Hookstone Chase is located in a part of Harrogate with a wide and varied socio-economic catchment. It also hosts the Autism Unit for Harrogate. The school has 258 pupils on roll, ages four to 11. It is considered to be a school within the mid-sized range in terms of pupil numbers.
For many years, Hookstone Chase struggled to achieve its potential and was inundated with initiatives from North Yorkshire Local Authority. After four years of a concerted effort from the Headteacher and her staff, the school achieved a “good” rating from OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills), which lifted morale substantially.
However, within this success, it was felt that there lurked the potential for coasting since the immediate pressure from the local authority and OFSTED had been removed.
There was a consensus that the focus for the school should be on revitalizing the school’s purpose as well as its values and ethos. This was thought to be a good way of generating new energy as well as having the values and ethos built into the fabric of the way the school operated as it moved forward.
This case study focuses on the progress made “One Year On”.
A short consultation with staff took place explaining the intended process and gaining buy-in to the principle. A baseline assessment was then undertaken using the Barrett Values Centre® analytics. The survey asked participants three questions:
1. What are the values most important to you as an individual?
2. What values do you experience in the school right now?
3. What values would you like to see, so that the school can perform at its very best?
For each question, participants select 10 values from a list of approximately 100 values. Responses are then analysed in several ways, principally mapping them against Barrett Model and identifying the level of dysfunction that exists in the school.
Participants in the survey included pupils, staff, parents, and governors. Pupils from years 5/6 (aged 10 or 11), who are the oldest pupils and at the top of the school, were engaged through a class session and made their choices using a simplified and shortened list of values. In itself, this provided a platform for bringing the idea of collective values to life with the most influential group of pupils in the school.
The data was fed back to the Chair of Governors, the Headteacher, and the staff at a training day which explored:
1. Reconnecting with why they went into teaching in the first place
2. Understanding the data
3. Choosing the core values for the school
4. Identifying the behaviors that go with them
5. First steps in making a plan for implementing the values-based approach to the way, the school operates
The school then took on the task of incorporating this transformation work into the strategic plans for the school. This will be expanded on later in the case.
One of the key measures that CTT includes is a measure of the level of dysfunction, unresolved conflict or a wasted resource that exists in an organization. Called the Cultural Entropy® score, it records how the organization might be getting in its own way. At Hookstone Chase, cultural entropy score was 4%. This is a remarkably low figure given the history of the school. It suggested that the school is healthy, with just enough irritation in the system to enable people to remain on their toes.
The school’s current culture also mapped well with the desired future (six matches between current and desired) with some interesting differences.
Personal Values (PV) |
Current Culture (CC) |
Desired Culture |
|
family |
inclusiveness |
passion for learning |
|
caring |
kindness |
teamwork |
|
humor/fun |
teamwork |
humor/fun |
|
honesty |
encouragement |
continuous improvement |
|
kindness |
continuous improvement |
enthusiasm |
|
fairness |
listening |
academic excellence |
|
trust |
positive attitude |
inclusiveness |
|
commitment |
sense of community |
honesty |
|
respect |
safety |
kindness |
|
listening |
humor/fun |
life skills |
|
positive attitude |
|
listening |
|
|
|
open communication |
▇ PV & CC
▇ PV, CC, & DC
▇ CC & DC
▇ PV & DC
There were a number of new requests in the desired culture. Key amongst them were passion for learning and academic excellence, along with life skills, enthusiasm, open communication, and honesty.
There were four matches between the personal values of the participants, their views of the current culture, and the culture they desired to work in. It was felt there was a good level of alignment and commitment to create a plan that would take the school forward.
During the twelve months since the assessment and feedback session, the school has worked on several focused areas.
What it means to us
|
WHY?→ |
What it means for the future
|
↑ WHY? |
↑ WHY? |
|
How we do what we do
|
WHY?→ |
What it means to children Knowing they are:
|
The question arises: Has this made any difference at all? The answer is a resounding “Yes,” and in many ways. Firstly, the data. The school re-took the assessment a year later, which showed many improvements. Perhaps the most significant was the shift for staff. The table below shows the comparative data:
Current Culture Year 1 (CC1) |
Desired Culture Year 2 (DC2) |
Current Culture Year 2 (CC2) |
|
inclusiveness continuous improvement making a difference valuing individuality well-being (PEMS) commitment nurturing student centered sense of community teamwork |
open communication teamwork continuous improvement creativity inclusiveness passion for learning humor/fun commitment respect inclusiveness |
passion for learning inclusiveness continuous improvement creativity shared vision teamwork student centered humor/fun valuing individuality academic excellence |
▇ CC1 & DC1
▇ CC1, DC1, CC2
▇ DC1 & CC2
▇ CC1 & CC2
There are now seven matches between what staff wanted to experience in Year 1 and what they now experience in the current culture in Year 2. This is a very good level of alignment. Two values (student centred and valuing individuality) remain consistent with the current culture. These are values which are so embedded in the school they occur naturally. Shared vision, which seemed in Year 1 to be a significant area for focus and development, now appears within the current culture in Year 2. In addition, academic excellence, which became part of the desired values, now shows up in the current culture.
The Cultural Entropy score has moved up slightly from 4% to 5%. What has happened is that peoples’ expectations of themselves and the school have grown. The examination results were a record best in Year 2, which demonstrates that working with values has been the cornerstone of improved performance.
To round out the survey data, several additional ways of understanding what was happening were carried out.
The Headteacher, Chair of Governors, and staff have reviewed the data, celebrated the progress and identified some areas of focus to continue the Hookstone journey. These areas of focus were identified from the values that showed up in the desired culture, either as new values or ones that are seen to warrant more attention going forward.
Four values were felt to need reinforcing:
It was felt that these values currently existed, however they were in need of some attention & emphasis in the next planning cycle. After being very ‘internally’ focused during the Year 1 and 2 transformation plans, it was felt that a key new component will be to extend this to parents, Governors and the wider community over the next year.
This is a school to be proud of. For now, the need is to communicate its successes to external stakeholders and involve them so they can be instrumental in taking the school to the next level.
To conclude, it is worth recording four sentences written by staff during a session about celebrating what the school had achieved in Year 1 and 2 as a prelude to deciding on the focus for Year 2 and 3 outlined above.
They said:
Sounds like a school ready for the next stage of transformation.