Why Staff Wellbeing Should be at the Top of Every Schools’ Priority List

We know that teaching can be a tough gig; teacher demands are through the roof, the admin load is forever increasing, and student behaviour appears more challenging than ever before. In addition, school staff are expected to navigate modern school life stressors like what to do about “vaping,” online bullying, occupational violence from students, and parent complaints…and that’s only just the beginning! To top it all off – staff are constantly away, and there never seems to be any relief, meaning others are left to pick up the load and are exhausted.

Are the Staff in Your School Doing Okay or Barely Able to Cope?

This is a time where you may be wondering why your student results haven’t picked up, why teaching practice can be less than innovative, or why the staff in your school can’t find any cohesion.

Could it be that staff lack the skills to look after themselves and be stress resilient? Or perhaps, their emotional and mental load is too high for them to even consider making the significant changes the leadership envisions.

The Health and Wellbeing of School Staff Matters

Part of my role as a School Health and Wellbeing Consultant is to help school leaders and staff build the solid foundations on which to begin BEFORE or WHILE they push for any change or the introduction of new initiative/s or new school direction.

Without a solid foundation that promotes good health and wellbeing, staff are less likely to form the positive and collaborative relationships required to action any change or strategy that the school leaders promote and encourage. Without these basic foundations, a school will rarely see any consistent improvement in teaching and learning outcomes. And without them, you certainly won’t see improvement reflected in the data we are pushed to capture.

If health and wellbeing aren’t prioritised, how can leaders expect to see their staff pick up a new school initiative and run with it, going on to achieve great things? And then get frustrated when execution isn’t as simple as it sounds. The staff get anxious under the pressure of implementing change. And in the end, the ones who are most affected end up being the students we teach.

Through the Well-Led Schools Partnership Program, we support leaders and staff to pinpoint the unique challenges they face and implement a tailored wellbeing framework that addresses burnout and creates a culture of support and positivity. Visit our Partnerships page to learn more!