“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
Every morning, we come together as a community for a Raising The BAR briefing.
The ‘Raising the BAR’ programme is our principal way that we communicate our culture and ethos to our pupils. Culture is unique to each school - and if not careful - it can become unique to each person and each classroom as well. In order to ensure that our culture is consistent and that it permeates every aspect of school life, we communicate it to our pupils daily.
Teaching culture is not something that is easily done. Much like our work with character, it can be caught, taught and sought. The Raising the BAR Programme is a key way in which we define and teach the culture we aspire to. We model the cultural expectations: we as teachers and support staff need to know and understand the culture we aspire to, modelling and reinforcing it every day. New staff also need to be inducted into these expectations. Each of us individually is responsible for our school’s culture; what we permit we promote.
Raising the Bar - the concept
The central concept to raising the bar is higher expectations. The phrase relates to the high jump, but it is used in everyday life to mean raising standards or expectations. The Pygmalion Effect explains that having higher expectations of someone can lead to higher performance, due to the psychological advantage that the higher expectations create. It also works in reverse where lower expectations can lead to lower performance. Our rationale therefore for having a programme about higher expectations is that we want all of our pupils to have highly successful and fulfilling lives.
B is for Belonging
The B in BAR stands for Belonging. Our RTB programme aims to create a strong sense of belonging for all members of our school community. At every opportunity we remind ourselves that we all belong to one family - God’s family. As a result, we find our greatest sense of belonging through our faith. Building our culture and ethos with our pupils will create a sense of belonging and this will lead to happier and more productive pupils.
A is for Accountability
The A in BAR stands for Accountability. This can be seen as personal responsibility and is a characteristic of highly successful people. It is about doing what is right at the right time. The Parable of the Talents illustrates what it means to be accountable, by teaching us the importance of using our God-given talents to do His work on earth.
R is for Relationships
The R in BAR stands for Relationships. Healthy and positive relationships are the cornerstone for a happy and prosperous life. It begins with knowing ourselves and our personal relationship with God. If we reflect regularly on what it means to be a good person, we are more likely to find happiness in our relationships with others. The link between developing emotional intelligence and future success is central to our focus on relationships.
