Building Trust in Schools
An equation for building trust with children, families, and staff in schools.
The Trust Equation
Trust is integral to any successful relationship, organization, or partnership...When trust goes missing we are doomed to dysfunction: we grow frustrated, we withdraw, we cease to engage and relationships fail. And where relationships fail, everything fails.
Steve Chalke, Oasis UK
One of the most transformative books I read this year was A Manifesto of Hope by Oasis UK founder Steve Chalke. It a powerful guide on how to enact change in our society by empowering young people and their communities.
So much of the book is deeply relevant to our work with children in schools, but one concept that stood out to me was from Chapter 8, "Trust is the glue of life." In this chapter, Chalke proposes an equation for calculating the development and maintenance of trust in relationships:
Trust = Credibility + Dependability + Relationship ÷ Self-interest
What draws me to this simple yet profound equation is how much it clarifies the successes and failures in building trust that I've experienced in various classroom and school communities throughout my career as a teacher, coach, and consultant. This equation is perhaps the key to school success - because without trust you cannot educate children, you'll lose the support of families, and you wont retain staff. And where relationships with children, families, and staff fail, everything else does too.
In the coming weeks, I will apply this equation to three key relationships within schools—children, families, and staff—through a series of articles.
Breaking Down Trust
The first step towards becoming more trustworthy is accepting that probably none of us are as trusted as we believe we are or would like to be. Trust has to be worked at...It's hard work for all sides, all of the time. And it's a continuing task.
Steve Chalke, Oasis UK
In the meantime, I want to unpack what Steve Chalke says about each variable of the equation, and start connecting it to our classrooms and schools.
The first variable in the equation is credibility - our "competency, capacity, skill, knowledge, and resource." Trust begins when we believe someone has the expertise and ability to fulfill their role. In schools, this translates into how we view teachers, leaders, and the institution itself. What factors make a school credible in the eyes of students, parents, and staff?
Dependability is about reliability and consistency—keeping promises and commitments and showing up, time and time again. As Chalke says, "It's about delivering on what we promise to do, when we say we'll do it." But in resource-strapped environments like schools, how can teachers and leaders be dependable in the face of so many different demands? What does it look like to truly show up for your students, families, and colleagues?
The most vital factor in building trust is relationship. We cannot just get the job done, trust also depends on "understanding, thoughtfulness, consideration, sensitivity, forgiveness, support...and the gift of time." Chalke writes, "building trustworthiness is about an emotional as well as rational journey." In schools, how are these deep relationships built and maintained with children, families, and staff over time?
And finally, the genius of Chalke's equation is the inclusion of self-interest as the denominator. No matter how successfully you build trust through credibility, dependability, and healthy relationships, everything is damaged if there is any degree of self-interest or lack of integrity present. Do people believe you fundamentally care about their needs as much as your own? Is this relationship a means to an end, or an end in itself? As a teacher, is your agenda driven by the child's needs, or by external pressures? As a leader, do staff believe you prioritize the long-term success of the school community over your own career progression?
A Climate of Distrust
[Schools are] nothing if not a complex web of relationships held in place by trust.
Steve Chalke, Oasis UK
Today, schools are operating in a broader climate of distrust. In the UK and US, people have little to no faith in institutions - government, police, religion, business. This distrust is fueled by a capitalist society driven by monied self-interest, atomized by online communication, and heightened by media anxiety.
As Chalke says, "Rather than feeling empowered or supported, we feel that the authorities are spying on us, reporting on us, judging us and, worse than that, judging us by their own distorted criteria." This climate of distrust creates a conspiratorial mindset - The children are out to get me. The teachers are brainwashing the kids. The school board is corrupt. The Head of School is power-hungry. Ofsted is coming for us. And the parents are whispering in the parking lot. In this atmosphere, everyone becomes an enemy, and collaboration for the common good falls apart. And, as Naomi Klein reminds us, this division is what life under capitalism is all about, “The parties with the most to gain never show up on the battlefield.”
Chalke’s trust equation offers a roadmap for rebuilding trust in this fractured environment. It takes time, effort, and intention—but it’s worth it. A school that earns the trust of its community becomes a sanctuary for children, families, and staff - and can serve as a powerful change agent for society and the world.