Written by Laura McPhee
Laura McPhee is Director of Education at University Schools Trust. Prior to this, Laura was an experienced headteacher. She has a proven track record of leading transformational change management and successful school improvement journeys across London. Laura is a facilitator for the National Professional Qualification facilitator for Headship (NPQH) and a School Improvement consultant. She holds a number of trustee positions and enjoys guest lecturing for ITT courses. She is the author of 'Empowering Teachers, Improving Schools: Belonging, Psychological Safety & School Improvement' and a co-author of 'Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools.'
As part of this series I’ll be catching up with professionals who share a keen interest in all things related to belonging, inclusion and psychological safety…
This week I’m joined by Sarah Wordlaw, Headteacher and author of ‘Time to Shake Up the Primary Curriculum’ and ‘M is for Misogyny: Tackling Discrimination against Women and Girls in Primary School.’
Sarah Wordlaw, Headteacher & author of ‘Time to Shake Up the Primary Curriculum’ & ‘M is for Misogyny.’
’Q) Can you describe a time when you felt like you belonged?
A) The first time I felt like I genuinely belonged in a professional space was probably when I attended London South Teaching School hub’s Diverse Leaders event. Prior to this I don’t think I fully acknowledged or even realised that I hadn’t felt that sense of connection; until I was invited to a space where all of a sudden, I wasn’t the minority.
As for life beyond school, that would have to be the first time I attended a Pride event. I distinctly remember thinking, these are my people! Again, there was that sense of connection. It was as if someone was holding a mirror up. We had a shared experience, a shared story.
When you start to consider intersectionality and all of the complexities that brings, it gets really interesting. I have mixed heritage, so I suppose I’ve always felt as though I straddle two worlds, without necessarily feeling like I belong to either. I’ve needed to move between spaces seamlessly and code switch.
Of course, our lived experience informs how we engage and interact. We have all have layers to our identity and experiences that inform our choices.
Q) What strategies have you found helpful for building psychological safety in self and others?
A) I’ve found being honest about myself and my identity has really helped to build connection. When you’re able to share parts of yourself and parts of your identity, then I think that builds credibility and trust. You’re able to say – you know who I am and what I stand for, let’s move forward together in this shared vision (whatever that may be). This has become more pronounced for me as I moved through my leadership journey. As a less experienced leader, I wasn’t necessarily ready to do that. I was concerned about how I would be judged and what other’s perception of leadership was. Over time I’ve come to believe that who we are, is how we lead; that’s what I’ve come to value.
When it comes to developing others, I think fostering a culture that enables team members to share ideas and challenge the status quo is really important. That means as leader I have to model being flexible in my thinking and demonstrate that I’m open to being challenged, as well as challenging others; that we’re all in this together!
Q) What advice would you give your younger self?
A) I think it’s important to take space and acknowledge that whatever has taken place in the past; you did your very best with the information that you had…
So perhaps on reflection I would simply say to myself, it’s ok to ask for help and that you don’t always have to be ‘the strong one.’
Q) What does the sector need to consider when it comes to developing psychological safety?
A) Meaningful connections and relationships with each other are invaluable. Too many ‘wellbeing’ initiatives today are surface level. Treats in the staffroom are nice, but it won’t have the impact you’re looking for. We need to really understand our teams and a culture of psychological safety enables this. It’s more than a nice to have, it helps with staff retention and of course once we take the time to know and understand our teams and ensure everyone is pulling in the same direction – we’re able to enact our vision and strategy in a much more meaningful way. Who wouldn’t want that for their pupils and wider school community?