Strategic Direction 2025+
Creating Learner Confidence with Purpose
Mulgrave’s strategy seeks to connect our students to the world around us, marrying aspiration with action.
Taking inspiration from the Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíḵn (the Twin Sisters) under whose gaze we dwell, Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound) to the west of us, and the air that sustains us, we aim to honour the interconnectedness of the elements of the land, the water, the people, and generational voices of the past and future.
Starting with an aerial view, we use the metaphor of the landscape to think broadly about the impact of our actions within the relational network of the natural world. It is here that we can see the ripple effect of education and the necessity of a grounding in the notion of the Greater Good. There are peaks and valleys across this landscape that allow everyone’s pathway to make a difference.
As we sharpen our focus, we hone in on the elements of the land, sea, and sky and the details of our surroundings, making the connection to what we want to accomplish and the steps we will take to achieve our goals. We imagine the spakwus soaring down from the vantage point of the Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíḵn to the more focussed mycelium network of the forest floor.
Coupled with our mission, vision, and values, this strategy is a commitment to our approach. We welcome you on our journey.
The Mulgrave house animals featured in this publication were created by Ryan Johnston of Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), with stories and symbolism shared by Sxwálhkin (Pete Natrall). We extend our deep gratitude to them for honouring the teachings through their artwork, wisdom, and guidance.
Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound) UNESCO Biosphere Region, mapped by the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society.
Establishing our strategic foundation through guiding statements and school purpose
As we relooked at our school strategy, we teased out the historically implied meanings in our guiding statements to ensure they would be relevant for our youngest learners, who will graduate in 2040 and beyond.
During extensive focus group work with students, parents, teachers, Board directors, external advisors and staff, we honed in on ‘excellence in education and life’ and ‘the continuous pursuit of personal best’.
Following much discussion, we ascertained that our new strategy must better define ‘excellence’ as its original Greek understanding as ‘Arete’ - the educator’s moral imperative to ensure the promotion of values and characteristics that reflect compassion, empathy, and social and environmental responsibility. We have defined this as using the privileges of a Mulgrave education for the collective ‘greater good’; highlighting the beautiful paradox of ensuring the wisdom of the past informs our forward looking, values driven education. This core intergenerational value not only reflects the BC First People’s Principles of Learning, but also many similar traditional values central to other cultures represented in our Mulgrave community.
In relation to ‘excellence in education’, we also relooked at our important concept of ‘personal best’, which is perhaps better understood as the ‘continuous pursuit of personal growth’ - the journey of each student towards incremental improvements benchmarked against their own, individualised starting points. This is built on the strong International Baccalaureate definitions of success tied to positive character attributes and skills, deep values of intercultural and environmental engagement, conflict resolution, the breadth of liberal arts education, social justice, and critical and creative thinking. Also, the IB commitment to concept and inquiry-based learning, founded on global research and review.
Mapping the journey from self esteem to global engagement
The fostering of ‘learner confidence with purpose’ is the goal for each student’s personal growth as they move through the enriching opportunities provided at every stage of their Mulgrave journey. In partnership with families, this begins with each student discovering interests, passions, and joys, which form the first steps in wider meaning making as engagement increases.
As psychologists from Maslow onwards have indicated, the steps required to achieve belonging are founded on successful learning that grows confidence. This journey towards self esteem, and then ultimately self actualisation, enables movement beyond a societal backdrop of increasing self-obsession, heightened individualism and growing social anxiety. Learner confidence is therefore essential in the development of empathy, compassion, and collective community purpose. These are the steps greater good.
WHAT?
Our Ambition:
We will promote Learner Confidence in everything we do to enable our students to move into spaces of compassion and to systemically address the causes and structures that have created climate volatility, global inequity, and social polarisation.
The development of ‘learner confidence with purpose’ will be supported by our development of outstanding teaching and learning principles and practices linked to the best global research. Mulgrave’s strength in emphasising strong teacher-student relationships lies at the heart of this approach as we seek to maximise the conditions where growing confidence supports academic, social-emotional, physical, ethical, and existential development so students are equipped to address global challenges and make a difference.
You cannot change the world if you have not first gained the confidence as an effective learner, communicator, and critical thinker.
Learner Confidence creates the stepping stones toward purpose. This will be achieved by:
Approaching Learner Confidence as our foundational concept. Student confidence and self-esteem are built on learning success as academic progress is made. Equally, confidence is forged through engagement in the arts, outdoor learning, athletics, and service learning.
Ensuring Learner Confidence via High Impact Teaching Strategies. All students will experience growth via individual formative assessment, feedback, differentiation, and a personalised approach. High Impact Teaching Strategies will help develop each student personally, whether this is focussed on providing and scaffolding support (the right amount at the right time) or extending and challenging performance.
Championing global leadership in systems thinking education. We will continue to be at the forefront of developing systems thinking and systems leadership, in partnership with the IB, to provide students with the best outlook and toolkit to address the most pressing global challenges. This reflects the World Economic Forum’s identification of complexity awareness and systems thinking as key skills for future readiness.
Prioritising conflict resolution and peace making. Information literacy and critical thinking skills will support conflict resolution capacity, enabling students to become future leaders equipped to engage in equitable, culturally responsive dialogue.
This requires rejecting simple, binary categories in favour of embracing complexity and understanding the nuances of diversity and inclusivity.
Committing to environmental and social engagement. This will arguably be the primary concern and global issue for our young people and requires both skills and a deeper shift in values and conceptualisation of our relationship to the natural world. Mulgrave’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy sets concrete goals and actions related to environmental stewardship, climate action, and global equity. Our systems thinking educational approach also emphasises the need for deeper relational and regenerative learning so students can forge more meaningful social and ecological connections.
Scan the QR code to read more about Mulgrave’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy
Centralising our Indigenous heritage. As part of our ongoing and deepening relationship with the Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (the Squamish Nation), we are developing a Reconciliation Strategic Plan with consultative support from the Nation and other national Indigenous leaders. Our partners at the International Baccalaureate Organisation, World Economic Forum, and leading universities are very interested in how Mulgrave can centralise Indigenous wisdom, epistemology, and guidance to provide to young people with a reconnection to the ancient ‘regenerative’ world view that will be required to solve global challenges.
Scan the QR code to read more about Mulgrave’s Indigenous Education Strategy
Mulgrave’s pyramid highlights how the steps in students’ learner confidence lead to purposeful action
Purpose
Motivated by a desire to be of consequence in the world. In a world faced with social, environmental, and technologyinduced challenges to our sustainability there is a resolve to find purpose in meeting these challenges. There is a recognition to use the successes and privileges of a Mulgrave education in the service of meaningful work.
Self Actualisation
Stronger confidence in learning creates competency & autonomy, has high expectations and is making good progress, which enables the mentorship of others. Confidence in self allows movement beyond themselves to become more sensitive to equity issues, social citizenship and the ‘greater good’.
Self Esteem
Has even stronger confidence in our learning process, knows they are consistently improving based on measurements, has set and met targets. This growing consistency of improvement applies to academics, sports, performing arts, or outdoor learning. The growth in learning confidence means they start to help others.
Belonging
Has increasing successes in learning and has access to more support, is engaging with class teacher, advisor and support services, attending co-curriculars with enthusiasm and has a stable friendship group. Learner confidence grows.
Safety
Comfortable with teachers; has at least one trusted adult; feels seen and is learning adequately, with support; and experiences both engagement and struggle.
Acting
• Ability to stand up for what is right and challenge or disrupt existing structures
• Can remain determined in the face of huge challenges
• Moves beyond simplistic critique by understanding complexity, creating new solutions and resolving problems
Collaborating
• Willingness to understand the ‘other’ and embrace difference, diversity, and working together
• Engaging in authentic listening that fosters genuine dialogue and conflict resolution
• Deepening global intercultural sophistication
Thinking
• Can differentiate misinformation from reliable sources and claims
• Literate in algorithmic and Al generated knowledge systems
• Skilled at working with complex and systemic issues
Relating
• Capacity to connect to one another respectfully in school, local communities, and across interconnected global ecosystems
• Ability to relate to others with growing understanding
Being
• Emerging self awareness and openness
• Developing self regulation, mindful attention and being present
Putting it into practice: translating strategy into action
What will this look like at Mulgrave?
Outstanding teaching
We will define excellent learning and teaching, implement best practices (High Impact Teaching Strategies), and provide exemplary facilities, materials, and tools to support strong teacherstudent relationships and holistic student development.
Professional learning excellence
We will provide outstanding global, research-based professional learning to support exceptional teaching. Mulgrave aspires to become a beacon institution for international best practice and a hub for excellent teacher training.
Evidence-based approaches
We will utilise individual baseline data to track progress and identify areas needing more support, enhancing teacher agency and professional growth. Our teachers will engage in review cycles that place evidence and feedback (both collecting and providing) at the heart of learning success.
Harnessing the opportunities of AI
We will integrate large language model learning into our learning management platforms, training our students in the appropriate use of AI to prepare them for a future where AI integration will be an essential component of work. We will ensure teachers have access to the best professional development opportunities to integrate AI into their teaching and support for students.
Distributed pedagogical leadership
Mulgrave middle and senior leaders will prioritise time and expertise on great teaching and effective learning for all students. They will support High Impact Teaching Strategies and provide teachers with effective feedback as they continue to improve practice every year.
Partnerships with global leaders
We will collaborate with quality assurance bodies and leading organisations such as the Council of International Schools, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, IB, Villars Institute, Squamish Nation, and UNESCO to support our focus on great teaching and producing students committed to the greater good via systems thinking.
Innovative financing, fundraising, recruitment, and retention
We will appropriately resource our ambitions to become a teaching and learning centre of excellence, ensuring the development of pedagogical leadership and positioning Mulgrave as a global pioneer in educating for purpose and systems thinking. Our endowment and teacher retention initiatives to address cost of living challenges will play a key role.
All for the Greater Good
As individual learner confidence grows, students are better able to connect and engage in wider social issues. This is the interplay between learner confidence and a sense of belonging to a greater, meaningful community that strives to do the right thing for others as well as for themselves. This is the development of purpose, as we become aware of and able to use our privileges to make a difference for the greater good.
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