Environment matters.
Why?
Because it’s constantly communicating your standards and expectations.
It’s also one of the easiest ways to promote higher standards.
I’m not talking about spending money on painting walls or putting new carpets in.
No. These cost money.
They are not a reflection of your standards – they are a reflection of your budget.
But:
Coats on hooks.
Litter.
Poor signage.
Quality of displays (and I’m a fan of doing these little and often because I remember how long they take!).
Messy storage.
Missing labels.
These things and more all show the standards we expect.
Let’s take it further:
- Teacher’s desks – yes they are working spaces not museums, but take a look – in fact stand at the back of a classroom and see what your children see. It’s often illuminating.
- Staff rooms – a favourite spot of mine because it shows people how much you value your team (and I know you value your team, but does the environment say that?).
- Intervention spaces – what is it communicating to those pupils?
I know you’re busy with a million things going on.
But the Christmas break is coming.
And the new school term is on the horizon.
So is there some time you can have some fun with this and upgrade the environment so that it does reflect your standards.
We do environmental walkarounds in schools, giving a quick, easy, and cheap prioritised list of ways to level-up your environment. The results are stunning. If you’d like to book one, get in touch/find out more here.
Spotlight Resource
Your environment is a silent teacher.
And it’s always teaching.
I’ve shared with many schools how they can improve their environment to reflect their standards. And they are shocked at how small changes make a huge difference.
So how can you improve your space, quickly and easily (because I know that you really are busy).
Here is my 7-point checklist you can apply to almost any space.
7 Point Checklist: Get your Environment Promoting Your School Standards For You