3 minute read
A class act
All smiles at Mr Happy’s fun factory
Sally Gillen discovers what makes head teacher and NEU Leadership member John Bryant a class act.
IT’S not often that describing a school as a factory would be a positive. Too many schools are labelled exam factories these days, thanks to the obsession with testing.
But at Arthur Bugler Primary School in Essex, staff are happy to call their workplace a factory – a fun factory.
Head teacher John Bryant, dubbed Mr Happy by staff, has worked hard to create a culture where staff feel valued and children have fun.
His success has been recognised nationally. In November he was named Happiest School Employee 2019 in the Happiness Awards (pictured), and his school was commended in the Happiest Primary of the Year category.
He says the response to his win – covered in the national media – was a lovely surprise.
“It all went a bit mad,” he laughs, adding that other head teachers have been in touch to find out more about how he has created a happy school for staff and students.
“There’s so much negativity at the moment, so it’s nice to focus on the positives. That’s our biggest success really – we focus on the positives,” says John.
“There are loads of schools doing this sort of thing – just look on Twitter – and I’ve been contacted by schools from all over the country who are interested in what we are doing.”
Promoting pupils’ self-worth
Arthur Bugler teacher Lucy Chipperfield, who nominated John, highlighted his
“relentless generosity and determination to celebrate everyone and their achievements”. She cites an abundance of initiatives for pupils, including hot chocolate with the head, which motivate children and promote their self-worth and pride.
“John Bryant epitomises this award; he is Mr Happy,” she wrote. “John has fostered a unique and positive learning environment at Arthur Bugler Primary. It prioritises children’s and adults’ happiness above all else.”
She added that every child works hard
and there has been amazing progress in both key
stage 1 and key stage 2 results. “This is a direct result of John’s impeccable leadership to prioritise the child rather than the exam.”
Wellbeing, workload… and goodie bags! John says: “There needs to be a culture of being appreciated. Wellbeing needs to be in the fabric of the school.” Staff wellbeing is therefore an equal priority and John has introduced a range of initiatives to promote it. Goodie bags filled with chocolates and essentials such as glue sticks and board pens were handed out to teachers on World Teachers’ Day, while teaching assistants were presented with a hero-themed poem and chocolates on National Teaching Assistants’ Day.
The Happiness Award judges were impressed by John’s drive to show staff they are appreciated, and the school’s charter to reduce workload, based on the principle: “If you can’t trace a line between the work you are doing and the impact on the child, then STOP!” At Arthur Bugler, daily or weekly planning is not expected. Nor is written feedback. Emails should be answered in the working day. “School is work, and home is home,” says the charter.
“In everything I do, I’m always thinking about workload. I count myself lucky because the kids here are lovely, the staff are lovely, we need to continue that and not lose it. We don’t have an issue with recruitment at all,” says John. “We want to ensure people focus their time on teaching and learning.”
He adds: “Nowadays we find parents are not so bothered about the school’s Ofsted grade. They just want their child to be the happiest they can be. That’s something that’s changed over the last couple of years.”
John and the school’s workload and wellbeing ambassadors have now launched a staff appreciation week. Held in the first week of February, activities included afternoon tea for midday assistants and office staff, a meal on Friday night and raffles. In addition, parents were invited to make positive comments to recognise the amazing work of staff.
“I hope I can spread the message to many other schools across the UK,” says John. n The National Happiness Awards are run by training organisation Laughology.
