​One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned at Lancasterian Primary School is that culture is not an accident. It doesn’t just ‘happen’ because a school has good intentions or caring staff. Culture is built – deliberately – through the behaviours we model, the conversations we prioritise, and the values we choose to live by every day.

This belief underpins one of our key practices: the way we have defined, shared and embedded our school vision and values to actively shape our culture. When people talk about school culture, they often describe it vaguely: the vibe, the atmosphere, how it feels. For us, culture is the accepted patterns of behaviour, the unspoken rules, and ultimately ‘the way we do things around here’. Culture shapes how staff respond under pressure, how children treat one another, and how leaders make decisions when there is no policy to hide behind.

Why culture matters

Several years ago, we were honest with ourselves that although our school had many strengths, our culture was not consistently working in the best interests of children or adults. Staff were working hard, but not always together. Behaviour systems existed, but didn’t always align with our beliefs. Workload pressures and unhealthy conflict occasionally crept in.

We came to understand something Michael Fullan captures well: ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’. If your culture doesn’t reflect your values, no improvement plan will ever fully land. So we asked ourselves a deceptively simple question: How much are our vision and values actually driving our culture?

A vision that meant something

Rather than producing a short, slogan-like statement, we committed to developing a shared moral vision for our school community. Our vision sets out an ambition not just for academic success, but for the kind of society we want our children to help create: a fairer, more inclusive, creative and courageous world.

At its heart is a belief that learning is a demanding, lifelong journey, that mistakes matter, and that difference is something to be celebrated rather than tolerated. Just as importantly, the vision places responsibility on all of us — not just leaders — to make this real for children every day.

The work didn’t stop once the vision was written. We invested time in sharing it meaningfully with existing staff, inducting new colleagues into it, and constantly returning to it in meetings, professional development and decision-making. The question ‘Does this align with our vision?’ became a normal part of our leadership language.

Values you can see and feel — and meet

Alongside the vision, we identified a clear set of values: Inclusion, Lifelong Learning, Growth Mindset, Integrity, High Aspirations and Respect. These were not chosen because they sounded nice, but because they reflected the behaviours we wanted to see when things were difficult, not just when things were going well.

To make these values tangible for children, we developed our Values Characters — memorable, child-friendly representations of each value that allow pupils to talk about behaviour, choices and learning in a concrete way.

• Imari Inclusion reminds us to bring others in and ensure everyone belongs.
• Leila Lifelong Learning represents curiosity and a love of learning.
• Gerty Growth Mindset shows children that mistakes are part of success.
• Ignacio Integrity models honesty and doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.
• Hetty High Aspirations encourages children to aim high and believe in themselves.
• Ronnie Respect helps children care for others and the world around them.

​These characters are woven into assemblies, classroom conversations and learning reflections. When a child is struggling, a simple question such as ‘What would Gerty Growth Mindset do here?’ links behaviour directly back to shared values. Children also reflect on their development through their My Values Journey books, child-friendly values journey booklets to help pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 understand, reflect on, and track their development in core school values. Each half-term we celebrate Values Ambassadors who model our values in action.

The impact

Over time, the impact of this work has become visible. Behaviour has improved, relationships are stronger, and there is a greater sense of collective responsibility across the school. Staff describe the school as a place where challenge is expected, support is genuine, and mistakes are treated as opportunities to learn rather than reasons to blame.

External review has also recognised that our values are central to the life of the school and that pupils clearly reflect them in their behaviour, attitudes and relationships.

A practice, not a poster

Our biggest learning is this: vision and values only matter if they are lived. Culture must be revisited, tested, argued over and refined. Culture is never finished work — it is always evolving.

By treating our vision and values as a living practice rather than a static statement, we have moved beyond compliance and towards coherence. Sustainable improvement starts with shared beliefs, made visible through everyday actions.

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