In 2021/22 Many schools began the return to physical spaces post-pandemic. During those dark years, our collective energies were aimed at simply keeping the learning going in such challenging circumstances. The return to school settings created a different set of circumstances. Our communities came back together, on the surface almost just as they were, but in actuality entirely changed by the experience. The saying is that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’; however, when school cultures are adversely affected by circumstances or have, for other reasons, become less than optimal then a strategy is required to re-boot and re-grow the optimal culture through which young people are freed to learn and to thrive in an environment of empowerment.

School culture is not created by top-down dictates or colleagues collaborating on a new set of operational policies and procedures. It is the students themselves that have the greatest power to create the culture required to enable all learners to feel included, empowered and inspired to grow and contribute. In this presentation, I will outline the measures taken by ABA Oman International School to revisit our student council structure and operations, in order to increase student ownership, agency and voice and the positive effects this has, almost instantly, had on our post-pandemic climate. I will share how students have been coached in essential life-long skills of conversation, collaboration, creative thinking and project management in order to address their chosen issues. I would also like to engage with attendees to both hear their experiences and their challenges, as well as any successes they may have had.

The post-COVID world has meant a (positive) shift, away from data point achievements towards wellness, inclusivity and identity – success is more than a number, and schools are a microcosm of these important shifts of focus.