A growing body of research shows that strong school communities are crucial to student success. When staff, parents, and students work together, schools become places where students feel supported and engaged.
For a school leader, creating a harmonious learning environment has perhaps never been more important. Recent reports show more than 70% of Australia’s principals work with teachers on classroom discipline problems at least once a week. Leaders also report more frequently spending time on discipline problems than other leadership issues.
In September, a virtual roundtable explored the characteristics of highly engaged communities, and the critical role that school leaders play in shaping them.
The roundtable, held in partnership with Prime Super – The Educator’s event partner for the Australian Education Awards 2024 – heard from award winning principals Strathcona Girls Grammar Principal Lorna Beegan, Arden Anglican School Principal Justin Beckett, Barker College Principal Phillip Heath, and St Margaret's Berwick Grammar Principal Dr Annette Rome.
Opening the roundtable, Billy Atanasova, Prime Super's National Sales Manager, said highly engaged school communities help break down learning barriers, provide access to learning opportunities, boost student retention, improve attendance rates, and foster positivity among teachers, staff, and the broader community.
“I don’t need to remind this group how important education is to our society,” Atanasova said. “To quote Nelson Mandela, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’”
‘Above all, students must feel they belong’
Speaking on how educators and leaders can make enthusiasm and commitment contagious in their school communities, Beegan said that for her, creating a strong sense of belonging is essential.
“It’s about meeting every student, parent, and community member where they are and bringing them into our learning ecosystem,” Beegan said.
“At Strathcona, we’ve spearheaded a ‘whole-being’ program to ensure we deliver a holistic and personalised education which recognises that belonging isn’t about fitting in – it’s about students being accepted as they are.”
Beegan recalled how during the COVID era, schools became a central point for the community as parents and students relied heavily on them.
“The responsibility is great, but it’s also an opportunity to solve problems together,” she said.
“Schools must collaborate with parents, businesses, and the community to ensure students are engaged and well-prepared for the world. Above all, students must feel they belong, are understood, and are receiving the education they deserve.”
‘As teachers, we’re modelling humanity’
Beckett agreed with Beegan that creating a strong sense of belonging is fundamental.
“I believe that the reason we educate is to pass on our humanity and culture to future generations,” Beckett said. “As teachers, we’re not just teaching content and skills in the classroom; we’re modelling humanity.”
Beckett said it’s important to remember that students observe how educators manage stress, deal with uncertainty, treat others, and live out their values.
“So, beyond skills and content, teachers must bring warmth and humanity into the classroom. When we see a student, we should make them feel seen and valued,” he said.
“Building trust is key, and I think teachers do this through warmth, competence, and consistency. Being proficient in our craft, managing energy, and maintaining fairness are all important. Humour also plays a big role in creating a positive environment, making the classroom an enjoyable place to learn.”
‘We must demonstrate diversity in everything we do’
Heath said creating a positive culture requires intentional leadership.
“I often refer to the work of Thomas J Sergiovanni who emphasized the importance of cultural and symbolic leadership,” he said. “Leaders must know their impact, be intentional about it, and realise that it’s actually what creates culture.”
Heath said through this, leaders create positive rituals, experiences, and expectations.
“They then form habits, and they then ultimately create identity, and then identity becomes culture.”
Heath said his school community has worked hard to create a culture of inclusion and respect, including tangible actions, such as outreach to Indigenous communities and support for refugees.
“It’s not enough to say we value diversity; we have to demonstrate it in everything we do. Schools play a crucial role in fostering trust and making students feel safe and valued.”
‘As leaders, we need to be brave’
When asked how principals can measure the impact of teachers who are invested in both the subject matter and the well-being of their students, Dr Annette Rome said PISA for Schools is a very interesting set of metrics that measures not just academic performance, but also motivation, self-efficacy, and discipline.
“It measures the disciplinary climate, whether you’re low-SES or low socioeconomic families are doing as well as high-SES families and getting those sorts of measures on those transversal skills,” Dr Rome said.
“I don't like the term soft skills, I must be honest, but on those transversal skills, I think that that's really interesting.”
Dr Rome pointed to the importance of listening to students, and noted how her school conducts a ‘safety survey’ – the questions of which were designed by the students themselves.
“So, for our community, which is 60% LOTE, the students decided they wanted some extra questions on racism, and the most recent suggestion from our students was on male/female relations and the respect to gender,” she said.
“I think we shouldn't be frightened as leaders to ask for those metrics, because we all know that we use them diagnostically, and we use them to work out, ‘okay, what next? Where can we go?’”.
To view the roundtable discussion, click here.