Mike Buchanan ponders, what is an education?

“Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges. It should allow you to find values which will be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.”

This quote from John Taylor Gatto, an American teacher of long standing, is not a bad definition for schools to work towards.

There are plenty of those big challenges for young people and adults alike, not least navigating the teenage years, and to emerge as a well-rounded, physically and mentally healthy young adult with the resilience to cope with adult life, and the vision to see joy and seek fulfilment. But, how do schools make it possible? It does not happen by chance.

People make a community, and that’s particularly true of schools. As a head, I sought out conversations with pupils and remember quite a few. I recall one pupil asking me: “What do you do all day?” She wasn’t being cheeky. She was genuinely interested, as she was in most things. Another came to speak with me about how he could help the staff to better support others who, like him, were coming to grips with their sexuality. Another, Luca, took time to speak with me whenever we passed each other. “How are you Sir? Have you done anything exciting today?”

These interactions are the lifeblood of schools and significant development points for young people. They are why working with young people and children is joyful. They come from something very deliberate. They come from the patient work of all adults in building extraordinary relationships, which give children the confidence to talk and question, in good times and bad, such as in the aftermath of tragic events. This is what lies at the heart of extraordinary schools: constancy of expectation, consistency, mutual trust and confidence, understanding and support. It’s what you should look for when you visit a school and, helpfully, it’s easy to see, to hear and to feel.

It’s also easy to achieve over time with a deliberate approach. Surround the pupils with inspiring, diverse, capable, positive and engaging people who provide examples of how to behave and the attitudes to adopt.

If curiosity is an important characteristic for you, then surround the pupils with curious people whether teachers or support staff. I looked for variety in my colleagues because each one will have a different way of engaging the children. So, among my colleagues were cricketers, journalists, TV presenters, marketing experts, barristers, comics, researchers, engineers, naval architects, senior military officers, nurses, economists, technologists, bankers, avid skiers, musicians, artists, dancers, Olympians and fresh-faced graduates. You get the picture. I often sought out people with life experiences and the ability to share their passions, whatever they might be. Finding them is not always easy but they are an essential ingredient of extraordinary schools.

Support staff are equally capable and also intimately engaged in the lives of pupils. They are as important as the teachers in demonstrating positive attitudes and behaviours. Curiosity and a desire to take risks are high on my list of personal qualities for employees, as is a willingness to embrace the values and ethos of the school. This is all about building and sustaining a bespoke culture and climate which envelopes everyone.

Extraordinary schools set out to surround their students with extraordinary people in the knowledge that those adults will enable the children to flourish, and furnish each one with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges in life.

Mike Buchanan is founder of PositivelyLeading.co.uk and the former executive director of HMC

Mike Buchanan
©Russell Sach