What's the Buzz?

Every Friday morning, we invite a Hive leader to share their thoughts on an area of school life. If you'd like some bite-sized inspiration over your coffee break, we hope you'll enjoy these short reads.

And if you have ideas, advice or issues to share in a short article or blogpost, we'd love to hear from you.

That’s Not Who We Are: The Language of Families

– by Vicky Linsley, CEO Hive Education Trust

It is unusual to have the opportunity to start a school from scratch. It has been my privilege to be part of SMMA’s growth from a one form entry Church of England Primary School of 210 children to a Reception to Year 13 Academy of over 1500 pupils.

During the period of growth, we were always mindful of wanting to maintain a focus on the individual - a small-school feel albeit in a large community of learners. Consequently, we have maintained some expensive but fundamentally important structures that underpin the ‘family feel’.

Firstly, we cut the school population into quarters with our House system. Pupils identify visually with their House through the House tie, but also through regular moments of House competition, activity and celebration. The range of activities (from Spelling Bee to sports), ensures that all can be seen and feel that they belong. The Head of House, usually a member of staff looking for a first taste of wider responsibility, is the public face of the House at events and is fundamentally there to celebrate and recognise the successes of individuals.

Houses are then split into Family Groups, akin to a Form group but crucially much smaller. This nomenclature is not incidental and reinforces the culture of family and belonging. So a pupil will be in a Family group of 20, named after their ‘Guardian’ (using the key language of Guardian, rather than the more traditional Tutor); for example ‘the Smith Family’ in Year 7, Asia House. If you ask a pupil who their Guardian is, they will respond with that teacher’s name. They understand and use these terms confidently. Their Guardian is the ‘first point of call’ for pupils and parents/carers, and the child will remain with this Family as they move up the school.

There is still a Head of Year who leads and manages the pupils in the whole year group regardless of House. They are there for the tough love as well as the celebrations!

At every opportunity with groups of pupils, leaders talk about the SMMA Family. In letters home we refer to that too. Some of the visuals around the school reinforce that 'backdrop’ for example, the ‘We hug’ words (which came from Liverpool Hope University) and the paintings of the ‘Jubilee’ children in our main public space - the Forum.

Like all effective family groups, we know the boundaries and routines of family life. We rarely divert from these routines – for example, we have never held a mid-year non-uniform day in secondary – because the routines keep us on track.

Similarly, we have a shared language that is deeply embedded through our ‘SMMA Way’. This in itself is helpful, because we can say to pupils: ‘That just isn’t the SMMA Way’ or ‘That’s not who we are’ regarding all kinds of behaviour infractions, and pupils understand at an esoteric level what the teacher is getting at. The clear boundaries or ‘lines in the sand’ can similarly be referred to with shared language, for example a teacher asking a pupil ‘Are you refusing?’ would be understood as a very serious moment indeed. (The SMMA Way will be referenced to in several of our upcoming articles: look out particularly for the one by Daniel Goward.)

Finally, this culture of family and shared linguistic understanding comes through a very careful programme of explicitly teaching and talking about the fine detail (embodied in the SMMA Way) as well as highlighting how important it is to the Academy. Nothing is left to chance. We tell the pupils - ‘If you’re not sure, ask an adult’. And really, we say the same to new staff. The result is a rich and deeply understood culture that makes our world go round.