Following on from my blog last week about Problem Solving and Apple Trees, I wanted to provide some hope that shifting your educative strain from solving little problems across to leading the culture of your classroom/school… works!
Girraween Primary School is a gorgeous school that I remember well from my time as a leader and principal in the Northern Territory. Just a short ride from Darwin, Girraween PS caters for students with a diverse set of social and academic needs.
They’ve also, until the end of 2023, been polishing apples in their school.
Those apples included 34% of their students receiving a ‘Level 4 or Level 5’ consequence for their behaviour.
At the start of this year, the leadership of the school change their mindset and stopped obsessing over apples. They focused on the culture (the soil) that their apple tree is planted in.
I’m not too bashful to boast that this choice resulted in partnering with us at Real Schools under the guidance of Expert Facilitator, Daniel Vella.
Come the end of 2024, they have only 11% of their students who’ve received that Level 4/5 consequence, and they also reported a 20% increase in their Safe Schools perception data across the board.
You don’t need to zero in on that student behaviour apple, polishing it furiously, to create change. There’s an easier, more effective and less stressful way to grow delicious apples.
Well done Girraween PS … and you too, Dan.
Keep fighting that good fight,
P.S. This week we hit an important milestone here at Real Schools – we now partner with more than 300 schools across Australia to embed restorative practices in school communities. It’s something I am incredibly proud of, and grateful for.
If building a restorative school is something you’d be interested in hearing more about, I’d love to learn more about your school context and how we might be able to work together too.
Let me know if you’d like to chat – or just click here to book a time to talk more.
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