Culture as the vehicle to propel us into the 2023/24 academic year!

School culture can be a complex phenomenon to define. Research is clear though; the institutions that have a positive and professional culture, undoubtedly achieve more success and better outcomes than those that don’t. So what is it that contributes to a flourishing School culture? Mahatma Gandhi was once quoted saying, ‘a nation’s culture resides in the heart and soul of its people’. This is the same for Bangkok Prep. The School culture at Prep is shaped by the people who work, learn, support and contribute to its continual growth. It’s the behaviours, actions and beliefs of these people that shape the culture.

We are blessed at Bangkok Prep to have an organisational culture that prides itself on caring, supportive relationships and one that is built on a strong and connected community. As our School grows in size and community members, this culture will be tested and challenged. It’s down to each and every community member to not only protect the positive culture but champion and improve it through our words and more importantly our actions. Our values are such a pivotal part of this culture and ensuring that we are all embodying our eleven Bangkok Prep values is integral to our success.

Organisational culture vs Professional culture – In the Secondary School, as a staff body, we have been focusing heavily on our professional culture. As a Senior Leadership Team, through conducting CPD training, we came to realise that there are some distinct differences between our organisational culture and our professional culture. Below is an explanation using the tree on our School crest as a visual.

Our organisational culture is our roots, it should never be unearthed, it should be immovable. It remains strong, completely grounded and provides the ultimate support for everything else to grow. Our professional culture is the stem that stands upright and directs us on our journey to achieving our vision of preparing our community for a sustainable global future through being and doing what’s right.

Last academic year, our Middle Leadership team worked hard on defining and establishing a set of active ingredients that will help guide us on the journey to achieving our vision. These will act as our guiding principles to allow decisions to be made in the best interests of our students, staff and community members. They will act as a centring mechanism to ensure we are doing things for the right reason.

Student induction programme – Throughout the student induction programme, the active ingredients were sewn into the programme with opportunities for our students and staff to explore and unpack their meaning from a student perspective and context

Also on our school crest is the motto, ‘Constant and True’. This powerful motto is something we have been exploring and defining within our professional culture. To the left are the diamond 9 ‘Constant and True’ behaviours and actions that will contribute to a flourishing professional culture. During the first morning back, our students had the opportunity to discuss these segments with their form tutor and contextualise what they mean from a student perspective. On Friday we provided an opportunity to further explore our ‘Constant and True’ in small vertical groups to deepen our understanding.

Providing the space for our students to work across year levels is a fantastic way to build on our culture and ensure that all students are working as one to achieve their very best. Another opportunity that provided our students the space to work across year levels was the HOUSE event on Friday afternoon. It provided our students a perfect opportunity to unwind and enjoy some healthy competition. The HOUSE competition focussed on six different themes ranging from physical activity, creativity and problem solving.

Ultimately, during the induction period we want our students to feel a sense of belonging. To feel welcomed back to School with care, support and community at the heart of everything we do. The plan moving forward is to further embed our professional culture and aspire to utilise our strong, caring and supportive culture to achieve our vision of preparing our community for a sustainable global future.

As you can see from the photos below, our students enjoyed their first two days back at School and hopefully have a greater understanding of our school fabric and the all-important relationships have been forged between students and staff.

I would like to thank all staff members for their hard work in planning and executing the induction programme and a special thank you to our students for kick starting the year so positively. It really is so fantastic to have you all back on campus.

Mr. Hurworth

Deputy Head Teacher of Secondary