School Partnerships: An early candidate for word of the year in 2023 is “headwinds”. Households, organisations and nations alike are experiencing the buffeting effects of the economic and political weather. In the context of independent education, it’s hard to think of a tougher combination of challenges than those coming our way at the moment.
There is an old saying that you should fix the roof when the sun is shining. Most institutional roofs have been undergoing some stress testing for the past few years: and the weather looks likely to get heavier for a while yet. All independent schools, regardless of their size, shape and location, will be feverishly scenario planning to get their roofs in the best state possible for the coming weather.
“The weather looks likely to get heavier for a while yet.”
In business, the term headwind is applied to any factor that makes growth harder. Well, growth is probably not in many school leaders minds just now. For many, it is about keeping on course; or staying afloat. In sailing, headwinds stop the vessel from moving directly forward. They require the captain and crew to use different tactics to navigate the winds. They force us to tack.
Anyone in education is in the optimism business. How can you choose to work with children and not be an optimist? So, how might an optimist approach the effects and impacts of these various headwinds?
“How can you choose to work with children and not be an optimist?”
School leaders need to navigate these times with a careful balance of pragmatism and hopefulness. The crew must be focused on the main activity of caring for and educating children. They need to do this with a sense that the ship is in good hands; that the captain (governors and leaders) is scanning the horizon and adjusting the course prudently. Equally, the behaviours and decisions that are made at all levels affect the state of the ship. There needs to be an awareness across the crew that everything needs to be ship-shape.
Enough of the maritime imagery! School leaders will know well their own particular weather and will be doing all they can to meet these headwinds. Lean management principles, cost reduction measures, close financial control, careful pricing, dynamic income generation. Sincere commitment to partnership work and supporting system improvement. We will be thinking about all these and more.
The professional associations have been speedy in urging us to scenario plan. We will all be getting a mix of minds together to brainstorm. The governing bodies in our schools will be encouraging and challenging us, bringing expertise from other sectors. We will all be reaching out to specialists from beyond education to bring in new thinking. All this good work will help make us sea-worthy.
“It is vital that we do not cut corners on our community engagement and partnership work.”
Understandably, we will be focusing on our own issues. However, it is vital, in my view, that we carry the spirit of mutual support that helps independent schools weather Covid. It is vital that we do not cut corners on our community engagement and school partnerships work. There may be a temptation to curb some of this activity. That would be a wrong move.
Independent schools are certainly not immune to the harsh realities of business. We operate in a market-place after all. However, almost all of our schools have deeply-rooted charitable intent. Our bursary programmes are genuinely transformative. Our mutually beneficial work with partners across the education system and beyond extends opportunities for thousands and thousands of young people. However testing the economic and political headwinds, we must not batten down the hatches.
“Headwinds are positively favourable in take-offs and landings.”
At Shrewsbury, we are growing our bursary programme. We are growing our work with Shrewsbury House (The Shewsy) as it delivers essential youth and community work in Everton. We are delighted to be a Champion of the School Partnerships Alliance. This is a time when every school in the land needs to work even more closely together to protect and inspire children from all backgrounds.
There is no shirking it: these are difficult times and the conditions are fierce. As we work hard to meet the headwinds coming our way, the optimists will also note that, in aeronautics, headwinds are positively favourable in take-offs and landings. They are capable of generating greater lift. As an optimist, I take some comfort from this.
