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What is Teacher Wellbeing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Teacher wellbeing refers to the physical, mental, emotional and social health of everyone working in a school. It applies to teachers, teaching assistants<\/a>, learning support assistants, pastoral staff, school office staff, site teams, lunchtime supervisors, senior leaders and anyone else who contributes to the day-to-day running of a school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good wellbeing doesn\u2019t mean feeling happy or stress-free all the time whilst at school, as everyone experiences challenging periods at work. Instead, wellbeing is about feeling supported, respected and equipped to manage the demands of the role while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A workplace that supports teacher wellbeing is one where people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporting wellbeing is not solely the responsibility of individual employees. School leaders, governors<\/a> and academy trusts all have an important role in creating policies, practices and cultures that promote positive wellbeing across the whole school.<\/p>\n\n\n Wellbeing remains a significant concern across the education sector. In recent years, schools have continued to experience challenges, including increased student needs, recruitment difficulties, financial pressures and higher workloads. These factors can all affect the wellbeing of teachers and support staff. Recent surveys and reports show that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter<\/a> encourages schools and colleges to place wellbeing at the centre of leadership decisions and highlights the importance of manageable workloads, supportive leadership, professional development and access to appropriate wellbeing support. While many schools have introduced wellbeing initiatives, research suggests that lasting improvements are most successful when wellbeing becomes part of everyday leadership and organisational culture, rather than relying on occasional activities or one-off events.<\/p>\n\n\n Supporting staff wellbeing benefits everyone, from individual employees and students to the wider school community. When staff feel well supported, they are more likely to feel motivated, engaged and confident in their roles. This can contribute to improved teamwork, greater job satisfaction and better staff retention<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n On the other hand, prolonged stress<\/a> can affect physical health, mental health, concentration, decision-making and relationships with other colleagues. It may also increase sickness absence and staff turnover, placing additional pressures on the rest of the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wellbeing also has an important connection to safeguarding. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) makes clear that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility<\/a> and that all staff should be able to identify concerns, respond appropriately and work with other agencies where necessary. Staff who are experiencing excessive stress, fatigue or burnout<\/a> may find it more difficult to maintain focus, notice subtle changes in a child’s behaviour or confidently act on their concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance highlights the importance of effective multi-agency working<\/a>, professional curiosity<\/a> and information sharing. Staff who feel supported and have manageable workloads are generally better placed to contribute effectively to safeguarding processes and provide consistent support for children and young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n School leaders also have responsibilities under health and safety legislation to protect their employees’ health, including their mental health, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes considering workplace stress, carrying out appropriate risk assessments<\/a> where required and taking reasonable steps to reduce avoidable pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alongside Safeguarding Training<\/a>, our range of online courses can help staff recognise the signs of stress, develop healthy coping strategies, support colleagues appropriately and contribute to a positive working environment: Stress Awareness in the Workplace<\/a>, Mental Health Awareness<\/a> Resilience Training<\/a>, Conflict Management<\/a> and Effective Leadership<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n The most successful schools take a whole-school approach to supporting staff wellbeing that considers leadership, workload, communication, professional development and workplace culture. Small, consistent changes often have a greater long-term impact than isolated wellbeing initiatives. Here are some ideas for supporting staff wellbeing in schools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A supportive culture helps staff feel valued and encourages open communication. Leaders should set the tone for workplace wellbeing through their actions, behaviours and decision-making. Schools can promote a positive culture by:<\/span><\/p>\n High workload is consistently identified as one of the biggest contributors to poor wellbeing in education. While some pressures are unavoidable, schools should regularly review working practices to identify unnecessary tasks and reduce avoidable workload. Strategies include:<\/span><\/p>\n Leadership has a significant influence on staff wellbeing and employees are more likely to feel supported when leaders communicate openly, listen to concerns and model healthy working practices themselves. Effective leaders should:<\/span><\/p>\n A culture where staff feel comfortable discussing their wellbeing can help identify concerns before they become more serious. Employees should know who they can speak to if they are struggling and trust that any conversations will be treated sensitively and appropriately. Schools can encourage open communication by:<\/span><\/p>\n Professional development <\/span><\/a>should help staff feel confident in their roles rather than becoming another source of pressure. Training is most effective when it is relevant, practical and carefully planned throughout the year. When planning staff development:<\/span><\/p>\n Schools have a legal responsibility to provide mandatory training in areas such as <\/span>safeguarding<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>health and safety<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>data protection<\/span><\/a>. However, repeatedly asking staff to complete numerous online courses or attend lengthy training sessions within a short period can lead to compliance fatigue. This may reduce engagement and make it harder for staff to retain important information.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instead of viewing training as a series of tick-box exercises, schools should develop a structured programme that supports learning throughout the year. Good practice includes:<\/span><\/p>\n While busy periods are inevitable in education, schools should encourage healthy working habits throughout the year. Staff who feel able to switch off outside work are more likely to maintain good wellbeing over the long term. Leaders should also model healthy behaviours themselves as when senior staff demonstrate good work-life balance, employees are more likely to feel able to do the same. Schools can support work-life balance by:<\/span><\/p>\n Although leaders play a key role, creating a positive working environment requires commitment from the whole school community. Every member of staff can contribute to a supportive culture through daily acts of support, as these can have a significant impact on workplace morale and help colleagues feel valued. Staff can help by:<\/span><\/p>\n Even in schools with a strong wellbeing culture, some staff may need additional support during difficult periods. Schools should ensure employees know what help is available and how to access it. Making support visible and easy to access helps reduce barriers to seeking help early. This may include:<\/span><\/p>\n A whole-school approach to staff wellbeing recognises that healthy, supported employees are fundamental to a successful school. Investing in wellbeing, providing meaningful training and encouraging open conversations can improve morale, strengthen safeguarding practices and help schools create a positive environment that benefits everyone, including staff, students and the wider school community.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Prioritising staff wellbeing can have innumerable benefits. Learn about the importance of wellbeing and find tips to support mental health in schools here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[81,73,80],"class_list":["post-33835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-education","tag-mental-health","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhat is the Current State of Wellbeing in Schools?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nThe Importance of Teacher Wellbeing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>Want to Know More?<\/h3><\/div><\/div>
<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTips and Ideas for Supporting Staff Wellbeing in Schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n Create a Positive School Culture
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\n <\/h3>\n \n
![](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Primary-class.jpg\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n Manage Workload Effectively
\n <\/h3>\n \n
\n Support Good Leadership
\n <\/h3>\n \n
![](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/teacher-laughing.jpg\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n Encourage Open Conversations About Wellbeing
\n <\/h3>\n \n
\n Provide Meaningful Professional Development
\n <\/h3>\n \n
\n Avoid Compliance Fatigue
\n <\/h3>\n \n
\n Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance
\n <\/h3>\n \n
![](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/primary-teacher-smiling.jpg\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n Make Wellbeing Everyone’s Responsibility
\n <\/h3>\n \n
\n Signpost Staff to Additional Support
\n <\/h3>\n \n
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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