Creating a positive culture in your school

Last year, more than 3,750 teachers were signed off work on long-term sick leave due to stress (Moran, 2018). At the same time, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE, 2018) moved teaching to number four in the list of the UK’s most stressful jobs.

This was reflected by our latest Teacher Wellbeing Index findings (Education Support Partnership, 2018), which reported rising levels of anxiety, depression and irritability among the teaching profession.
So what can teachers and school leaders practically do to help influence or develop a positive school culture?

Check in on your own and your team’s wellbeing on a regular basis. It is crucial for school leaders to gain regular feedback from their staff and act on any suggestions for how team wellbeing could be improved with better support. We recommend using the HSE’s management standards for stress (covering demands, control, support, relationships, role and change – see further information) to measure workplace wellbeing. For those in leadership roles, this will help identify the key issues that may be affecting staff wellbeing and allow informed decisions and changes to be made.