We work in partnership with your school to improve your mental health and wellbeing and reduce your workload
Teach Well Alliance
Welcome to our website! It's packed with resources to help your school to reduce your workload and improve your mental health and wellbeing.
If you don't have much time, use the tabs above to get you to where you want to go. If you have time, scrolling is fun!
Click on this link to download our brochure, summarising how we can help you and your school: https://tinyurl.com/yd877s3l
The Teach Well Alliance is proud to endorse Natasha Devon's Mental Health Media Charter
We all have physical health. We all have mental health. We can become mentally unwell just as we can become physically unwell.
The Teach Well Alliance talks and writes about mental ill-health in a way that avoids labels, stigma and judgement and encourages support, understanding and, where appropriate, professional help.
Become a Teach Well School
Teach Well Schools look after the mental health of their staff
The Teach Well School Badge displayed on your school's website says:
'Come and join us - we will look after you!'
Be Well
If teachers are to be able to support our children, we must address their mental health and well-being. Stressed, exhausted, anxious teachers are not able to provide the psychological support our children need. They need help themselves. And they need help to help themselves. The aim of the Teach Well Alliance is to put the mental health of our teachers centre stage.
The Teach Well Alliance is committed to addressing the mental ill-health of teachers in three ways:
1) Creating a support network through Basecamp and a closed Facebook group. Sign up at www.teachwellalliance.com#join-us
2) Providing free spaces on this website where people and organisations working to improve teacher wellbeing can post details of their services. This includes books on managing workload and stress. Go to: www.teachwellalliance.com#wellbeing-strategies and http://www.teachwellalliance.com#wellbeing-providers
3) Schools can purchase the Teach Well Toolkit*. It leads to a Teach Well School Badge which schools are entitled to display on their website. The Teach Well Toolkit is a strategic 12-month programme which enables schools to address excessive workload and mental ill-health of both teaching and non-teaching staff. The Bronze, Silver or Gold Toolkit is built around a cyclical framework of actions: Identifying - Responding - Improving - Preventing.
Details of the Teach Well Toolkit can be found below at www.teachwellalliance.com#teach-well-toolkit
Teach Well
If teachers are to teach well, they must be well.
We owe it to our teachers to support them so that they are able to teach well. It is the aim of the the Teach Well Alliance to enable them to do so.The Teach Well Alliance has two places where teachers can share their experiences of wellbeing: 'Basecamp' and the 'Teach Well Alliance closed Facebook group'. Go to www.teachwellalliance.com#join-us to sign up.
Details of the Teach Well Toolkit can be found below at www.teachwellalliance.com#teach-well-toolkit
Learn Well
Teachers are being asked by government and organisations such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's charity 'Heads Together' to undertake the important role of responding to the emotional, psychological and mental health needs of their learners.
If our learners are to learn well, their teachers must be well so that they are in a position to support the mental well-being of their learners.
Pupils are aware when their teacher is stressed, exhausted, anxious, irritable. Some may worry. Others may try to 'press their teacher's buttons'. Some pupils might keep their heads down. Few will be able to enjoy or engage with their learning.
If our learners are to learn well, they must be taught by teachers who are mentally well enough to cope with the physical and emotional demands of the job, inside and outside the classroom. It is only then that they will be able to teach well.
Details of the Teach Well Toolkit can be found below at www.teachwellalliance.com#teach-well-toolkit
The Teach Well Toolkit is available in Bronze, Silver and Gold
When you achieve the Bronze, Silver or Gold Award, you will be able to display the
Teach Well School Award Badge on your school website.
The Badge says, 'Come and teach at our school.
We will go the extra mile to look after you!'.
FEATURES OF BRONZE AWARD
- Initial consultation via video conferencing with Wellbeing Consultant to identify school's requirements
- Initial anonymised survey to teaching staff, support staff, admin staff, ancillary staff and site staff to identify sources of work overload and mental ill-health (Can be customised)
- Report of results, by categories of staff and all staff
- Draft of Wellbeing Action Plan for school to consider, modify and approve
- Anonymised termly monitoring survey. Can be customised to categories of staff (as above)
- Termly report of results, by categories of staff and all staff
- Comparison of results of initial survey with repeat survey after 12 months
- Report of results
- Draft proposals for action in Year 2 and Year 3 for school to consider, modify and approve
- Final consultation via video conference with Wellbeing Consultant to support the school in final planning of years 2 and 3
- School achieves Bronze Award and displays Teach Well School Badge on website.
See Pricing Structure below
Sign up now
Prices will be held until 31st July
ALL FEATURES OF BRONZE AWARD PLUS:
- Initial face-to-face consultation with Wellbeing Consultant to identify school's requirements
- Face-to-face termly visit by Wellbeing Consultant to support the school, following each termly report
- Day workshop for up to 8 members of staff on 'Leading on Workload and Wellbeing'. School chooses either video conferencing format or face-to-face
- Final face-to-face visit by Wellbeing Consultant to support school in identifying next steps for Years 2 and 3
- Membership of closed community of schools which have been awarded Teach Well status
- Strengthscope strengths-based profile and coaching session for one of your leadership team
- School achieves Silver Award and displays Teach Well School Badge on school website.
See Pricing Structure below
Sign up now
Prices will be held until 31st July
Download a PDF version of the Teach Well Toolkit by clicking on this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/107fW3_tJhawEOJRyhxi0FpbFStQZGdp8/view?usp=sharing
ALL FEATURES OF SILVER AWARD PLUS
- Membership to online Brain Cell Mastermind for 12 months for school's Wellbeing Lead
- Email support for school's Wellbeing Lead for 12 months from Teach Well Alliance wellbeing consultant
- 2 school places for Teach Well Alliance conference on 3rd July, 2018 at Tapton School, Sheffield
- Licence to provide staff with access to 8 week online Mindfulness Stress Reduction for Teachers course
- Licence to provide students access to 8 week online Mindfulness Stress Reduction for Students course (Year 6, Year 11 and Year 13)
- Strengthscope strengths-based profile and coaching session for each member of your leadership team, including a 360 diagnostic
- School achieves Gold Award and displays Teach Well School Badge on school website.
See Pricing Structure below
Sign up now
Prices will be held until 31st July
Download a PDF of the Pricing Structure by clicking on this link: https://tinyurl.com/y8wxwws3
10% discount if a teacher in your school is registered for the Wellbeing Lead Diploma: www.teachwellalliance.com#wellbeing-lead-diploma
If your school is involved in another mental health award, you may be eligible to purchase some of the Teach Well Toolkit tools to support staff wellbeing separately.
We also offer customised in-school workshops in Workload and Wellbeing.
Please complete the contact form below and briefly outline your requirements.
We will get back to you within 24 hours.
Does your Headteacher go the extra mile to promote staff wellbeing?
Nominate him/her for the Headteacher Teach Well Award.
Scroll to the next section to find out how.
Have you decided to leave teaching? Our partner Live Well After Teaching offers a 6 month programme. Only 8 places: Go to www.livewellafterteaching.com
Headteacher Teach Well Award
Open to all Headteachers. To be awarded at Teach Well Alliance conference at Tapton School on 3rd July 2018 or at St Mark's School on 10th July, depending on location of Headteacher's school.
Award will be in free-standing glass, etched with your Headteacher's name and school.
Recommend your Headteacher for the Teach Well Award
Using the form below:
- Answer question: 'How has your headteacher promoted staff wellbeing during this academic year (2017-18)?'
- 200 words maximum.
- May include what your Headteacher said as well as what he/she did.
- Refer to specific examples.
- Refer to how each example led to an outcome which improved staff wellbeing.
- Deadline: 1st June, 2018.
Nominations: Headteacher Teach Well Award
John Rowlands
Manchester Communication Academy
Wellbeing Lead Diploma
Are you a school Wellbeing Lead? Or applying for a Wellbeing Lead post?
Sign up for our unique Wellbeing Lead Diploma.
Attend webinars. Complete practical project.Complete journal. Present project. Qualify.
- Online learning: no travel
- Online tutor support
- Monthly evening webinar seminars + Intro webinar + presentation webinar
- Closed Facebook group
- Secondary or Primary route
- Assessment by project
- School-based: practical and interactive - includes wellbeing of both pupils and teachers
- No formal writing assignments
- Keep a journal in your own style
- Track progress on Coach Accountable platform
- Complete in two terms
- 10% discount if your school has purchased Teach Well Toolkit
Complete the form below and we will send you details
Teach Well Alliance National Conference
Leading on Workload and Wellbeing
Tapton School, Darwin Lane, Sheffield S10 5RG
Tuesday, 3rd July 2018
The conference will be repeated one week later in the South
Scroll down to view details
Provisional Programme
- Registration: 9.00
- Conference begins: 09.30
- Keynote: James Hathaway: Education Legacy 123: 'Leading on Workload and Wellbeing'
- Workshop: Identifying causes of unnecessary staff workload and mental ill-health
- Workshop: Responding to the challenge: taking action
- Lunch: Sharing ideas/Exhibition/Case Study resources
- Workshop: Improving staff mental health: body and mind
- Workshop: Prevention - better than cure
- Closing remarks: James Hathaway: Education Legacy 123: 'So What? Now What?'
- Conference ends 16.00
Click anywhere on the image below to book your early bird £40 discounted place on Eventbrite to the Teach Well Alliance Conference (North)
Scroll down to book the Teach Well Alliance Conference (South)
Teach Well Alliance Conference (South)
Leading on Workload and Wellbeing
St Mark's Primary School/Children's Centre, 49-57 St Mark's Rd, Mitcham CR4 2LF
Tuesday 10th July, 2018
T
Click anywhere on the image below to book your early bird £40 discounted place on Eventbrite to the Teach Well Alliance Conference (South)
Scroll up to book the Teach Well Alliance Conference (North)
Who we are at the Teach Well Alliance
Steve Waters: CEO and Founder
English Teacher with 30 years experience, including as Head of Dept and Assistant Headteacher. 6 years Local Authority school improvement consultant. School Wellbeing and Mental Health Consultant. Mental Health trainer at Shaw Mind Foundation. Workplace Wellness Ambassador (Kelly Consulting). Qualified BAC Counsellor. Mental Health First Aider. Member of Wellness Council of America (WELCOA). Member of British Psychological Society (BPS). Mindfulness Practitioner. Author.
I launched the Teach Well Alliance following 'The Ultimate Well-Being and Mental Health in Education Conference' in London on 5th March, 2017. The conference, organised by the International Positive Education Network (IPEN), focused on enabling our students, teachers and education systems to thrive in the 21st century. The conference convinced me that the mental health of teachers is in a fragile state and they, and the schools in which they work, need support and a set of strategies to promote wellbeing in their school development plan. The Teach Well Toolkit was devised to meet this need (https://tinyurl.com/y9lvf8a9).
I have 30 years experience of teaching English, including as a Head of Department and Assistant Headteacher, and 6 years experience as a consultant in a local authority. I have been freelance since 2011, training practising teachers in schools, colleges and universities. I have the NPQH and assess the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders (NPQSL) for the National College, and I am an English Subject Knowledge Pathway (SKE) assessor for the TES Institute. I have a Masters in Education and an Advanced Diploma in Educational Management. I am a qualified coach with qualifications from the Coaching Academy in Personal Performance Coaching, Executive Coaching and Youth Impact Coaching. I am a certified Workplace Wellness Ambassador with the global wellbeing company, Kelly Consulting. I am also an apprenticeship assessor and Internal Verifier, specialising in Social Media/Digital Marketing.
The 7th edition of my book 'Doing Your Research Project' for first time researchers which I co-author with Judith Bell, will be published by Open University Press/McGraw-Hill in February 2018. A SmartBook version which enables readers to interact with the content and learn from questions based on it, will also be published in 2018.
I am a trained BAC approved Counsellor, Mindfulness practitioner and Mental Health First Aider. I am also a Mental Health trainer at the Shaw Mind Foundation. I have experienced the stress of teaching first-hand and supported teachers who have suffered from it themselves. In 2008, following several serious episodes of depression during my teaching career, I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder. I have four wonderful children and live in Manchester, UK.
Your name
Member
The Teach Well Alliance is a community. By completing our form at 'Join Us' www.teachwellalliance.com#join-us you will be invited to the Teach Well Alliance Basecamp where you can post strategies to help other teachers and schools reduce their workload and address mental ill-health.
If you wish, you can also request to join the Teach Well Alliance closed Facebook group where you can confidentially share your own experiences related to wellbeing at school with other teachers and both gain and give support.
Through the Teach Well Toolkit, the Teach Well Alliance is also an agent of change. The Teach Well Toolkit enables schools to identify sources of excessive workload and mental ill-health and address them as a whole-school community: www.teachwellalliance.com#teach-well-toolkit
The Teach Well Alliance believes that:
- If you look after the mental wellbeing of teachers, they will be able to look after the mental well-being of their pupils
- Individual mental health is affected by the mental wellbeing of the school as a community.
Workplace Wellbeing
Be Well - Be Proactive
The Mental Health Core Standards
The report 'Thriving at Work' (Oct 2017) recommends that employers adhere to 'Mental Health Core Standards'.
How could your school, college or university do this?
The Mental Health Core Standards
- Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan that promotes good mental health of all employees and outlines the support available for those who may need it.
- Develop mental health awareness among employees by making information, tools and support accessible.
- Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling, during the recruitment process and at regular intervals throughout employment, offer appropriate workplace adjustments to employees who require them.
- Provide employees with good working conditions and ensure they have a health work-life balance and opportunities for development.
- Promote effective people management to ensure all employees have a regular conversation about their health and well-being with their line manager, supervisor or organisational leader and train and support line managers and supervisors in effective management practices.
- Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing by understanding available data, talking to employees, and understanding risk factors.
Offer health checks to your teachers and support staff
Take action - increase wellbeing
Do you offer work place health checks for your staff?
An unhealthy and unhappy workforce can be costly:
- Each year 140 million working days are lost to sickness absence in the UK, costing UK businesses an estimated £29 billion.
- Presenteeism – attending work while sick – is valued at an average cost to employers of £605 per employee per year, due to reduced productivity.
- The financial cost to British business of mental ill health is estimated at £26b p.a.
- Smokers' sick leave and smoking breaks are estimated to cost UK business £8.7b p.a.
- High staff turnover can incur huge recruitment and training costs.
Evidence shows that workplace health initiatives can deliver a wide range of benefits, to both employers and staff. Staff enjoy improved wellbeing, and workplace health checks can even pick-up conditions before they cause symptoms. Employees working for firms that promote wellness are more likely to be engaged, and think positively of their employers.
British Heart Foundation research shows that employers who invest in appropriate and successful workplace health initiatives have the potential to see a return on investment of between £2 and £34 for every £1 spent. Typically, programmes that address overall health pay back over two to three years, while more targeted interventions – such as weight management, or smoking cessation - can be even quicker.Liaise with your local Health Authority to request support to provide health checks in your school, college or university.
Should you have the flu jab?
Don't wait - Vaccinate!
Yes - if you are over 65. Or if you have any of the following conditions, irrespective of your age:
- serious heart complaint
- a chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema
- serious kidney disease
- diabetes
- lowered immunity due to disease or treatment such as steroid medication or cancer treatment
- if you have had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- if you have a problem with your spleen or you have had your spleen removed
- are seriously overweight (BMI of 40 or above)
Your GP may advise you to have a flu jab if you have serious liver disease or a neurological condition such as multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy or learning disability.
If you are pregnant, you should also have the flu jab.Vaccinations are free from your GP for the above groups.For staff who fall outside these groups, the cost of flu jabs is usually no more than £10 from pharmacies. Why not ask your school to pay for vaccinations for staff who are not eligible for a free jab? You may be able to arrange for a local store or pharmacy to visit your school, college or university.Average absences through flu last for a week
Have more of your budget to spend supporting teachers in the classroom
If your school or college pays for 50 staff who are not eligible for a free flu jab to be vaccinated, it will cost no more than paying for a supply teacher for two days. It makes wellbeing sense. It makes financial sense.
What We Do
Show off your projects, features, or clients in this section.
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A sentence or two describing this item. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet.Lead Well. Be Well. Teach Well. Learn Well.
Combine the Teach Well Toolkit with the Strengthscope strengths-based profiler and leverage the leadership strengths which engage staff, support well-being and enable them to teach well.
Strengthscope can also be used independently of the Teach Well Toolkit. If your school is interested in finding out more, including the cost of using Strengthscope with or without the Teach Well Toolkit, click on the 'Please Send Me More Information' button below.
Steve Waters
Founder: Teach Well Alliance
Strengthscope Certified Practitioner
Strengthscope: Online Strengths-Based Profiling Tool
The only strengths-based psychometric approved by the British Psychological Society
Why Strengthscope?: Creators James Brook & Dr Paul Brewerton
Strengthscope® is the world’s most innovative cloud-based strengths assessment and development platform used to help individuals, leaders and teams achieve excellence through optimizing their strengths
Teacher Wellbeing Survey
27 responses so far. If you haven't completed our survey, please do so and help us to build evidence of the impact of pressure on teachers across the sectors.
Click on this link to complete the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/yqRVj2OvkvaoUR2z2
Click on the screenshot below to see the results. If you see the survey again when you click, please wait a moment for it to change to the results.
Click on the screenshot above to see the results of the survey on Teachers' Wellbeing. If the survey appears when you click, wait a moment and it will change to the results.
Wellbeing Strategies, Books and Other Sources of
Workplace Support
'Say Yes to New Opportunities! Be Motivated to L.E.A.R.N'
Ruth Pearson: Author House UK (2017)
“Listen to your inner voice, and do not let anyone stop you from being the person you know within and need to be.”
Ruth Pearson’s book shares the emotional experiences she went through as a classroom teacher, and how these experiences became the catalyst for her to change her life. She shares these changes with her readers, to teach them how they can proactively look after their personal and professional wellbeing. She teaches how to put the mask on ourselves first before looking after the wellbeing of others.
No matter what you do for a living, you know it can be hard to overcome personal and professional problems. Get the inspiration you need to accomplish your goals and conquer your fears by reading Ruth's Book
.
Book Available on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y8e8otd7
How to Survive in Teaching: without imploding, exploding or walking away (2018)
Dr Emma Kell
How to Survive in Teaching is based upon the voices of almost 4,000 UK teachers, former teachers, school leaders and researchers. The book is a call-to-action and a celebration of the profession. It aims to take an unflinching look at the challenges faced by UK educators today and to get beneath the bones of the teacher crisis. Emma Kell argues that it’s not as simple as ‘workload’ - though workload is indeed an ongoing issue.
Teachers go into the job because they actively want to make a difference to young people. There is a solid thread of moral purpose that runs through all of the responses from participants in the book. Professional integrity, trust and relationships are at the centre of ‘what works’ in some of the excellent schools that are recruiting - and retaining - our best teachers.
Publication date: 11th January, 2018. Pre-order on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y7692vrl
Come to Emma Kell's book signing on the evening of 11th January: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/dr-emma-kell-15825900223
#Teacher5adayBuddyBox: Mrs Humanities
What is #Teacher5adayBuddyBox?
#Teacher5adayBuddyBox is a strand of the #Teacher5aday initative with a focus on volunteering. A buddy box is quite simply a box of goodies that gets posted to a buddy.
Who can get involved?
The scheme is open to teachers, educators and other members of school staff that are concerned with improving their wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. It’s particularly awesome if you still love sending and receiving snail mail and are happy to volunteer.
How does it work?
It’s quite simple. You sign up and get matched with a wellbeing buddy and you make contact with them. Swap addresses. You send each other ‘buddy boxes’ throughout the year. They receive their ‘buddy box’. You make them smile. The hardest part is deciding what to send.
What happens once I sign up?
You can sign up anytime but may have to wait for a wellbeing buddy to be available to be matched. Once your buddy has been found you’ll be informed by email/Twitter and you can take it from there. Swap addresses, send your ‘buddy box’, make each other smile.Please note…
Remember this is completely voluntary, it is your responsibility to contact your wellbeing buddy and to send out your “buddy box”. You must cover all costs involved. This is completely based upon all participants wanting to sign up and take part out of the kindness of their hearts. I’m afraid neither I, nor anyone involved in #teacher5aday, can accept responsibility if you do not receive a buddy box in exchange. Therefore, please only sign up if you intend to send.Before deciding whether you would like to sign up, please read the FAQs at:
https://teacher5adaybuddybox.com/faq/
Thank you.
If you have read the FAQs and this all sounds good to you, then sign up for the Buddy Box scheme, using the form available at the link below:
Flip the System UK: A Teacher's Manifesto (2017)
Lucy Rycroft-Smith & J L Dutaut
This brave and disruptive book accurately defines the problems of low teacher morale and offers systemic, future-proof, and realistic solutions to bringing hope, energy and joy back to the profession. The simple answer is staring us in the face: increase teacher agency. Our rallying cry: our profession needs a return to values of humanity, pride, and professionalism.
From research literacy to a collective voice, better CPD to smarter accountability, contributors to this book demonstrate the huge scope for increased teacher influence at every level of the education sector. Education voices including Sam Twiselton, Alison Peacock, David Weston, and Andy Hargreaves, supported by a broad range of academics and policy makers, vouch for increased teacher agency and stronger, more powerful networks as a means of improv- ing practice, combatting teacher disillusionment, and radically improving UK education. This text offers an exciting and hopeful perspective on education, urging teachers to work together to ‘flip the system’ and challenging policy makers to help … or get out of the way.
Lucy Rycroft-Smith is a maths teacher, now working as a writer and researcher, and makes regular contributions to the Guardian and TES on a variety of educational issues.
JL Dutaut is a teacher of citizenship, media, and government and politics.
Available on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yb3w9efj
Workplace Wellness that Works - 10 Steps to Infuse Wellbeing and Vitality into any Organization. Laura Putnam: 2015: Wiley
Laura Putnam's book provides a fresh perspective on how to promote employee well-being in the workplace. Based on the latest research and backed by real-world examples and case studies, this book provides the tools needed to start making a difference in employees' health and happiness, and promoting an overall culture of well-being throughout the organization. Readers will come away with concrete, actionable takeaways for tackling the massive obstacle of behavioural change, and will learn how to design and implement an approach that can most benefit their organization. In ten steps, readers will learn how to assess their organization's needs and craft well-being programs that actually benefit leaders, managers and employees.
Available on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y7epybrz
Leadership Laid Bare!: Graham Wilson (2015) Success Online
Graham Wilson's book does not focus on mental health. However, I am pleased to include it here because it is simply the best book on leadership that I have read. It empowers leaders to be themselves, to be happy with their vulnerability, to give their strengths and the power of their role to their teams to be leaders in their own right. 'Leadership Laid Bare' is the book for you if you want to be an authentic leader, to grow as a person through leadership, enable others to do the same, and to promote a culture of wellbeing.
Leadership Laid Bare! is the first in a series of books from Graham Wilson. Graham Wilson has used his 25 years of creating outstanding leaders to bring it all together in one easy to use format that will transform results. Leadership Laid Bare! is for those who want to abandon outdated ways of leading and develop new ways that work. Graham takes you on a journey into why we need to change in today’s digital age, what great leadership looks like and how to develop as a leader. He also shares a range of practical and easy to use leadership tools you can use straight away.
Available on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y8bg5c5e
Stand Tall, Little Girl. Hope Virgo: Trigger Press (2017)
Hope Virgo suffered with anorexia for over 4 years, before being admitted to a Mental Health Hospital in 2007. She lived in the hospital for a year, fighting one of the hardest battles of her life. Since being discharged, she has fought to stay well. She now wants to use her experiences of mental health illness to champion the rights of others, inspire them to get well, and help break the stigma of mental illness.
Hope lives and works in London. In her spare time, she volunteers for refugee charities, and charities that support young and abandoned children. She is a dedicated runner, and has a keen interest in maintaining good mental health through healthy eating and exercise.
Hope is excited about what the future holds, excited that mental health issues are gradually getting talked about. She is in a whole new place, taking each day as it comes, and living life to the fullest.Available on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yd4nngny
Tapton School, Sheffield: Mental health and Wellbeing Noticeboard
This is a Mental Health and Well Being board directed at pupils which Tapton School displayed in October 2017. It answers the question 'How do you look after your Mental Health and Well Being?' with a number of images and speech bubbles. It has the recurring slogan: 'Not the only one' which is represented by images of pencils, football shirts and skittles. The school is going to design a similar board for staff. Could your pupils design something similar in tutor time, PHSE...?
Click on this link to download the jpg to your desktop: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1WFty940QLYd3JPUHctdkpUSWM/view?usp=sharing or click on the centre of the image of the board on the right.
Tapton School Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Board
This is Tapton School's second board: this time aimed at staff. Staff are invited to write ideas and activities on post-it notes under the different headings.
You can download a jpg of the board by clicking on this link: https://drive.google.com/a/teachwellalliance.com/file/d/0B6h0t-gTSs-7cENqc1c5RFRJbU0/view?usp=sharing or by clicking on the image of the board.
5 guaranteed ways to improve workplace wellbeing.
1. Tell someone you work with that they are doing a good job - as often as you like, as many colleagues as you like.
2. Pair up with someone who is on duty. Make a cup of tea/coffee when the other person is on duty. Take it to them.
3. Don't send work-related emails after 5pm. (Sound impossible? Tapton School cuts their server between 5pm - 7am. See 'Case Studies' below).
4. Reduce teaching from the front in each lesson by 25%. During that time, give students tasks which involves them learning for themselves.
5. At least once during the day, even for a few minutes, sit and relax without doing work-related tasks. Have a tea/coffee/drink water. Talk to colleagues. Sit in silence. Listen to music on your earphones. Do deep breathing or Mindfulness meditation. Whatever takes you away from classroom-related activity.
6. Do something to help someone else. Sound unrealistic if you're on your knees yourself? Research tells us that helping someone else makes us feel good about ourselves.
7 Just say 'No'. Yes, you can do this in a positive way. See: 'How to Just Say No' below. It's not a secret. Anyone can do it.
Bonus (but not guaranteed!): This is from 'left field' as they say in the USA. We have no idea if it will work but it's worth a try. Instead of telling your students 'Please get on with your work', substitute the word 'work' for 'learning' so 'Please concentrate on your learning', 'Let's get back to learning, please' etc. Let us know if this makes a difference to students' attitudes towards what they are doing in class.
Simple, low-cost care for staff
Free tea, coffee and cold water. Free biscuits. Free Fruit on Fridays. Set up social club and support social events. Welcome back card for staff absent for a week or more. Make mental well-being a goal for whole organisation, not just for learners: 'Everyone matters' rather than 'Put pupils first'. Make parents aware that you are a well-being organisation. Have teacher/support staff-of-the-week award: for going above and beyond. Early Friday: no-one stays behind.
How to Just Say 'No'
When you are asked to do something by someone who line manages you and you think it is unreasonable, what do you do? Do you do it, afraid that you might be seen as a troublemaker if you don't?
I've been there and, honestly, I have sometimes just completed the task. But in the end I worked out that there was a way of saying 'No' which took me out of the 'either-or' scenario. Here's what I did.
1) If it was possible in the time to complete the task, I did it and then moved to 2) If it wasn't possible in the time to complete the task, I moved straight to 2)
2) In no more than a third of a side of A4, I wrote a bullet point summary of why it was difficult or impossible to complete the task.
3) I followed this with, in no more than a third of the side of A4, a description in bullet points of the impact on my work and wellbeing of being asked to complete the task in the time provided.
4) In the remaining third of the side of A4, I proposed in bullet points a solution to enable me to complete tasks of this nature in future.
5) I included my name and the date at the foot of the side of A4.
6) I sent an email to the person who asked me to complete the task, with my bulleted document attached. It went something like this:
Hi... or Dear... (whichever is appropriate)
I would appreciate a meeting to discuss [describe the task] that you asked me to do on [enter date you were given the task] by [enter date you were given to complete the task].
I have attached a brief outline of my concerns/thoughts/response [choose one according to context] which I hope will explain why I think a meeting will be helpful.
I am happy to meet after school or during a non-contact period.
Thank you
Best regards/Yours sincerely
Your name
7) During the meeting, as far as you possibly can, tick to the bullet points to focus on the key issues and your reasons why it was problematic to be asked to complete the task. If your line manager tries to divert you away from the document e.g. by referring to your work in general or your lack of cooperation etc, politely reply 'I appreciate that you would like to make other points but I would be grateful if we could focus on my document so that we have the best chance of resolving this particular issue'.
8) At the end of the meeting, offer to make a record of the outcome of the meeting and send a copy to your line manager. Do this, even if there has been no resolution.
9) If there has been no resolution and/or if your line manager has been unhelpful or obstructive, you will have to escalate your concern to the member of staff who is in charge of your line manager for their attention.
So, why follow this process?
- It helps you to be objective, rather than personal
- It helps you to focus on the facts during the conversation
- It makes it clear how you were affected by being asked to complete the task in an unreasonable amount of time (your employer or his/her representative has a duty of care for your mental health and wellbeing)
- It proposes a solution, rather than just writing to complain
- If the situation escalates further, leadership will see that you have conducted yourself in a professional manner and made every attempt to resolve the situation.
- It provides a record which can be recovered if the need arises.
- It reduces the possibility of you (and perhaps other colleagues) being asked to complete tasks in similar circumstances.
Hope this is of help. If you have found other ways of dealing with similar situations, we would love to hear about what you did. Your name and school will be changed to protect your identity, if you so wish.Set up a Wellbeing group
Set up a group responsible for well-being. Include support staff and a cross-section of staff. Make its first task an audit of well-being in your school, college or university. Ensure that it meets at a time already allocated to meetings across the school e.g. faculty meetings.
First Aid for Teacher Burnout: Dr Jenny Grant Rankin. Routledge (2016)
As summarised on Amazon: Offering clear strategies rooted in research and expert recommendations, First Aid for Teacher Burnout empowers teachers to prevent and recover from burnout while finding success at work. Each chapter explores a different common cause of teacher burnout and provides takeaway strategies and realistic tips. Chapter coverage includes fighting low morale, diminishing stress, streamlining grading, reducing workload, leveraging collaboration, avoiding monotony, using technology to your advantage, managing classroom behavior, advocating for support from your administration, securing the help of parents and community, and more. Full of reflection exercises, confessions from real teachers, and veteran teacher tips, this accessible book provides easy-to-implement steps for alleviating burnout problems so you can enjoy peace and success in your teaching.
Available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ycrgf6ob
The Elephant in the Staffroom: Chris Eyre. Routledge (2016)
As summarised on Amazon: The Elephant in the Staffroom is the survival guide that every busy teacher needs for practical advice on teacher wellbeing. Written in an informal, conversational style, the book is divided into 40 bite-size chunks, covering a range of essential topics from understanding and avoiding burnout, to successful working patterns, and even surviving the school holidays!
Available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ya6tjswj
The Ultimate Mental Health Toolkit
Mental Health Foundation/UNUM
Creating an effective wellbeing strategy is an important component in becoming an employer of choice. Providing the right support through elements like flexible working practices, great leadership, a culture of trust and employee benefits can have a significant effect on staff engagement.
The UNUM toolkit, based on robust research and insights from respected business leaders, is a practical step-by-step guide on how to boost employee wellbeing. Many of its strategies can be adapted to the school/college/university environment.
The 7 modules within the UNUM toolkit (all can be used to update your CPD).
- 5 ways to improve workplace wellbeing
- Top tips to attract and retain the best people
- Communicating your wellbeing strategy
- Five ways to improve motivation and trust
- Developing an effective wellbeing strategy
- Ten ways to win over your finance director
- Managing mental health in the workplace - Mental Health Foundation partnership
Modules are also available in the 'Docs and Files' section of the Teach Well Alliance Basecamp 'Campfire'. Click here to join the Teach Well Alliance and receive an invite to the conversation: https://goo.gl/forms/RMQWqmBkVlDRH6Ra2
Staying A Head: Viv Grant. Integrity Coaching (2014)
As summarised on Amazon: Staying A Head is a book about overcoming the stresses of school leadership. The book identifies key strategies that school leaders must adopt if they are to rise successfully above the challenges of their roles and maintain their ability to lead and inspire others.
Available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ydxkav6v
Poster: 50 Ways to Take a Break
Paula Hansen
Paula Hansen is a graphic designer and has created a number of posters, including this one. Go to http://www.chart-magic.com/project/50-ways-to-take-a-break/ to see a good quality image. You can contact Paula at paula@paulahansen.com
Happy Teacher Revolution, USA
Danna Thomas
Happy Teacher Revolution (HTR) is a Baltimore-born, international movement with the mission to support the mental health and wellness of teachers. We train and support teachers to lead HTR groups in their own communities. Happy Teacher Revolution helps educators develop self-care strategies that will help them avoid burnout and be able to cope with their daily life. Through the HTR network of educators, teachers engage in self-reflection and explore topics such as caregiver burnout, “second-hand” or vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue. Contact: danna@happyteacherrevolution.com
Managing Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental Health Foundation/UNUM
This UK practical resource provides advice and strategies to help you address the issue of mental health and develop strategies to manage your workplace to make it a less stressful place to be. This is a module from the online course described in the post below.
[Click on the link to download to your desktop]
This Much I Know About Love Over Fear: Creating a Culture for Truly Great Teaching: John Tomsett. Crown Publishing (2015)
'You grow great teachers who grow a truly great school'.
Description on Amazon: This Much I Know about Love Over Fear is a compelling account of leading a values-driven school where people matter above all else. [John Tomsett is Headteacher of Huntington School in York].
Weaving autobiography with an account of his experience of headship, John Tomsett explains how, in an increasingly pressurised education system, he creates the conditions in which staff and students can thrive. Too many of our state schools have become scared, soulless places.
John Tomsett draws on his extensive experience and knowledge and calls for all those involved in education to find the courage to develop a leadership-wisdom which emphasises love over fear. Creating a truly great school takes patience. Ultimately, truly great schools don't suddenly exist. You grow great teachers first, who, in turn, grow a truly great school. There is a huge fork in the road for head teachers: one route leads to executive headship across a number of schools and the other takes head teachers back into the classroom to be the head teacher. John strongly believes that if the head teacher is not teaching, or engaged in helping others to improve their teaching, in their school, then they are missing the point. The only thing head teachers need obsess themselves with is improving the quality of teaching, both their colleagues' and their own.
'This Much I Know about Love Over Fear' is an authentic personal narrative of teaching, leadership and discovering what really matters. It gets to the heart of what is valuable in education and offers advice for those working in schools.
Available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/yabcuhyu
Mark, Plan, Teach (2017) Ross Morrison McGill. Bloomsbury (2017) [Author of award-winning daily blog: Teacher Toolkit]
There are three things that every teacher must do: mark work, plan lessons and teach students well. This brand new book from Ross Morrison McGill, bestselling author of 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Outstanding Lessons and Teacher Toolkit, is packed full of practical ideas that will help teachers refine the key elements of their profession. Mark. Plan. Teach. shows how each stage of the teaching process informs the next, building a cyclical framework that underpins everything that teachers do.
With teachers' workload at record levels and teacher recruitment and retention the number one issue in education, ideas that really work and will help teachers not only survive but thrive in the classroom are in demand. Every idea in Mark. Plan. Teach. can be implemented by all primary and secondary teachers at any stage of their career and will genuinely improve practice. The ideas have been tried and tested and are supported by evidence that explains why they work, including current educational research and psychological insights from Dr Tim O'Brien, leading psychologist and Visiting Fellow at UCL Institute of Education.
Mark. Plan. Teach. will enable all teachers to maximise the impact of their teaching and, in doing so, save time, reduce workload and take back control of the classroom.Available on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/y82k8wu
What can we learn about staff wellbeing from Harrop Fold, the school featured in the Channel 4 documentary 'Educating Greater Manchester'?
If you haven't seen 'Educating Greater Manchester' with Harrop Fold School, it is available online at 'All 4' at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/educating-greater-manchester/on-demand/61519-001 The school, once described as the one of the worst in the country, was turned round by the headteacher, Drew Povey, and his brilliant staff.
Harrop Fold is exemplary in the care it takes of its pupils' wellbeing. Underlying this, but not featured in the documentary which focuses on the relationships between staff and pupils, are indicators of positive staff wellbeing. So, what are they?
- Humour. Staff, even when faced with challenging pupil behaviour and emotional distress, are able to laugh together.
- Support. Staff support one another, acknowledge their limitations and play to their strengths. This is seen when Mr Ince supports Katelyn, a challenging pupil with extreme mood swings and behaviour problems, as he is able to reach her and influence her behaviour when other staff find it difficult to do so.
- Staff acknowledge to their pupils that, like them, adults have difficult times and experience a range of emotions. Openly admitting their own emotions in public is a sign that the staff are not afraid that their feelings will be regarded as weaknesses.
- Sharing enjoyment of personal events e.g. a member of the Student Development Team is seen carrying a 'Congratulations' balloon, flowers and gifts sent via Moonpig by her daughter for her birthday.
- Close relationships between teaching and support staff, indicating that there is not a hierarchical system of expertise.
Wellbeing Help and Providers
Click on the provider's logo or on the link below the description to be taken to their website or to email them. We have been in touch with each of the companies below, reviewed testimonials where provided and are happy to recommend them. However, please do your own fact-finding, as we are unable to guarantee that any of the wellbeing providers will be right for you or your school. None of the companies pay to feature on our website.
Juliet Adloune: Mental Health First Aid Instructor
Juliet Adloune, based in Cambridgeshire, has worked as an adviser and consultant in school improvement for over 15 years. She has previous experience in teaching in Primary schools and leadership experience at all levels, including Headship.
Following training accredited by The Royal Society of Public Health, Mental Health First Aid England has now allowed Juliet Adloune to deliver Adult MHFA courses which are internationally recognised training courses. Juliet has a strong commitment to promoting mental health and well-being for all adults in schools and is therefore offering courses at reduced rates for school staff and Governors.
Contact Juliet at mhfa.julietadloune@gmail.com
Teacher Coach (USA)
Teacher Coach is the first hybrid training platform for educators and parents, generating revenue for the school district. Teacher Coach is a virtual training medium, providing personal growth and professional development through online learning, coaching and webinars. Through our innovative Learning Engagement System (LES), districts can build a custom library and even create/sell their own training.
Branded dedicated district portals, monitored through a control management system, deliver our brief learning instalments from national experts in multiple fields, supporting educators' busy schedules. Financial support from local, regional, and state sponsors helps subsidise training for the district.
Visit our website at: https://www.teachercoach.com
Gail Lynott: Rainbow Education Group
Gail has been working within HR and Education for 22 years and is passionate about developing the self-awareness and Emotional Intelligence of young people in order to enhance their future employability. As a Supply Teacher, Gail works with children and teaching staff on a regular basis.
She is currently championing the use of 'Insights' to enhance the self-perception, confidence and communication skills of teenagers. The 'Insights Discovery' evaluator is approved by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and uses four colours to represent how each person behaves. The evaluator is a questionnaire based on word pairs; the responses produce an Insights Personal Profile. Gail is committed to using Insights to provide bespoke CPD to teaching staff.
Gail is also an advocate for Well-being and Resilience Training, drawing on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques & her extensive experience of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Gail has a BA (Hons) in Applied Human Communication and an NVQ (Level 3) in Training and Development. She is a Fellow of the RSA: '21st Century Enlightenment', and a dedicated mother to two young teenage girls and a dog called Topsy.
Contact Gail at: gail@rainboweducationgroup.com and visit her website at: www.rainboweducationgroup.com
Trish Dooley
Leadership Coach & Educational Consultant
Having been a senior leader in school, including four Deputy Headships in Inner London secondary schools, Trish retrained to become a professional leadership coach and now specialises in coaching leaders in education.
Trish is passionate about education and works in schools to support senior leaders in these difficult but potentially rewarding times.
Trish's experience enables her to understand the complexities of the problems brought by senior leaders to the coaching relationship. She places teachers' wellbeing at the centre of her work and the development of emotional intelligence at the heart of the school community.
Visit Trish's website at: www.trishdooley.com
Listening to Your Voice
Ruth Pearson
Listening To Your Voice is about transformation. Ruth Pearson offers bespoke training and coaching services to schools and other places of learning. All services are based on the coaching and training model called 5STEPS2LEARN which Ruth developed. This programme integrates leadership, learning and wellbeing. She works with others to prevent work-related stress but also shares practical ways to bounce back from stressful times in life which could be personal, professional or both.
Ruth's services are delivered in person, in and around London, but online services are also available. Listening to Your Voice helps individuals and teams to take responsibility for their wellbeing by teaching them strategies on how to have a positive mindset and use others in their life to proactively manage changes.
Visit our website at: https://www.listeningtoyourvoice.co.uk
The Vitality Fairy
Julie Silver is known as The Vitality Fairy and the author of 'Food Awakening - Nutrition for NOW'. She is a qualified nutritional therapist and stress management consultant who offers one-to-one nutrition consultations, healthy eating workshops, corporate wellness programmes and talks and workshops in various organisations. Julie has diplomas in nutrition, stress management & holistic therapies. She writes health information for many publications and blogs and she has appeared on TV & Radio inspiring others to live to their true potential.
More on Julie's website at: www.vitalityfairy.co.uk
Inner Armour
Empowering Resilience in Education
Do your students know what to do when they don’t know what to do?
Inner Armour is powered by Positive Psychology.
We train and equip teachers, teenagers & graduates across the U.K & internationally to manage, improve and protect their own mental health. We teach them professionally how to build mental inner armour that can last a lifetime.
We specialise in delivering the Self-Evolving Positive Psychology Team (SEPPT) training and have been described as the 'special forces' of mental health in education. We train staff seamlessly to execute outstanding mental health provision long after we have gone.
Visit our website at: https://innerarmour.org/
Trainmymind
Dr Sheila French
Trainmymind, serving schools in the North West of England, can offer a whole-school approach to implementing Mindfulness.
Dr. Sheila French the founder of Trainmymind, is an experienced educator, with over 20 years experience of teaching in schools, colleges and universities. Trainmymind offers an 8-week course for training teachers and the Paws.b and .b for school pupils.
Sheila established TrainmyMind because she is passionate about individuals achieving their potential. Evidence has shown that Mindfulness can improve the wellbeing and performance of school staff (Weare, 2014). That Mindfulness training can have a positive impact in the following areas; physical health and well-being, reduced stress and improved mental health, as well as increased emotional regulation and social capacities.
Sheila has a Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness from Aberdeen University.; certified “Ready to Teach” Mindfulness-Based Living Courses (MBLC), and is trained to teach Workplace Mindfulness Training (WMT). Sheila is also trained to teach the prestigious Paws.b and .b curriculum to primary and secondary school children and young adults.
Visit our website at: www.trainmymind.co.ukhttp://www.trainmymind.co.uk
Education Support Partnership
Vision and Mission
The Education Support Partnership is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of teachers and the entire education workforce.
Supporting those in early years, higher education and further education as well as schools, we understand the unique pressures of working in education.
We champion good mental health and wellbeing of teachers, lecturers, school leaders, support staff and prison educators throughout their careers and during retirement as well as supporting education leaders with a wide range of tools to help improve professional and organisational development too.
Read about Laura's story by clicking on the image on the left.
Helpline
There are many stresses on those who work in education. That’s why we offer free, confidential help and support, no matter what the problem. Our trained counsellors listen without judgement. No issue is too big or too small.
Our free and confidential 24-hour helpline receives over 7500 calls a year from education staff who have reached breaking point and is available UK wide on 08000 562 561.
Grants
Our confidential grants service helps those working in or retired from the education sector and suffering financial problems caused by unemployment, ill health, sudden life events, bereavement or a personal injury.
If you're not close to a phone or prefer to be helped through Email support or live chat, no problem.
You can contact our support service by email at support@edsupport.org.uk. Just so you know, they’ll probably encourage you to give them a call because it’s much easier to talk freely that way.
Online chat
If you can’t face using the phone, or just prefer to talk online, you’re welcome. We’re available now. Online chat support is a free 24/7 service. You’ll be joined in a pop-up chat window by one of the same counsellors who answer the phone calls.
Just so you know, they’ll probably encourage you to give them a call because it’s much easier to talk freely that way. But don’t worry, they won’t insist. You can still chat online with them instead.
Feel free to chat with one of our counsellors.
Visit our website at: https://www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk
Infinite Wellbeing
Sue Judge
Infinite wellbeing offers a bespoke wellbeing service. We tailor programs to the specific needs of your staff. This may be in the form of lunch and learn sessions, challenges and 1-1 sessions. Wellbeing is so much more than eating healthy foods and exercising. Whilst these are fundamental, we take a more holistic view of health, by looking at five key areas that include Physical, Social, Career, Community, and Financial.
We help and support individuals to take responsibility for their health and empower them with the knowledge to make sustainable life changes whilst nurturing a happy, healthy and inspired workforce.
Visit our website at: https://infinitewellbeing.co.uk/
Circles for Learning
Alison Waterhouse
Circles for Learning is a whole class or small group project that supports the development of mental health and wellbeing, including resilience, emotional and social competencies, empathy and skills for learning for children in KS1, KS2 and KS3.
Alison Waterhouse is the Founding Head of a Therapeutic Special School, SEN Consultant and Educational Psychotherapist. She has many years experience of supporting children, staff and schools to develop programmes to support learning skills, social skills and emotional literacy.
Circles for Learning uses baby observation in the classroom on a monthly basis to stimulate discussion and activities that develop learning skills, social skills and emotional wellbeing. It is led by the class teacher, who is trained to become the Learning Guide, supported with the specially designed Circles for Learning Resources. The resources act as a guide book and not a manual so that teachers can choose the focus they wish to develop, guided by the interests, difficulties or themes their class is experiencing.
Visit our website at: http://www.circlesforlearning.co.uk/ and read about Alison Waterhouse's research into the impact of Circles for Learning at www.teachwellalliance.com#research
Via Vita Health
Via Vita Health are workplace wellbeing specialists founded by The Sunday Times PE teacher of the Year 2009 Caroline Sidell. At Via Vita Health Caroline dedicates her enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism to develop and deliver all aspects of workplace wellbeing across the education and corporate sectors. She and her team of professionals deliver exciting and innovative wellness programmes to motivate, re-energise, and retain employees. Services include staff surveys, workshops, training days, webinars, videos, fact sheets, a health kiosk, resilience & mental health training, targeted campaigns, a yearly wellbeing calendar, health checks and much more.
Visit our website at: www.viavitahealth.co.uk
iam1in4
iam1in4 is a blog site devoted to mental health at work. It includes resources and contact details for sufferers of mental ill-health, articles and personal accounts.
Visit our website at: https://iam1in4.com/
Hope Virgo
Author of 'Stand Tall Little Girl' & Ambassador for the Shaw Mind Foundation
Hope Virgo inspires change and supports recovery. She presents and gives talks on mental mental health throughout the UK and internationally.
Hope’s own journey began when she was 13. Faced with a range of issues, her way of coping was to diet and exercise. This developed into clinical Anorexia. For four years, Hope managed to hide her Anorexia, keeping dark secrets from friends and family.
On 17th November 2007, Hope's world changed forever. She was admitted to a mental health hospital. Her skin was yellowing, her heart was failing. She was barely recognisable. Forced to leave her family and friends, the hospital became her home. Over the next year, at her lowest ebb, Hope faced the biggest challenge of her life. She had to find the courage to beat her anorexia. Now in her late twenties, Hope raises awareness of mental ill-health by sharing her story so that everyone knows recovery is possible.
Hope has presented her story to a wide range of organisations to raise mental health awareness. If you would like her to speak in your school or college, Hope can present to an audience, join a panel discussion or be recorded for an interview.
if you want your colleagues or students to be inspired and your organisation to play an important role in changing attitudes towards mental health, Hope's story is the place to start.
More of Hope's story, testimonials and videos can be found on her website: http://hopevirgo.com
Neil Jurd: Executive Coaching and Psychometric Assessment
Neil Jurd is a specialist in leadership and team development in Higher and Further Education. He coaches senior academic and support staff in universities and schools, and runs fun and challenging team development events, often using experiential learning, discussion groups, master-classes and psychometric assessment. Neil studied and taught leadership at RMA Sandhurst. In recent years Neil has run courses for with Commonwealth Games Team Scotland, Highways England, The Leadership Trust, Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria, as well as being an expert speaker for Richmond Events. Neil makes a significant positive difference to individuals and teams.
Visit our website at: www.neiljurd.com
Seahorse Education Partnerships CIC
Seahorse Education Partnerships CIC is a not-for-profit positive education company committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of whole school communities.
Our positive psychology coaching programmes, together with our accredited coaching training, support you in building wellbeing into the culture of your school and maintaining a sustainable coaching programme. We have reduced work-related stress absences by up to 79%.
Ofsted recognised our work as ‘high quality development coaching’ in a recent inspection report. Seahorse also offers a comprehensive online programme using mindfulness techniques to introduce children to resilience, self compassion, kindness and strengths in the
classroom.
Visit our website at: http://www.seahorsed.com/
John Rees: Independent Educational Consultant
John is passionately committed to enhancing the achievement and life chances of children and young people, through the professional development of individuals and organizations.
Seconded from secondary school leadership, John led the transformation of a two-school research project into an effective, multi-agency wellbeing programme in approximately 200 schools, with unique evidence of health benefits and educational improvement.
Since 2006 John has worked with a range of voluntary and commercial groups across the UK and abroad to provide coaching, training and consultancy, to support school improvement and ensure the wellbeing of pupils and the adults who work with, and for, them.
John Rees: PSHESolutions@gmail.com 07710 401 688
Mental Well Being in Schools
Mental Wellbeing in Schools delivers workshops and one-on-one coaching to students, teachers and parents in primary and secondary schools in the Hertfordshire and Essex area. We are the only company in the country who work in education teaching a revolutionary new psychological understanding called the Inside-Out Understanding.
The fundamentals of the Inside-Out Understanding are two-fold. One, human beings only ever have experiences through their thinking, and two, every human being has innate mental health that can never be broken. Once we see what our thinking is doing, we settle back into a feeling of wellbeing.
Visit our website at: https://www.mentalwellbeinginschools.org/
Life Flow Balance: Charmaine Roche Coaching and Consulting
Charmaine Roche, a qualified professional coach since 2015, set up LifeFlowBalance Coaching and Consulting in 2016. Building on a 29-year career as a teacher and senior leader, including a period of headship, her Mindful Self-Leadership in Education coaching approach puts wellbeing at the centre of her work. She provides Leadership Development and Executive Coaching to individuals and teams. As a stand-alone service, she also provides wellbeing coaching to staff at any stage of their career. Her evidence-based, psychologically grounded holistic approach means that whatever your starting point, whether it be work-life balance issues, career progression or personal life issues, Charmaine will be able to work with you. She works in schools on corporate contracts as well as with private individuals. She coaches remotely by phone or by Zoom online platform.
Visit Charmaine's website at: www.nottinghamcaochingcentre.co.uk
Contact Charmaine at: charmaine@nottinghamcaochingcnetre.co.uk or on 07879 551 866
Angela Watson's 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club (USA)
Angela Watson is a National Board Certified Teacher with 11 years of classroom experience and 7 years experience as an instructional coach.
She had been freely sharing hundreds of articles and resources on her website The Cornerstone since 2003, but she didn’t have a comprehensive solution for teachers’ biggest problem: a lack of time and energy. She spent three years developing and refining the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek club content to create a research-based system that has already saved the sanity of thousands of teachers.
As the graphic opposite illustrates, Angela knows that most teachers work for more than 40 hours a week and doesn't claim that her Club will reduce your workload to the average working week. However, her tips and strategies will help you to cut down the hours you work.
Visit her website at https://40htw.com/join/
The School Bus
TheSchoolBus provides online support for thousands of schools and academies – offering actionable advice, a question and answer service, the ability to request any document, and over 1,000 carefully crafted and compliant model documents.
Every resource is created in-house by Education specialists using the latest guidance and legislation — with over 350 thorough and accurate policies to choose from, we ensure peace of mind for our school leaders and governors. We help you cut down on admin time and eliminate reliance on unvetted third-party examples.
Visit our website at: https://hello.theschoolbus.net/
Char Richard (USA): Online Courses for Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Char Richard offers online courses in Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Go to https://programs.caringsafely.org/fall-2017-online-classes/ to find out more.
'I began offering these classes live, in doctors' offices, just over 4 years ago and people seemed to really benefit from learning information, strategies and resources to help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
Last year I began to offer these classes online, so that people from around the world could attend.
I have 3 upcoming classes:
- How to Cope With Depression
- How to Cope with Anxiety
- Mediation for Stress, Anger, Anxiety and Sadness.
Each live, online class, is 90 minutes long. It's okay if you can't attend live, you will have access to the replay and the slides/handouts/resources for 90 days.
Each class is $19.99 or if you want all three you can register for $14.99 each'.
You can also contact Char at info@charlenerichardrsw.com
The Resilience Project: David Gumbrell
Support for NQTs
The Resilience Project was written in direct response to the growing number of teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. Working predominantly with NQTs, I help them, through pro-active strategies, to build their resilience. My belief is that, if their wellbeing is positive, this will be conveyed to the children in their class; happy children learn, happy teachers teach better. Drawing on over twenty years of teaching experience, I instil in those that I work with an inner core of strength, a reignited belief in themselves and a reminder of the reason why they first came into this amazing profession. Based in Surrey, I feel that my work is starting to address issues facing senior leaders in the recruitment (and retention) of staff within schools in my home county, and beyond. Find out more by emailing me at TheResilienceProject2017@outlook.com
Innovate My School
Innovate My School is a community-driven organisation that inspires the education sector by showcasing the best in education innovation by teachers and industry experts from around the world. Innovate My School empowers teachers and school leaders to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead proactively and most importantly, feel inspired.
Join the Innovate My School community at http://www.innovatemyschool.com
Mind It
MindIt aims to Make Corporate Wellbeing Easy! We help organisations to design their Wellbeing Strategy and then introduce them to the best experts in their area who will provide the workshops and sessions (yoga, stress management, mindfulness, massage, nutrition...). The goal is to make the staff healthier, happier, and consequently more productive!
Visit our website at: https://www.mind-it.co.uk/
You Teach Me
YouTeachMe is a video sharing platform for schools. We support teachers to improve outcomes whilst reducing your workload. Accredited by The Association for Physical Education, you can improve teaching in all subjects using your PE and Sport Premium.
Visit our website at: https://www.youteachme.co.uk
Mindfulness Stress Reduction for Teachers
The Mindfulness Training Academy has developed two 8-week online stress reduction courses: one for teachers in schools, colleges and universities; the other for students aged 14+.
Visit www.mindfulnesstrainingacademy.net for further details.
At My Best
The At My Best® tools are valuable resources for schools, colleges and universities who want to promote an appreciative culture that builds on people’s strengths. The practical tools, such as the popular strengths cards and online strengths-based 360 feedback, are suitable for use with both students and staff.
Find out more at www.atmybest.com
Empower Education
Jackie Wilson is founder of Empower Education: 'We provide an education in how to have good emotional health and well-being by growing emotional intelligence life skills, enabling greater resilience to the challenges that we face in life, growing a positive mindset and self- belief. We empower children, teens, parents & school staff to discover ways to enjoy life more fully'.
Find out more at http://empowereducation.co.uk/our-vision/
Wellbeing Hub for Families and Schools
Jackie Wilson is also founder of the 'Well-Being Hub for Families and Schools', currently awaiting charity status. 'I have a growing team of independent specialists supporting the emotional, physical and nutritional wellbeing of children, teens, parents & teachers initially in Nottinghamshire. We offer advice/support and help to families and schools to find the support they need'. Find out more at the Well-Being Hub's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wellbeinghubnotts/
Caroline Mansfield: BRITE (Australia)
The BRiTE program consists of 5 interactive online learning modules designed to help teachers build their awareness of the skills and practices that will help facilitate resilience in their teaching career. Modules focus on Building resilience, Relationships, Wellbeing, Taking initiative and Emotions. Module users can take quizzes, reflect on resilience strengths, apply skills to realistic situations and build their own resilience toolkit. Created by teacher educators in Australia and funded by the Australian Government, the modules are freely available at www.brite.edu.au. For more information contact A/Prof Caroline Mansfield - caroline.mansfield@murdoch.edu.au
Dr Kitty Boitnott: Boitnott Coaching (USA)
Dr Kitty Boitnott, owner of Boitnott Coaching, LLC, helps burnt-out teachers find new careers that are as fulfilling and more fun than teaching has become. Many teachers are suffering from the pain, heartache and disillusionment of teacher burnout, and they are looking for career alternatives. As a former educator, with training as a Career Transition and Job Search Coach, Dr. Boitnott helps teachers discover their core values, passion and purpose so that they can reinvent themselves for a new career path. If you are feeling overworked and overstressed from teaching, you owe it to yourself to explore your career alternatives
Visit Kitty's website at: https://kittyatcareermakeover.coachesconsole.com/
Daniela Falecki: Teacher Wellbeing (Australia)
VisDaniela Falecki is the founder of Teacher Wellbeing, specializing in Positive Psychology to build teacher capacity & resilience. She is known as the “Keep-it-Real Teacher” with her passionate and practical resources that support teachers to be their best possible self. Daniela has more than 20 years’ experience across all sectors of education, holds a Masters in Education (Leadership), a Bachelor of Education (HPE), a Certificate in Rudolf Steiner Education and is a certified Life Coach and NLP Practitioner. Daniela is a Senior Associate for the Positivity Institute with Dr Suzy Green and a member of the International Coach Federation and International Positive Psychology Association. Daniela also lectures at Western Sydney University in Educational Psychology, Pedagogy and Wellbeing and was voted by students to be in the top 3 for “Lecturer of the Year” in 2014.
Visit Daniela's website athttp://www.teacher-wellbeing.com.au/
Brain Cell Online Mastermind
Brain Cell is an online Mastermind. A Mastermind is a group with a common interest or purpose which meets to promote each member's development and help them to solve challenges. Steve Waters, the founder of the Teach Well Alliance, also founded and runs Brain Cell, an online Mastermind for School Wellbeing Leads. There are only 7 places available. Meetings take place monthly via video conferencing for an hour. If you would like to join a Brain Cell Online Mastermind to develop your school's wellbeing strategy, click here https://goo.gl/forms/fMb1IbIV1SwlQf7h2 or on the logo on the left for more information.
Mind: Mental Health Charity
You can find support at Mind at https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ or by calling 0300 123 3393 or by texting 86463.
Teacher Toolkit: Ross Morrison McGill
Our Mission Statement:
1. To give teachers a professional platform from which to be heard
2. To make the complicated simple, providing teachers with access to resources that are meaningful for any classroom
3. To provide teachers across the world, the encouragement and support they need to survive, thrive and flourish in a challenging profession
4. To promote the community by challenging policy, guidance and publications
5. To develop a forum for parents and students – written by teachers – to guide you through school life.
Our Company Aims:
1. We will continue to give content as a grassroots community of educators, where teachers can have their voices heard, share their challenges and find solutions
2. We will make ‘ready to use resources’ for busy teachers to support their professional lives and complicated, working environments
3. We will provide an incentive for all teachers who regularly blog their content on this site
4. We will promote edtech start-ups, offering them support and the chance to publish their work with us; to collaborate on ideas that shape the classroom
5. We will develop our aims and endeavour to keep standards high; to keep our integrity, publishing resources we believe in, content that is up to date and inclusive, and although we receive income from advertising, we will never promote a company’s product where there is a conflict of interest or a product that we do not believe in.
Contact:
Take a look at the people in our team, or why not write for us, get in touch or buy our book 'Mark. Plan. Teach' by Ross Morrison McGill?
Visit our website at: https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/
Samaritans
CALL US Whatever you're going through, call us free any time, from any phone on 116 123.
We're here round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it's best to call us on the phone. This number is FREE to call. You don't have to be suicidal to call us.
- EMAIL US
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Find your local Samaritans branch.
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Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA
Case Studies
Examples of good practice in improving wellbeing in schools, colleges and universities.
Do what works in your setting. Tell us how and why it worked.
We'll write a case-study for you and upload it to the site.
Ashford Teaching Alliance Reducing Teacher Workload Data Management March 2018.
Ashford Teaching Alliance was a Case Study in DfE Workload Challenge
Click on the link below to access report
Southwark Teaching School Alliance Reducing Teacher Workload: Replacing Written Feedback with Verbal Feedback March 2018
Southwark Teaching School Alliance was a case study school in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
Whitley Bay School: Reducing teacher workload. Research report into shared planning March 2018
Case Study school in DfE Workload Challenge
Flying High Partnership Reducing Teacher Workload Reducing Marking March 2018
Flying High Partnership schools were case studies in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
St Peter's School Reducing Teacher Workload Summative Assessment and Data Management March 2018
St Peter's School was a case study school in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on the link below to access report
Jurassic Coast Teaching Schools Alliance Reducing Teacher Workload Data Collection DfE March 2018
The Jurassic Coast Teaching Schools Alliance schools were case studies in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on the link below to access report
Transform Teaching School Alliance Reducing Unnecessary Workload The Promise of Collaborative Planning March 2018
The Transform Teaching School Alliance schools were case studies in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
Cheshire Vale School Reducing Teacher Workload- The Rebalancing Feedback Trial March 2018
Cheshire Vale School was a case study school in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
Hatcham College Workload Challenge KS5 Data March 2018
Hatcham College was a case study in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on the link below to access the report
The WOWS Research Project Reducing Teacher Workload Marking March 2018.
The schools in the WOWS Project were case studies in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
The Mead School Collaborate Plan and Renew Teacher Workload March 2018
The Mead School was a case study school in the DfE Workload Challenge
Click on the link below to access report
Workload Challenge Research Project Posters
Conference-style posters produced by the schools involved in the DfE Workload Challenge Research Projects March 2018
Click on link below to access posters
Aquinas Teaching and Learning Trust
Reducing Teacher Workload through Real Time Personalised Feedback March 2018
Case Study School in DfE Workload Challenge
Click on link below to access report
Aureus School: Didcot, Oxfordshire
Hannah Wilson: Executive Headteacher and Strategic Lead GLF Teaching Schools Alliance. Co Founder of #WomenEd
'Aureus School is committed to nurturing hearts and minds. As a brand new 11-16 academy that opened with Year 7s only in September 2017, we have committed to wellbeing as one of our 12 core values. Our Trust's (GLF Teaching Schools Alliance) vision is to enable all of our community to grow, learn and flourish. We have a Deputy Headteacher who leads the strategy for culture and wellbeing and focuses on student wellbeing, and who works with a Lead Practitioner who focuses on staff wellbeing. Significant cultural changes we have made including flipping the school day so that all of our students start their mornings mindfully, insisting that all of our community engage in the family dining experience and a half day on Fridays. We have secured some funding from the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust to fund a regional Mental Health and Wellbeing network and curate a free offer of training opportunities for the local area. We have a Mental Health First Aider and are working towards the Mental Health in School Award'.
Visit the school website at: www.aureusschool.org and read their article about why a staff wellbeing programme is at the centre of their new school ethos on Teachwire at: https://www.teachwire.net/news/why-a-staff-wellbeing-programme-is-at-the-centre-of-our-new-schools-ethos
How my School takes the Stress off Teachers: Torquay Academy
Kathrine Mortimore: Lead Practitioner for English (The Guardian: Sept 2017)
Kathrine Mortimore, Lead Practitioner for English at Torquay Academy, explains how her school 'has found ways to reduce the workload burden on teachers - while also helping us become more effective in the classroom'.
Key points she makes in the article:
- A common approach gives teachers control
- We have an efficient whole-school behaviour policy
- Written feedback is only given when needed
- The homework process is streamlined
- We collaborate on the curriculum
- There aren't any burdensome written reports
- Ongoing coaching helps us improve quality
Read the full case study here or click on the logo on the right:
Doing things in Greater Depth: How we reduced teacher workload by restructuring our approach to planning
St Peter's Primary School, Somerset
St Peter's Primary School in North Somerset published an account on GOV.UK in October 2017 of how it approached a reduction in teacher workload. This was in response to the teacher workload group review paper: 'Eliminating unnecessary workload around planning and teaching resources':
St Peter's drew on world-class research from Dylan Wiliam, John Hattie and Gordon Stobart of how children learn best. It re-thought the way teachers planned and taught.
The result was improved learning and a reduction in teacher workload.
Read the full case study here: https://teaching.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/19/doing-fewer-things-in-greater-depth-how-we-reduced-teacher-workload-by-restructuring-our-approach-to-planning/
and watch the school's video explaining its 'Excellence as Standard' Curriculum by clicking on the image of the school's website on the left.
Flexible Working: Putting our pupils at the heart of our flexible working policy
Hearts Academy Trust
In October 2017, flexible working was promoted by the government, Amanda Spielman of Ofsted, and discussed by the Chartered College of Teaching.
The link below will take you to an account on the GOV.UK site of how one Trust promotes flexible working in its Primary schools. Its key messages are:
- We rethink our schools' current staffing every time staff move on or within the organisation
- We consider how we can retain expertise and experience by considering other necessary roles
- We think about the most efficient ways of teaching subjects
- We are open to senior staff working part-time
- We take on board the other side of flexible working - working full-time with more support
- We are trialling 2-teacher classes
- We employ two counsellors/mental health workers (one works flexibly).
Read the full case study here: https://teaching.blog.gov.uk/2017/11/02/flexible-working-putting-our-pupils-at-the-heart-of-our-flexible-working-policy/
Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham
Carole Black, Awarded Wellbeing Champion by Mind
Carole Black is the Assistant Headteacher at Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, and a winner of our Wellbeing Champion award. Our Wellbeing Champion awards recognise two outstanding individuals who have been nominated by their peers for playing a key role in promoting positive mental health in their workplace. Her colleagues say that because of Carole, the school has become a better place for staff and students. By thinking critically about workload Carole has been able to remove some of the demands on staff and offer a more flexible approach to things. Her impact has been huge. Staff are more willing to take on new things and staff absences have fallen. There is a greater sense of staff wellbeing and community.
Read more here about how Carole achieved greater wellbeing in her school: https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/24db8099-f332-40e8-b5ce-c313484f36f8/How Carole improved Wellbeing at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham 2017.docx?id=82392
Ark Conway Primary Academy, Hammersmith, London
Ark Conway Primary Academy awarded Gold in Mind's Workplace Wellbeing index in March 2017
Ark Conway Primary Academy in Hammersmith was recognised at an awards ceremony for its commitment to workplace wellbeing. The school were awarded Gold in Mind’s inaugural Workplace Wellbeing Index, which shows they are achieving excellence within their workplace.
Ark Conway’s current approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing to their staff of around 30 people is built into their Mental Capital and Wellbeing Five Way Minimum offer, based on the New Economics Foundation’s 'Five Ways to Wellbeing'.
Some of the highlights include providing dedicated self-directed time at the end of each day (from 4pm) so that staff can choose how to manage their own workload enabling them to schedule their work around commitments with friends and/or family; providing all staff members with a fitness tracker band and dedicated non-contact time for a self-chosen area of learning.
Ark Conway’s offer also acts as a tool for starting conversation around the importance of mental health. Staff share concerns regarding their mental health with a member of staff who they feel comfortable with, usually a peer or their line manager. The leadership team operate an 'open door' policy so staff can approach their manager for support and advice. Ark Conway delivers weekly five-minute standing meetings where staff can discuss how they are feeling and the strategies they are taking to sustain a positive wellbeing.
Lois Osborne, Head of School at Ark Conway Primary Academy said: “Ark Conway Primary Academy is delighted their commitment to ensuring workplace wellbeing has been recognised in Mind's first Workplace Wellbeing Index. We still feel we are at the start of our journey but we know employers have a responsibility to promote workplace wellbeing and prevent poor mental health. Our commitment to workplace wellbeing means we're on the right track to better support our staff."
Tapton High School Sheffield
Whole School Wellbeing
Tapton School in Sheffield has a whole-school approach to supporting student and staff well-being. Steve Rippin, Assistant Headteacher, Mental Health lead, describes their approach.
'Our decision to focus on mental health and wellbeing was based on a multitude of factors rather than any one reason. As an outstanding, forward-thinking school, Tapton is always looking to provide students with the very best experiences and opportunities so that they are able to lead fulfilling lives...
'While we were busy launching our mental health programme, we were also working on a student, staff and parent/carer survey in conjunction with CAMHS. This was to gain a baseline measure and discover stakeholders’ viewpoints on mental health...The staff survey revealed that many teachers didn’t feel qualified and were hesitant to give mental health support in case they gave the wrong advice and made the situation worse...'
Read the full case study here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1WFty940QLYZDRGeEszVkxaY3M/view?usp=sharing
Visit Tapton School's website and their dedicated page 'Mental Health and Wellbeing' where: "The mental health and wellbeing of all members of Tapton School (including staff, students and parents) is fundamental to our philosophy and ethos ‘valuing everyone, caring for each other, achieving excellence’."
Here,
you can download resources to help you with your own Wellbeing strategies: http://mentalhealth.taptonschool.co.uk/
Whole School Wellbeing
Tapton School in Sheffield has a whole-school approach to supporting student and staff well-being. Steve Rippin, Assistant Headteacher, Mental Health lead, describes their approach.
'Our decision to focus on mental health and wellbeing was based on a multitude of factors rather than any one reason. As an outstanding, forward-thinking school, Tapton is always looking to provide students with the very best experiences and opportunities so that they are able to lead fulfilling lives...
'While we were busy launching our mental health programme, we were also working on a student, staff and parent/carer survey in conjunction with CAMHS. This was to gain a baseline measure and discover stakeholders’ viewpoints on mental health...The staff survey revealed that many teachers didn’t feel qualified and were hesitant to give mental health support in case they gave the wrong advice and made the situation worse...'
Read the full case study here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1WFty940QLYZDRGeEszVkxaY3M/view?usp=sharing
Visit Tapton School's website and their dedicated page 'Mental Health and Wellbeing' where: "The mental health and wellbeing of all members of Tapton School (including staff, students and parents) is fundamental to our philosophy and ethos ‘valuing everyone, caring for each other, achieving excellence’."
Here,
you can download resources to help you with your own Wellbeing strategies: http://mentalhealth.taptonschool.co.uk/
How a staff wellbeing group changed the school culture at Brimsdown Primary School, Enfield: January 2018
Dani Lang, Headteacher
I started as Headteacher at Brimsdown Primary School during a troubling time for the school. There had been two ‘Requires Improvement’ Ofsted inspections, and the school was judged to be in the lowest 10% for Year 6 reading progress.
The subsequent changes my leadership team and I had made – a new English and phonics scheme and behaviour policy, for example, and redundancies in the first year - had left staff morale low. As a result, I made the decision during the Christmas holidays in 2015 to start a staff wellbeing team and asked for volunteers from the teaching staff to help.
The results have been extraordinary. Two years later, our most recent Ofsted grade improved to ‘Good with three outstanding elements’, and we’re now in the top 20% for progress in reading and maths. Staff seem much happier and the school has much more of a family feel to it. I’m now firmly of the belief every school should have a wellbeing team.
Click on this link to read Dani's full case-study: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B1WFty940QLYX2gyc29DMnNfSzQ
Dani has also had an article on the impact of Brimsdown Primary School's wellbeing group published in The Guardian on 1st February 2018 here: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2018/feb/01/staff-wellbeing-team-school-improved
Marking, Assessment and Feedback
Strategies to reduce marking workload, and assess and provide feedback more effectively
My Marking and Feedback Tooolkit
I think we all know by now that I actually love providing feedback in all shapes and forms. Over the past 3 years I’ve tried a large variety of methods to find what works best. Some methods are my go to approaches, a few I come back to now and then, others I’ve tried the once and binned.
I thought I’d share my top 5 feedback approaches that have become my #feedbackNOTmarking toolkit.
ACE Peer Assessment or the more recent take on it SpACE Peer Assessment.
This technique I use frequently with my classes. Often when students are working on an extended piece of writing or a prolonged task I will get them to stop where they are (usually about half way into the task) and get them to ACE their peers work. Students will peer assess in purple pen using the coding system and write comments/questions at the end or in the margins. Once peer assessed the work is returned to the student and they act on the feedback there and then in pink pen. They then continue with the task and each time they make the suggested improvements, these could be anything from the spelling of a key work to the use of data as evidence, they do it in pink to clearly demonstrate the improvements and progress they have made in the remainder of the work. I usually use this approach with Key Stage 3.
I also however use ACE peer assessment with my 6th formers however rather than being carried out during a piece of work, students will peer assess at the end of an essay or extended piece. They are given time to act on the feedback before submitting the work as complete.Marking and Feedback Grids
I use these in one of two ways. Firstly as a students work through an extended piece or assessment they are given the feedback grid as an outline of the success criteria they need to meet; as they achieve the criteria it is highlighted and discussions occur in relation to the next steps that could be taken to improve it. Depending on the age range and ability, sometimes I will write what to do next, highlight in a different colour next steps or give a specific task that will enable the next steps to be completed. The second way in which I use them are for the summative assessment of piece of work, I will create the feedback grid as a way of identifying the successes and areas of improvement for the student. Students will read and then reflect upon the feedback to identify their own targets and next steps to focus on through the next topic or piece of work.Double ticks, successes and next steps
This approach I use for formative assessment throughout the term. I quite simply single and double tick pieces of work. Double ticks identify to students that these are particularly strong aspects of the work and they have to explain through annotations in the margin or at the end why it was double ticked – this is in relation to the skills used within the work such as use of evidence, use of case study facts, stats and specifics and so on, rather than topic specific achievements. At the end of a marking session I will write a brief and concise comment in relation to their successes and next steps. Students will then act on the next steps feedback if it requires to so for instance a question to move their understanding on or to develop an answer they’ve given or it can be a target they need to focus on in the remainder of the topic again to move their learning and progress on. When possible I also carry out double ticks as I walk around the classroom looking at and discussing work with students, usually we will verbally discuss why the double tick has been given.Whole class feedback and feedforward
Sometimes it is not necessary to write diagnostic comments in students' books, particularly in relation to everyday classwork, so I use the whole class feedback approach. On a regular basis I will take a look through students' books and record which students require praise for any particularly outstanding work, any students with unfinished work, any reoccurring misconceptions and SPaG errors and next steps that apply to more than one student on my feedforward sheet.I then use this information to plan the next sequence of lessons to ensure misconceptions are dealt with and students have an opportunity to act on the next steps. The whole class feedback sheet is shared with the students by scanning and projecting it onto the whiteboard. In the assessment of understanding section I RAG the students understanding of the work undertaken and those with in the Red section I deal with first in class to ensure their understanding is clear and their learning and move forward. I no longer display this aspect to the class and cover it up; this is just me to help with support students with appropriate in class intervention strategies. Students write down comments relevant to them. To find out more on how I use this, head over to my original post on it here.
Verbal Feedback
This is my most powerful feedback tool, my voice. Before starting an extended piece of work, a project or a summatively assessed piece we feed up by discussing the success criteria, what a good one looks like, what the mark scheme might want from us, what skills will be used etc. Sometimes we discussed work that has been similar in terms of the skills used and think about the challenges faced and how they could be overcome this time around. We do this verbally, usually discussing in groups, with discussion as a class followed by confirmation from me. Students then start the work and are provided with verbal feedback as they work through it, this might be from myself or their peers. Simple discussions of where the work is going and how it could be improved. It’s timely and purposeful. Verbal feedback isn’t just given for extended pieces of work but also those little tasks, usually in the form of discussions of clarification. The last verbal approach is feeding forward, whereby students and I discuss as a class, individual or in groups the successes and potential improvements for future work, students discuss the challenges they faced and may then make note of their reflections in their books for future reference.Well there’s a guide to my feedback toolkit, I hope this post is of some use to you.
Quotes and More:
The Inspirational and Controversial
Look after yourself before looking after others, so that together we can make a difference for all learners.
Patric Ottley-O'Connor on his appointment to Essa Academy.
Patrick Ottley-O'Connor is now an Executive Principal of the Essa Academies Foundation Trust and the Director of Collaborative Leadership Ltd. He is also an Ambition School Leadership facilitator and coach.
Your staff are 75 per cent of your costs. You must nurture them. The majority of schools will spend more money each year looking after their lavatories than they will looking after their teachers. They will have a caretaker to take care of the building. But is there someone who takes care of your staff? That is down to the head. It's about a culture.
Sir Andrew Carter: Primary Headteacher and Government Advisor: 'A crisis is out of your control. What we have is a problem': Times Educational Supplement (TES): Insight Article: 26th January, 2018.
We pulled children out of the mines once. We must take teachers out of the same mines that we put the children into.
Sir Andrew Carter: Primary Headteacher and Government Advisor: 'A crisis is out of your control. What we have is a problem': Times Educational Supplement (TES): Insight Article: 26th January, 2018.
Wellbeing in schools starts with the staff: they are in the front line of this work, and it is hard for them to be genuinely motivated to promote emotional and social well-being in others if they feel uncared for and burnt out themselves. There is some way to go: 80 per cent of teachers report experiencing stress, anxiety and depression at work, and over 50 per cent feeling 'severely' stressed.
'What works in promoting social and emotional well-being and responding to mental health problems in schools?' Katherine Weare. Partnership for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools/National Children's Bureau (2015). Click on the image of the front cover to read this report in full. Its contents underpin the work of the Teach Well Alliance.
It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so that they can tell us what to do.
Steve Jobs: Co-Founder of Apple
Russell Howard Talks about Teaching
From 'The Russell Howard Hour' on Sky One Thursday 2nd November, 2017
In his usual comedic style, Russell Howard interviews children (who are briliant!) and talks about teaching which he says is 'one of the hardest jobs in this country'. Please note: the programme is broadcast after the 9 pm watershed and contains language and material which you might find offensive. To play the video: click on the the video on the left.
Take care of yourself. You can't pour out of an empty cup.
Anon
Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to.
Sir Richard Branson: English business magnate, investor and philanthropist. Best known for Virgin, which controls more than 400 companies.
Everything works somewhere, nothing works everywhere.
Dylan Wiliam: Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the UCL Institute of Education. Best known for his work on Assessment for Learning
Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.
Sir Richard Branson
It is of primary importance that a school leader understands that the creation of a positive school culture can enhance all practice within the school. Conversely, a negative/toxic culture will erode success, and ensure that even if the school is achieving, the achievement is fragile, short-term and can easily break down.
'Creating a Positive School Culture' Chris Wheatley and Pete Wilkes (2012) Thinkpiece: National College of School Leadership: Click on the image of the front cover on the left to read it in full.
Newsletter
Monthly newsletter from 1st March 2018. Complete the form below to subscribe
Teacher Burnout: A Global Illness
Click the button to watch this video about the impact of teacher stress in the USA. Is this how you feel right now?
Teacher Wellbeing Events
Reflections on the first few years as a qualified teacher: Amy Waters
Presented at RQT Conference: Yorkshire Teaching Alliance: 25th January, 2018
In this honest and 'tell it how it is' presentation to the RQT Conference, Amy Waters reflects on the highs and lows of teaching - why it can be at one and the same time the most demoralising and the most rewarding of professions, and the reasons why teachers often feel guilty. Amy also offers advice on how to manage workload and to promote a work-life balance.
Amy is also a member of the Teach Well Alliance Steering Group.
Amy Waters: Psychology/Sociology Teacher. St Aidan’s C of E High School
a.waters@staidans.co.uk
[Click on the link below to open the Powerpoint or on the image to the right]
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kDrOuFKXadyu4gmdR02RafiWKQExfdef/view?usp=sharing
Chartered College: Teacher Wellbeing Programme (2 separate days: Various Locations from November 2017)
Following the successful pilot of their Teacher Wellbeing programme in the summer term of 2017, Dame Alison Peacock speaks with Dr Tim O'Brien on the importance of prioritising teacher wellbeing. In this short conversation, they discuss the Chartered College's programme of teacher wellbeing workshops for 2017-18, starting in November. You have to be a teacher and a member of the Chartered College to attend.
Go to https://tinyurl.com/y95by3oq for more details.
8 Steps to Leading on
Teacher Workload and Mental Health
Free Webinar
Monthly on the first Wednesday: 7pm-8pm (UK)
Led by Steve Waters: Founder - Teach Well Alliance
'8 Steps to Leading on Teacher Workload and Mental Health' is a free webinar from the Teach Well Alliance run by its founder, Steve Waters. The Teach Well Alliance is dedicated to improve the wellbeing and mental health of teachers and support staff. We believe that teachers and support staff are in the best position to support the wellbeing of their learners if their own mental health is promoted and issues of workload tackled. The webinar will draw on the findings and recommendations of 'Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Education Profession 2017' enabling participants to leave with practical strategies and a plan to begin to tackle excessive workload and implement strategies to promote mental health across the school.
The course is for you if:
- You are concerned about workload and teacher/support staff mental health in your school
- You want to do something about it so that staff are in a stronger position to support learners with mental ill-health
- You are ready to begin to take action after the webinar.
Topics which will be covered:
- The personal and financial impact of staff mental ill-health on the school.
- The key issue of workload
- Setting up and leading a wellbeing group.
It will also outline the benefits of the Teach Well Toolkit which enables you to identify and tackle sources of excessive workload and teacher mental ill-health as a school community.
Book your seat at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-webinar-8-steps-to-leading-on-teacher-workload-and-mental-health-tickets-41509612368
Your stories
Teachers share experiences of how they coped with mental ill-health.
Some names are changed to protect privacy
Mrs Humanities: Her Story
Mrs Humanities is the author of an Award-wining blog and the originator of the 5-A Day Buddy Box scheme.
5 Years a Teacher. A Reflection.'
"In October 2016, an article appeared on the Guardian that struck a chord.
'Almost a third of teachers quit state sector within five years of qualifying'
"I started my teaching career in 2010 by undertaking a PGCE in Secondary Geography Education at Aberystwyth University, finishing in July 2011.
"Living in the depths of Mid-Wales meant there were few employment opportunities so I made the tough decision somewhat late in the school year to move down to the South East of England where I initially went and worked in Early Years for several months before moving onto my first full time teaching role in June 2012.
The statistics in the article were concerning “Of the 21,400 who began teaching in English state schools in 2010, 30% had quit by 2015, the schools minister, Nick Gibb, confirmed. More than one in 10 (13%) of newly qualified teachers left after a year of teaching, meaning 87% continued to work in the classroom, a proportion the government says is largely unchanged since 1996. That figure fell to 82% after two years in profession, 77% after three years, 73% after four years and 70% after five years”. (Sally Weale, 2016)
"And whilst I wasn’t one of those that began teaching in state schools in 2010, I’m definitely one of those that has considered leaving the profession several times within the first 5 years..."
Continue to read Mrs Humanities blog about her first 5 years, including how her mental health was affected by teaching and why she considered leaving the profession. Go to: https://mrshumanities.com/2017/07/22/5-years-a-teacher-a-reflection/
Steve's Story
Steve is the Founder of the Teach Well Alliance and its partner company, Live Well After Teaching (www.livewellafterteaching.com)
'My story about living with mental illness began in adolescence, although I didn't realise it at the time. When under pressure, such as during exams, I would often become anxious and take a long time to get to sleep. As a way of coping, I experienced periods during which I had mild OCD, carrying out rituals before being able to sleep. Again, I didn't have either the knowledge or the language at the time to recognise it as a mental illness and, so I thought, it passed.
'However, during early adulthood, in the first 5 years of teaching, at several times during a 30-year career as a teacher, and while I was working for 6 years working as a Consultant in a Local Authority School Improvement Service - I had several serious episodes of depression. One of the episodes culminated in a serious attempt to end my life in 2008, and resulted in admission as an in-patient for 3 months in a psychiatric unit. During that time, I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder and was able to try a combination of medication until I found a prescription which worked. In combination with talking therapies and excellent support from my employer, I made a full recovery and thankfully I have been well since. I have to take medication for the rest of my life but this is a small price to pay to save it.
'Reflecting on my experience of mental ill-health, it is clear to me now that there were warning signs several weeks before each of my depressive episodes triggered by stress. I ignored them, and just accepted that teaching, while rewarding, was a stressful profession and that being overworked, under pressure, tired and lacking energy were just part of the job. At times, other pressures outside teaching increased the severity of the symptoms until I could not continue and had to sign off sick, sometimes for several weeks.
''The term 'high functioning' is usually used to describe people on the autistic spectrum who are high performing, and I would like to think that the description might apply to me. Despite the challenges, I spent all my adult life in the classroom, running a Drama department, then an English department in large school of almost 2000 pupils, and finally being appointed as an Assistant Headteacher in the same school. I also completed an MA in Education and qualified as a Counsellor, as well as bringing up four wonderful children.
'I then worked successfully as a Secondary English and Literacy Consultant in a neighbouring Local Authority for 6 years before the funding for my post, and the posts of 3500 other consultants throughout England and Wales, expired and I was made redundant in 2011. Since then, I have developed a range of alternative educational roles, as a trainer, consultant, course creator, apprenticeship assessor and now founding the Teach Well Alliance. I am now using my own experience to help teachers who might face similar mental health difficulties and to work with schools to implement strategies where the wellbeing of teachers is put centre stage. I am also using the Teach Well Alliance to alert the government and the DfE to the serious pressures teachers are under, and the unsustainable rate at which teachers are leaving the profession, mostly due to stress, burnout, demoralisation and a lack of understanding and support for the conditions in which they are working. And the teachers I meet tell me that it is not the classroom but the marking, administration, assessment and pressure to meet 'standards' that conspire to make the burden of teaching intolerable.
'If you are on LinkedIn, please do invite me to connect with you. I will always accept...the more we are connected, the less we are alone...' (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevewaters1/) I have also created a Teach Well Alliance Closed Community Group on Basecamp and a closed Facebook group which you can join by submitting a request here: www.teachwellalliance.com#join-us
Tim's Story
Sent out with a letter request for donations from the charity Mind
'I used to be a Headteacher. It was a challenging job but I took it all in my stride because the work itself was so rewarding. After a few years, though. the stress and responsibility began to take their toll. I was just overwhelmed. I was struggling with anxiety and depression, but trying to 'keep a lid on it' and soldier on for the good of the school, the teachers and the pupils.
On the surface, I was Mr Congeniality: always calm and cool, in control and organised. But inside my head I was slowly burning out with anxiety, frantically trying to cross every 't' and dot every 'i' to avoid potential pitfalls. And meanwhile the depression was lurking, that stomach-churning feeling of dread and despair that followed me everywhere like a dark cloud.
Being proud and determined not to look weak, I didn't ask for help. People were depending on me. I had a family to support. So I kept plugging away. I don't think I ever became suicidal, but I definitely wanted to find a way to stop thinking, to switch off.
It was when I went to my local Mind and received counselling that things started to make sense to me again.
And that's how I got into painting.
The painting became a place to go, a focus for a day, a reason to look for the beauty around me. I painted in my shed and the warmth of the shed, plus the feeling of the paint brush between my fingers was a therapy. I began to feel motivation. Purpose. Inspiration.
Thanks to Mind and the creative path they started me on, I can see a brighter world beyond my dark thoughts.
You can find support at Mind at https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ or by calling 0300 123 3393 or by texting 86463.
Steering Group
The role of the Steering Group is to help to decide the direction of the Teach Well Alliance. It also oversees the content of the Teach Well Toolkit. Schools will be able to purchase the Toolkit in 2018 to identify and address sources of excessive workload and mental ill-health.
- Teacher: Secondary: AMY WATERS: TEACHER OF PSYCHOLOGY IN 11-18 SCHOOL
- Teacher: SEND/Alternative Provision: ORAN BLACKWOOD
- Teacher: FE College (16+): LOU MYCROFT
- Lecturer: University: DANIELA FALECKI: WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY (AUS)
- External Educational Provider: Schools: SUE ORME: NPQONLINE FACILITATOR
- External Educational Provider: Wellbeing: JACKIE WILSON: EMPOWER EDUCATION
- External Educational Provider: STEVE WATERS: FOUNDER TEACH WELL ALLIANCE
- Private Provider: HASAN ALI: CEO, PARCH HILL COLLEGE, CROYDON
If you have an issue you would like us to discuss, post it on Basecamp.
Not a member of our Basecamp conversation? Scroll down to 'Join us at the Teach Well Alliance' and click on the icon.
Get to know your Teach Well Alliance steering group members
Jackie Wilson (UK)
Empower Education
I am passionate about educating children, parents & schools to feel empowered in managing their health, wellbeing and happiness, encouraging them to open their minds and seek a positive way forward. I am founder of Empower Education, the Well-Being Hub for Families & Schools, and a partner of the World Health Innovation Summit.
Sue Orme (UK)
Education Mentor, Coach and Consultant
I am passionate about developing professionals within Education through facilitating, mentoring and coaching. I work with aspiring MLs/SLs toward securing Deputy/Headship and bespoke programmes supporting staff at varied points in their career - including students, preparing them to embrace both the fulfilment and challenges experienced within the profession, whilst also ensuring a quality work-life balance.
Daniela Falecki: Teacher Wellbeing (AUS)
Educational Consultant and University Lecturer
Daniela Falecki, founder Teacher Wellbeing, specializing in Positive Psychology with more than 20 years’ experience across all sectors of education. Daniela holds a Masters in Education (Leadership), a Bachelor of Education (HPE), a Certificate in Rudolf Steiner Education and is a certified Life Coach and NLP Practitioner. Daniela is a Senior Associate for the Positivity Institute, International Coach Federation and International Positive Psychology Association member and lectures at Western Sydney University.
Oran Blackwood
SEND/Alternative Provision Specialist (UK)
I am a teacher, counsellor, SEND specialist, mentor and coach with a passion for education. I have been a teacher for 20 years, working with young people with special and additional learning needs. I am an English and Media subject specialist and I have spent half of my teaching career managing alternative provision.
Amy Waters (UK)
Psychology teacher: High School
As a young teacher, in my third year of teaching, I feel I have entered the profession with a fresh outlook to well-being and its importance for teachers and students. I have a Psychology degree and teach Psychology, mainly to sixth form students (Year 12/13: Aged 16-18). I am passionate about targeting stigma around mental health in education and have first-hand experience of the impact the current educational climate is having on schools and education as a whole. I am also an examiner and tutor, and I am particularly interested in the pastoral care of students.
Steve Waters (UK)
Teach Well Alliance (Founder and CEO)
I am a teacher educator with a lifetime experience of teaching English and Drama in High Schools, including as a middle and senior leader and Local Authority Consultant. I founded the Teach Well Alliance in May 2017 to support the mental wellbeing of teachers in schools, colleges and universities and develop strategies to address organisational sources of stress. I assess the NPQSL (National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership) for the National College of Teaching and Leadership and I am a Subject Pathway Tutor for students pre-teacher training, I am a qualified counsellor and Mindfulness practitioner and a certified Strengthscope Practitioner. Strengthscope is the only strengths-based diagnostic profiling tool certified by the British Psychological Society. I use it extensively in coaching teachers and developing school leadership teams.
Hasan Ali (UK)
Founder and CEO: Parch Hill College, Croydon, South London
Hasan is founder and CEO of Parch Hill College in Croydon, South London. Parch Hill College is a provider of supplementary education in English and maths. 600 students attend the college each week and are taught in small groups. Hasan recently qualified in an LSE course 'Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship' and is working towards becoming a certified management accountant with CIMA. He is a finalist in the Croydon Business Excellence Award Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 .
Join us at the Teach Well Alliance
Click below to join the Teach Well Alliance Basecamp and/or the closed Facebook group and share your ideas for reducing workload and promoting mental wellbeing in school. You won't have to pay a penny (or cent!) to be a member - ever!
If you would rather not join Basecamp or the Facebook group, you will always be welcome here at the website.
Click the Basecamp logo to join the Teach Well Alliance Basecamp and chat with teachers around the Campfire
Click the LinkedIn icon to visit Steve Waters's profile and to connect with him
Click the Facebook icon to join the Teach Well Alliance closed Facebook group
Click the Twitter icon to follow @
stevewaters17 (Founder of Teach Well Alliance) Leaving Teaching?
Complete our anonymous survey about why you are resigning.
Help us to collect evidence on the reasons why teachers are leaving the profession.
63 responses since January 2018.
Click anywhere on the image of the responses below to complete the survey.
Our partner Live Well After Teaching offers a 6 month programme
to help you start a new life.
Only 8 places: Go to www.livewellafterteaching.com
Click on the image of the form below to complete the survey
Companies and organisations which support the
Teach Well Alliance
The Teach Well Alliance would like to thank the following companies for supporting our work to promote teachers' mental health and well-being.
Click on the logos to visit their websites.
Invasion Travel
AmeriCamp
2020 Training Solutions
Apprenticeships 4 England
Brain Cell Mastermind
Mindfulness Training Academy
Innovate English
Trusted Qualifications
Innovate My School
Belouga
Global Education Collaborations (USA)
Well-Being Tools for Individual and Group Reflection and Discussion
Visit Tapton School's Mental Health page on their website (Sheffield, UK)
Empower Education: Promoting emotional well-being in the school community
Wellbeing Hub for Families and Schools
Happy Teacher Revolution. Teacher well-being support network
(USA)
Boitnott Coaching: Career Transition (USA)
Isabella Wallace
Educational Consultant
Member of Society for Education and Training
Daniela Falecki Teacher Wellbeing (Australia)
Caroline Mansfield BRITE (Australia)
We support Mind's Time to Change campaign
Teacher Coach (USA)
Mind It Corporate Wellness
The School Bus
Providing advice, support and documentation for school policies
The Resilience Project
Support for NQTs
Online Courses from Char Richard (USA) in Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Mental Well Being in Schools
Coaching and Consulting in Schools
Via Vita Health
Caroline Sidell
