Leading change through relationships
When Sheryll Ofner talks about leadership, she does not mention authority or hierarchy. Instead, the principal of Selwyn College speaks about relationships, trust and shared purpose.
Under her leadership, the school has transformed from being labelled a ‘failing school’ to one that is delivering academic results that punch well above Equity Index comparisons.
For her, leadership begins with two overarching commitments: creating a community where everyone feels a deep sense of inclusion and belonging; and putting high quality teaching and learning at the heart of every key decision she makes.
Recognising the significance of how these two overarching commitments work together, is demonstrated in this comment from a student in a recent school community survey:
"Selwyn is a very inclusive community which allows students to soar in their subjects”.
Ofner emphasises that leadership is about building relationships. “If the teachers feel a strong sense of connectedness with their students, you can move mountains in the classroom.”
Her approach reflects the values at the heart of the New Zealand Teaching Council Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession — particularly the emphasis on professional relationships, inclusive practice and collective responsibility for student success.
As Principal, Ofner emphasises the importance of modelling the school’s values.
At Selwyn College, values are expressed in ‘The Selwyn Way’; which is supported by three all-embracing values: kotahitanga (value inclusiveness), manaakitanga (interact respectfully) and rangatiratanga (develop potential).
“You have to live and breathe these fundamentals,” Ofner says. “You can’t just put them on a wall.”
Under Sheryll, ‘The Selwyn Way’ shapes strong relationships, high quality teaching and learning and ultimately, the school’s culture as a whole.
Among Ofner’s key observations as a leader is the importance of teachers’ collaboration. She recognised early on that highly skilled teachers can be isolated without the right structures and support.
“You need to find ways to enable their strengths to shine and impact everyone’s practice. When people work in silos, you lose the power of collective thinking.”
“It’s about ensuring collective efficacy – everyone being on the ‘Selwyn bus’ – not on their own loosely connected trailer,” she adds.
To be on the bus at Selwyn, every teacher understands the impact their role modelling has on students. “This means teachers have an understanding and commitment as to the critical part they each play in individual student’s success,” says Ofner, adding that “this philosophy supports the core belief in the importance of a holistic education for all.”
Every student meets daily with their mentor teacher, who tracks their academic progress, wellbeing and co-curricular goals and works in a three-way relationship with parents/whānau.
Being on the Selwyn bus also means every teacher becoming a ‘Selwise’ expert. Under Ofner’s leadership, Selwyn has created a unique language of learning and pedagogical toolkit which is used consistently and explicitly in all learning experiences throughout the school. It means that as students become ‘Selwise’, they strengthen their learning attributes and wisdom about how to learn. It also includes a specially designed teacher planning and reflection tool that has a powerful impact on each student’s progress. For Ofner, ‘Selwise’ is a critical partner, alongside mentoring, in the school’s wrap-around philosophy.
“It’s all about Selwyn students and teachers working collaboratively to grow the skills for powerful life-long learning, to build the self-belief that underpins having the will to soar and to pursue the highest possible personal goals, which produce the thrill needed to reinvest and soar even higher,” she says.
Restorative practices are embedded throughout the school, reinforcing the Selwyn Way values and encouraging students to see mistakes as opportunities to learn.
“We all make mistakes,” Ofner says. “What matters is how we learn from them.”
Her belief in potential — among both students and staff — is central to the value of rangatiratanga. At Selwyn College, leadership is not confined to titles or badges.
All senior students are given opportunities to take on leadership roles within the school, rather than reserving those experiences for a small group of prefects.
Ofner says students relish the chance to contribute in meaningful ways.
There is one further aspect of Selwyn College that Ofner is extremely proud of in terms of her leadership and that is the school’s ‘vibrancy’. Very deliberately, ‘The Selwyn Way’ speaks to ensuring a ‘vibrant environment’. In a recent school-wide survey, students described this value in action as: ‘Inclusive and welcoming’; ‘full of opportunities and variety’; ‘energised by relationships and care’; ‘joyful, dynamic, and ever-improving’.
Ofner is clear about what has driven this large public school’s success: “This has never been about one person,” she says. “It’s about the school community’s vision of working collaboratively together to make it happen.”
Written by Penny Hartill.