Joining Sir William Burrough (SWB) means becoming part of a school overflowing with history at the heart of the local community. We honour this tradition while simultaneously rejuvenating our classroom practices to empower and meet the needs of our pupils.
Continuously Improving
Progress is essential to our purpose as well as unity and a shared sense of belonging. One of our core values ‘Continuous Improvement’ is built on these three core principles:
Clear Communication:
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
We strive to uphold and prioritise a strong and clear line management that creates confidence, clarity and a safe platform for constructive expression.
Empowering People:
"The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them."
We are committed to empowering our staff to develop their career far beyond they ever saw possible. From thorough inductions, appraisal systems, and weekly development our staff thrive and understand what success looks like.
Change makers:
"It takes a village to raise our child"
We are continuously looking at ways to improve our school so we are always providing the best methods for success. To this every team member feeds into our development plan and has the control to deliver it.
Building lifelong careers
Our staff strive for growth which encourages curiosity and motivation. We offer everyone tailored training to support their success and career aspirations. As part of UST, all staff gain access to:
- Collaborative Learning Hubs
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Work with university partners
- THEPs cross-borough network meetings.
Trust at our core
"Whether you're in a team with new colleagues or working in a stable team, effective teamwork works best in a psychological safe workplace."
– Dr Amy Edmondson Psychological safety is central to teamwork and the SWB ethos.
We nurture an environment where individuals can speak openly, challenge respectfully and aim high learning from mistakes. This is supported by clear roles, quality assurance, teaching principles, feedback models, and a culture of humility.
