Being part of a team is one of the huge benefits of working within education. Research shows that collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes. People are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they have the support of a team behind them. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction and has been clinically shown to significantly reduce stress. In short, being part of a team and focusing on teamwork makes us happier as people and professionals. As human beings we are at heart social animals.

There are many different ways to define teamwork, but I particularly like the French description for it; esprit de corps. This means a sense of unity, enthusiasm for shared interests, goals and responsibilities, developed amongst a group of persons closely committed to a task, course or event. For us, the heart of our teamwork is the children and communities we serve and this call to unity is fundamental to our vocation and why we do what we do.

Teamwork is important, not because it means everybody doing the same thing or everybody being able to do each other’s jobs. Its more a means to bring understanding, purpose and synergy to our work so that we may become greater than the sum of our parts. Teams, however, don’t just happen- they have to be built. This relies fundamentally on trust in each other, in having honest and real conversations and in putting aside our ego for the greater endeavour that we are collectively undertaking. In short, through teamwork we can become our best selves and do our best work. You all will have heard that there is no “I” in TEAM- we all know what that means but do we actually do it? I don’t think that this sentence means we lose our individuality or sense of self when in a collective endeavour; it does mean we deprioritise any thoughts, words or actions that do not positively contribute to the whole. Perhaps easier said than done, but well worth the focus and investment of time and energy to bring about.

Across our Trust we are formed into teams, often multiple teams. This is driven by our structures and our organisation; now is the time that we make them high performing by committing to the people around us and working through trust and honesty to help them succeed; for as we do, we succeed ourselves and ensure that the young people can thrive and soar.

Perhaps this acrostic poem by a Year 3 pupil says it best:

-Dan Morrow, CEO and Trust Leader