Sustaining the welcoming face of your school

This Critical Agendas professional development session with Dr Julie Rowse focuses on sustaining the welcoming face of your school — a practical exploration of how school leaders and staff can maintain genuine warmth, inclusivity, and positive first impressions for families, students, and community members throughout the school year. Dr Rowse examines the research behind school climate and community engagement, addressing the reality that the welcoming practices schools establish at the beginning of the year often erode under the pressures of daily operations, competing priorities, and staff fatigue. The session provides school leaders with concrete strategies for embedding welcoming practices into school culture rather than treating them as one-off initiatives. Dr Rowse draws on her extensive experience in school wellbeing and community engagement to explore how consistent, authentic welcome practices contribute to student belonging, parent engagement, and positive school reputation. Participants will consider how physical environments, communication practices, front-office interactions, and staff wellbeing all contribute to the impression a school makes on its community, and how leaders can build sustainable systems that maintain these standards even during challenging periods.