Dear colleagues

Welcome to another edition of ‘Called, Connected, Committed’ and thank you for all the positive feedback you’ve been sharing with us about how you’ve been using the resources. As you know, each week, we’re taking a different focus from our core leadership document; this week – Embodying Integrity.

I was delighted to sit down with Pradip Gajjar, from the Avanti Schools Trust – the only Hindu MAT in the country – and talk about this important concept in leadership. His insights were so helpful – it is so great to be in relationship and dialogue in diversity.

Throughout this term, through our ‘Faith at Home’ films for primary and secondary schools, we’ve been so pleased to be in partnership with leaders from so many faith traditions including input from Association of Muslim Schools UK (Imam Asim Hafiz OBE), Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis, Catholic Education Service, Avanti Schools Trust and this week Lady Singh (President of Global Sikh Council). You can catch up with all of these at https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-action/faith-home/faith-home-videos; we hope this will continue to be useful in schools into the Autumn Term too.

In ‘Called, Connected, Committed’, we talk about integrity being “the integrator of learning, practical wisdom, decision-making and actions that put vision into practice.” (Page 31) As we continue to lead together through this challenging season, it is so true that our actions and decision-making reveal our values as leaders, and that people are looking to us for this sense of integrity. It can feel like a huge pressure – like we can’t make a mistake – and this can cause us great worry or anxiety. However, when we develop our integrity together as teams, listening, supporting, sharing, and catching one another before major problems emerge, there is great comfort and hope. Perhaps there’s someone in your team you could encourage today for the integrity they are showing at the moment…?

We continue to thank you for all you’re doing and may the resources below provide some space for reflection, time to breathe and to be encouraged in all you’re leading.

Andy Wolfe - Deputy Chief Education Officer (Leadership Development)

'Integrity is the integrator of learning, practical wisdom, decision-making, and actions that put vision into practice.'
Having a deep understanding of how character develops - both in our pupils and in ourselves - we believe is vital to great education, and is as important as ever right now. A clear vision for character development - combining 'learning, practical wisdom, decision-making and actions' - can enable school communities to navigate challenging times well.
This video from the Jubliee Centre for Character Education  explains how stories can give us insight into character development:

A Prayer for School Leaders

Lord of integrity,
Who delights in the trustworthy,
Rejoices in the truth,
Celebrates the forming of character
And models what it means to be good.
Teach us how to act with authenticity,
As leaders,
As learners,
As people made in your own image.
Teach us, we pray.

Lord of ethical wisdom,
Who draws near in the struggle,
Listens in the anguish,
Recognises the endurance
And models what it means to be honest.
Teach us how to persist in doing right,
As leaders,
As learners,
As people made in your own image.
Teach us, we pray.

Lord of all flourishing,
Who dwells in the ordinary
Inspires the extraordinary,
Breathes on our reality
And models what it means to be whole.
Teach us how to be fully alive,
As leaders,
As learners,
As people made in your own image.
Teach us, we pray.

Amen