RESHAPING OUR VALUES

Everything we do at Grammar comes back to our values. They help us understand who we are and what we stand for as a community and they guide how we live our lives, not just at school but after school, too. It is important that they are easy to understand so we can use them every day in meaningful ways.

Our Ballarat Grammar values were first introduced in 2006 as part of the new Strategic Direction 2006-2010. Reflecting our Anglican philosophy, the twelve values sat alongside the new vision and mission.

Director of Care Dr Meredith Rayner explains that having such a large number of core fundamental beliefs is too many to focus on, especially when combined with ideals and principles associated with other programs at Grammar.

“We wanted to identify those that are relevant and relatable and that best serve our school community. Having six makes it easy for staff and students to understand and use them.”

"We often talk about ‘the essence of Grammar’. Focusing on our values has helped people understand who we are."

While there are now a smaller number of values, Senior School Deputy Head Student Care and Wellbeing Sandy Warwick explains that none of the original values have been lost.

“The original twelve are all reflected in the current six. We’ve just sharpened the focus. It was also important to express them as lived values using active language, and we are very grateful to John Lee [English and Literature teacher and Director of Curriculum] for his wordsmithing expertise.” Sandy adds that coming out of COVID has reinforced the importance of having clearly articulated values. “For staff and students coming back into classrooms after so much time apart, it’s been important to revisit what we value at Grammar and how we treat each other. We lost some of that when everyone was learning remotely. It’s also helped new staff who came on board during COVID to learn what our culture is all about.”

A detailed and collaborative process over two years involved talking to staff and students from across the whole school. One of the best things about the process for Sandy has been bringing people along on the journey. “We often talk about ‘the essence of Grammar’. Focusing on our values has helped people understand who we are. For some people it’s almost been like an ‘aha’ moment, ‘Aha, I get it now – that’s what makes Grammar so special.’”

For Meredith, one of the best things has been the enthusiasm and commitment with which staff right across the school have taken the values on board.

“It’s when you see staff using the values with students in very practical ways that you realise how important it is to really know and understand what they are. I love seeing the values flip cards out on coffee tables and staff desks around the School.”

The refreshed values have been rolled out in staff workshops and across all year levels through activities designed to explore what the values ‘look like’ at Grammar and help staff and students develop a working understanding of them.

Junior School students working together to build a tower from small squares of ply - clearly demonstrating our values of hope, responsibility and aspiration in action!

Junior School Assistant Head Student Care and Wellbeing, Sharon Cuff, says the language of the school values is incorporated in the Junior School in several ways.

“Students receive explicit instruction to develop their fundamental understanding of our values while also engaging in flexible learning experiences where they can apply this knowledge in meaningful ways. Connection with people and place underpin these daily experiences.”

Activities in the Middle and Senior Schools have taken place in Chapel services and assemblies as well as in Houses, Mentor Groups and classrooms. “For example, the Year 12s have led activities with the younger students in their Houses to explore how the values play out in a person’s behaviour,” says Sandy.

Bringing the values to life and will include making the values visible around the School and looking at practical ways of using them in all parts of teaching and learning.

“We want everyone to not just know them, but to live and breathe them. For example, staff will be able to use them to turn a negative conversation into a positive one. Instead of a difficult conversation about behaviour with a student being framed as, ‘Don’t do this and don’t do that’, it can be framed as, ‘This is who we are at Ballarat Grammar. This is how we behave here.’”

OUR VALUES

INTEGRITY We act morally and ethically, seeking the truth and treating others with consideration and respect.

ASPIRATION We pursue excellence, in learning and in life.

COURAGE We seek justice and the common good, leading with humility and persevering in adversity.

COMPASSION We show kindness and embrace diversity, committing to global awareness and understanding.

HOPE We share times of joy and live with hope in life’s challenges, ever grateful for the richness of human experience.

RESPONSIBILITY We take responsibility for our actions, serving our communities and acting as stewards of the environment.