A little reminder to School Leaders today that the occasional glance at your policies – and I’m no “policy brain” – to check for gaps is good leadership practice.
What you should be looking for is gaps between your policies (documents that I’d call promises of conduct) and practice (what’s actually happening in your school).
If you’re making promises about your conduct when it comes to everything from literacy/numeracy approaches and mandatory reporting all the way through to leave applications and yard duty that aren’t being practiced … then your policies are optional.
Sadly, this means that the next policy you write, the next commitment you make, the next change you make or the next improvement you initiate is also optional.
Before you step forward with a great idea, it’s worth considering whether the existing policies and practices are going to sabotage you.
Close those practice-policy gaps first. Make your school airtight. Give your change agenda a fighting chance.
Keep fighting that good fight.
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