HOT Communication

I don’t have any research to back this up, but I have listened to a number of speakers at conferences over the years who invariably maintain that in annual business surveys, the most common gripe is ‘lack of communication’. The same point comes to the fore in school surveys. When I receive complaints of this nature, my usual response is to say that the ‘com’ in ‘communication’ comes from the Latin prefix ‘con’ which means ‘together’. English words like ‘communion’, ‘congregation’, ‘connect’ are cases in point. Therefore both parties, school and parents, need to indicate where information is required or lacking. The famous car-park chatter of schools is invariably not the best source of knowledge.

Many may remember a very watchable UK TV series some years ago called ‘Yes, Prime Minister’. In one episode, Jim Hacker, the Prime Minister, was complaining to his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, that ‘no-one told him anything’.

‘What do you wish to know?’ replied the urbane Sir Humphrey.

‘Everything!’ said the exasperated Hacker.

‘Very well, Prime Minister. Yesterday, your office used three boxes of staples, 14 reams of paper, 11 pens, 14……’

‘All right, all right,’ interrupted Hacker. ‘I just meant the important things.’

‘Who decides what is important, Prime Minister?’

And there lies the rub.

Sometimes I feel that we err on the side of over-communicating with newsletters, emails, WhatsApp’s etc flowing from the school. Every morsel of information is important to someone.

At the Senior School next year, we have endeavoured to simplify matters. All the girls have already been divided into vertical ‘connect’ groups of about 16 girls from all grades, who meet regularly during the week to discuss matters of school, national and life importance. Initial reports are that they girls are loving it and enjoying the interaction between grades. I urge parents to continue the conversations of Connect Groups over supper tables. What has been really special is to note the connections already being made between the Grade 11’s of the Connect Groups and their incoming girls from Grade 7.

In charge of the group is a ‘connector’ who is the prime point of connection (communication?) between the girls and the school. The same person is the first point of contact for parents. As this ‘Connector’ will be with the girls for the five years of their Springfield schooling, a great deal of trust and confidence should be built up between girls, parents and teachers.

And with trust comes better communication. Oh… and the reason for ‘H.O.T. communication’ in my title? Honest, Open and Two Way!

Keith Richardson

Headmaster

PS: There are nine Connect Groups in a House with every House having their own House Head. Do go to the ‘Staffing’ section of this newsletter. There you will see the 2020 Organogramme. You can click on the different boxes and see who is in charge of various areas of the school.