Flipping the frame on staff wellbeing: Tips for school leaders

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By Emma Kell

Teacher and writer

This article was published in February 2023.

We all need dedicated time and space to think. We also need to get away from the idea that everyone’s doors are open all of the time.

Whether you’re a team leader in one school or many, you’re probably reading this because you care about your staff’s wellbeing. Perhaps you want guidance on boosting morale or improving the culture, but you’re worried about another ‘to do’ list to add to that already busy pile.

I write from experience as a wellbeing facilitator, author and coach to more than 30 school leaders. Nowhere on your job description does it say you have to keep everyone happy all the time, or be there for everybody else, leaving no time for you and your loved ones.

So, what can you do to look after colleagues’ wellbeing? These tips are practical, research-based and don’t always require you to be the person doing them. They are just that – suggestions – but ones that have worked really well in other schools.

1. Be mindful of what you’re modelling

This tip links with the others. You are in the spotlight. Staff look to you for signals of how they ‘should’ be behaving at school. For me, this is about modelling humanity and not perfection. If you have one day a week when you leave at a reasonable time to see your loved ones, staff will be likely to feel they can do the same sometimes.

Be clear about what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t control, and your colleagues will also feel they don’t need to know all the answers all of the time. Openly tap into each other’s advice and wisdom.

2. Put boundaries in place

To avoid ‘spillover’ – the flooding of work thoughts into our home lives – we need to put boundaries in place. For example, a ‘going home checklist’ can be powerful. It can be put on exit doors for staff use when finishing for the day. Here’s an adaptable example from the charity Mind.

We all need dedicated time and space to think. We also need to get away from the idea that everyone’s doors are open all of the time. Even ‘do not disturb’ signs on closed doors can be signals that people need a period of quiet.

Some schools have kept PPA (planning, preparation and assessment) as a home task – one of their ‘Covid keeps’ – while headteachers and senior leaders are encouraged to spend part of their working time at home. It helps colleagues get through a list without interruptions.

3. Value human contact

Covid-19 taught us the value of human contact. We were limited to ‘bubbles’ and restrictions had a huge impact on school communities.

Therefore, value and honour your commitments to face-to-face time. It could be a staff meeting or one-to-one with an anxious parent, but it can stop issues such as assumptions and worries surfacing. People value being seen and heard and giving your time and full attention to someone can have a hugely positive impact on morale.

Many staff, although not all, may appreciate a ‘human first’ moment too. Check in now and again on a family member’s health, how their hobby is going, or even if they have a new pet. Sharing a few details about yourself will also challenge embedded hierarchies in the system and let people know you’re human too.

One headteacher I know does a ‘wellbeing walk’, checking in on colleagues around the school. He takes a different route each time and says it does wonders for his own feelings, and his staff feeling seen and heard.

4. Foster equity and belonging

When people walk through the doors of your school, do they genuinely feel they ‘belong’, regardless of gender, age, sexuality, religious beliefs, race, and ways of thinking about and being in the world? There is lots of brilliant work being done in this area, but there is still a bit mountain to climb.

Ask some volunteers from minority groups within your school community to take a walk around your school and ask them if they really feel they belong. Think about toilets, displays, food, the curriculum, the staffroom.

When I speak to unhappy and disgruntled school staff, themes of ostracism and ‘cliques’ often come out strongly.

5. Set up a wellbeing team

This can take time and planning but has been well worth the effort in some schools. Having one wellbeing lead in your school can result in the person carrying the burden of others’ worries without an outlet for their own.

Perhaps ask for volunteers from key positions around the school, ensuring all areas are represented. They don’t have to organise any extra-curricular events but they can make themselves available for half-an-hour each fortnight where staff are encouraged to come and talk through issues. If they’re school-related, encourage colleagues to come to sessions with potential solutions as well as problems.

This wellbeing work should be transparent. Have clear guidelines on what will be shared and what may be confidential and report back regularly to the staff body on what is achievable, with clear reasons why – and why not when relevant.

There are day-to-day responsibilities as a school leader which have a direct impact on the wellbeing of staff – sensible, reasonable, humane policies and procedures around workload, feedback, meetings, marking, time away from work; to model a culture of fairness, equity, belonging and reliability – all of these things have a profound and significant impact on morale.