Jenny Mosley Consultancies

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How do we develop listening systems in a large secondary school?

Q:  I am currently head of a large school where circle time and time for listening do not exist. Communication is something we need to improve significantly. I would be interested to learn what things work in such a large school. Think big, start small? What works best in the first instance? Special tips to get started?

I remember distinctly you telling us the importance of just 'listening'. The one thing that really stayed with me was your 'peer listening meeting' for heads of year who are often overloaded physically and emotionally - (30 mins for you, and I'll listen, and another time in the week when I have 30 minutes when you will listen to me). 

Jenny:  Think big, start small is an excellent maxim - I also love the quote from Mother Theresa (although I am saying it clumsily) – “I cannot do great things! I can only do small things with great love”. Large comprehensives are my emotional Waterloo - it is so difficult to get whole school approaches working.  I have been working with secondary schools now since the late 80's and I have become very pragmatic. Firstly, if you want to put listening systems such as circle time in for your pupils - I would start with the year 7 tutor team. I would train them up, get them to visit the year 6's in their primary school for a circle time on how they feel about moving up (this helps the tutors to see the importance of bridging the circles). Train the team properly and then, in five years there is more hope that you can turn the school around as these pupils will have come up through a respectful listening ethos. It is too hard for some teachers to be asked to take these ideas back to a recalcitrant year 9 class. But this is not really answering your question. It's a huge, huge issue. But you are right - you do need the vision and then an idea of what Tiny Achievable Tickable Targets, may take you towards that vision. I believe you need to commit to good inset training and make this approach a huge priority. Peer listening - which I teach instil to Headteachers and Heads of Year, will help these members of staff and if they are feeling listened to, they will more likely to see the value of listening to children. But its all about training people in the right skills - people can listen badly - my own children can say to me "stop putting on that listening face - and listen properly!" If senior management can be brought on to share your vision, there is real hope. However, before you can bring in listening systems for staff and pupils (peer listening for the one to one system an circle time for the group listening system) You need to make sure that other systems - such as your rules, rewards, sanctions and lunchtime systems have been overhauled and checked for 'emotional safety' - otherwise, as some pupils said to me recently "we're fed up with your circle time - everyone's listening to us - but no one is doing anything about it"!!

There is no point in children speaking up each week about the fact they get hit by the football or whatever, if the school is not working on their lunchtime policy with the help of the school council. So, as we keep on peeling the layers of the onions back - the picture gets deeper. You are the one who would most need a skilled listener on a weekly basis - just to keep your energy and morale going - and to help you make sure you don't lose the vision. This is not a plug - but seriously - you would need some excellent training for all aspects of the ideas and strategies I have touched on. It needs to be done by consultants who are prepared to demonstrate the approach with pupils with staff observing - and with staff themselves so they can feel the benefit. Secondary teachers are tired and sometimes cynical - their trainers must have 'street cred'!! The other key issue is that we do a lot of work in secondary schools - but it can get lost if the school fails to review the initiatives regularly. Without review, everything falls down.

My heart is with you on this as it's a big mountain to climb!  The book Quality Circle Time in the Secondary School, may give you some support, but a listening ear would be better. Forgive yet another metaphor and adage but I also love this quote from Nelson Mandella - " A vision without action is just a dream, Action without vision just passes the time, Vision with a small action can change the world."  Good luck - good luck - good luck.