Teachers take on lots of additional roles at school –  administration, planning, safeguarding, and supporting students’ wellbeing. While this is often rewarding, it can take a toll on a teacher’s mental health. As a school leader, it’s key that you understand the wellbeing challenges teachers face and how you can support them. 

Teacher wellbeing matters 

Teachers play an essential role in students’ lives. Alongside supporting their learning, they help keep students safe and can be the first to notice when a child is struggling with their mental health. 

Having strong wellbeing makes us all more resilient and better able to manage the various demands of our job. As such, a teacher with better mental health and wellbeing is more able to support students and contribute to a supportive and positive school culture. 

While wellbeing does benefit work performance, it is important regardless in helping your staff lead happier and healthier lives. Stronger wellbeing also often makes it easier for them to build a healthy work-life balance, so they enjoy time away from work and properly recharge at home. In turn, this makes them more resilient to deal with work-related stress, creating a cycle of generally better mental health. 

Managing workload and work-life balance 

A heavy workload has a big impact on teachers’ wellbeing – it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when there’s always too much to do. Managing a teacher's workload may be difficult at times, so it’s important to find a way that works for you. 

You can start a conversation about workload and wellbeing challenges with staff, so they feel able to talk about it and support each other. Peer support between staff members might look like sharing workload, giving each other wellbeing advice, or just providing space for others to talk about how they're feeling. 

Whatever peer support looks like, leaders can play a big role in kickstarting it by opening a dialogue about wellbeing, workload and work-life balance. 

How can school leaders support teachers' wellbeing?

As well as improving work performance, staff wellbeing is key to creating a positive culture at school. Your staff should feel that their wellbeing and job satisfaction matter; as such, you have an important role to play in promoting wellbeing. There are many ways you can do this, but it is key that wellbeing is ingrained as a priority in your school's culture.

Carry out teacher wellbeing surveysÌý

To address wellbeing challenges, you need to know what they are.ÌýWellbeing surveysÌýhelpÌýyouÌýunderstand and address challengesÌýyour school is facing, and repeating surveys enables you to measure changes over time. Anonymous surveys are moreÌýuseful in encouraging honesty, and it is important staffÌýknow they are free to express their opinions without fear of repercussions.Ìý

ShowingÌýstaff that their opinions are valued is a big step in creating an open and supportive culture. Similarly, surveys enable you to identify strengths as well as areas for improvement, which can also benefit your culture in allowing you to celebrate where your setting is doing well.

Develop a teacher wellbeing policyÌý

Once you are aware of your setting’s strengths and weaknesses, creating a wellbeing policy or action plan helps you to practically plan and implement changes. This demonstrates a commitment to supporting your teachers and staff, which goes a long way in making them feel valued and that their wellbeing matters.Ìý

You can useÌýsurveys toÌýidentifyÌýthe areasÌýyour policy or plan needs to address and then use this toÌýset targetsÌýyou canÌýmeasure with results from future surveys.ÌýIt'sÌýuseful for these to be specific and measurable – the SMART target frameworkÌýmay be useful to followÌýhere.Ìý

Retention is as key as recruitmentÌý

We know that happy and supported teachers will not only do a better job, but also that a strong, supportive culture helps youÌýretainÌýyour best teachers. That’sÌýwhy ourÌýStaff Management platformÌýincudes tools for retention as well as recruitment.Ìý

ForÌýone annual subscription price, the platformÌýincludes:Ìý

• Anonymous staff wellbeingÌýsurveys, includingÌýa bank of questions developed by a psychologist and theÌýoptionÌýto add your ownÌý

• Online CPD courses and unlimited safeguarding trainingÌý

• Support to recruit the best talent, with access to over 550,000 teachers, educationÌýprofessionalsÌýand support staff across the UK.Ìý

SupportÌýyourÌýstaff withÌýÌÇÐÄVlogÌýStaff ManagementÌý

Staff Management gives you the tools to support staffÌýwellbeing and professional development,ÌýcreatingÌýtheÌýsupportive and positive cultureÌýthat helps youÌýretainÌýyour best teachers.Ìý

Learn moreÌý

Mental healthÌýsupportÌýfor teachersÌý

We’veÌýput together some resources you canÌýuseÌýorÌýsignpost staff to if you think they might need support.Ìý

Helplines:Ìý

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Resources:Ìý

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