school focus not only on how students learn, but also on how they think, relate to others and grow as people.

4. Create consistent routines and opportunities to practise the identified values: Build the prioritised values into visible symbols and daily routines/rituals so that students and teachers can experience them regularly.Example: 

   1. Compassion can be practised through:

      1. Class check-ins: Set aside a few minutes regularly for students to share how they are feeling and what support they might need, so that the class becomes a space where students learn to notice, listen and care for one another.

      2. Peer support: Students can be given regular chances to help one another – for example, by supporting a classmate who is new, struggling or upset, so that care and responsibility become part of everyday school life.

      3. Short conflict resolution conversations where students and teachers share what happened, listen to each other’s feelings and agree on how to make things right.

   2. Inclusivity can be practised through:

      1. Welcoming rituals for new students: Create simple routines such as buddy systems, class introductions or welcome notes so that new students feel seen, included and part of the school from the beginning.

      2. Mixed-group activities: Plan activities where students regularly work with different classmates so that they learn to interact across friendships, backgrounds and ability levels.

      3. Displaying work of all students: Use walls and boards to showcase work from a wide range of students so that everyone feels represented and valued, not just the highest performers.

   3. Critical thinking can be practised through:

      1. Discussion-based lessons

      2. Having a student council that analyses real school problems and propose solutions

      3. Displaying charts with prompts that students need to interact with critically (eg: pros and cons of social media) 

         
         

5. Invest in professional development of the teachers that is aligned to the school culture: Professional development should help teachers create the kind of culture the school says it wants. If the training does not match the school’s values, the culture will remain inconsistent.Example: If the school values compassion, inclusion and critical thinking, professional development might include sessions on building respectful classrooms, facilitating mixed-group participation, using fair discipline and different types of pedagogy that require critical thinking. 

Every school has a culture, but not every school shapes it with intention. A positive culture grows when a school is clear about what it values and is willing to reflect on whether daily practices match those values. Here are some questions to begin that reflection process for you:

• What are the most important things we want to see in our school culture? 

• What are three things that already show this culture in action? 

• What are three things happening in the school that go against it?

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Edition: 5.15