Staff Wellbeing

[BadgerBadgerMushroom]

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about how to promote and improve staff wellbeing in school? Anyone doing anything for this. I know it's a big Ofsted focus at the moment and thinking of setting something up in my school.

Fedup21 - I'd have to move sectors to get more.

As I said, the support staff pay scales are paltry, and support staff don't have the opportunity to increase their pay by 12k as they move up the scale like teachers do.

When I say 'nowhere near MPS', I mean for someone on MPS with a TLR, which would be broadly compatible with the level of responsibility, as it is, I'm just under M1.

Last time we did a lighthearted quiz where you team up with a partner and had nibbles on the table. We're doing a Christmas crafts session in a few weeks with mince pies to scoff. It's worked well so far.

See, this 'enforced fun' when you have a barrow load of work you could be starting on in that hour, is part of the problem, not the solution, when you are overworked, as so many other posters have said - indeed, EVERYONE who has mentioned it has said it is exactly the sort of thing NOT to do.

When I say 'nowhere near MPS', I mean for someone on MPS with a TLR

Oh right, that’s confusing-no TLRs awarded here any more!

Shame but maybe worth moving sectors for promotion. Not all school business roles pay that badly!

All the cakes in the staffroom won’t help if your staff think you’re a nob.

It’ll just get them all in the staffroom at the same time so they can discuss what a nob you are.

Most of the bad feeling in my school is around unpaid leave. Decisions on term time leave are at the head teacher's discretion but she has decided on blanket rules for everyone, which just pisses people off. Actually using discretion to reward people who perform well and don't take too much sick leave by allowing them time to go to their own child's Xmas play or take them to appointments etc without an interrogation of why they couldn't get a different time would make people feel valued and motivated. Might also cut down on sick leave pisstaking.

As others have said, avoid enforced fun or wellbeing activities. They will be seen as ticking a box and cause teachers who have a mountain of work to get through more stress.

Things which have helped my wellbeing:
Stopping written reports and doing colour coded feedback instead (I'm a one person dept and teach over 400 kids).
Reducing data drops from 6 to 3 a year

Things which have hindered my wellbeing:
Emails to SLT never being responded to
Meetings with my line manager always being cancelled
Being punished for things which aren't my fault
Never being praised or thanked for good results or putting on school shows
Being forced to enforce unreasonable rules on children
Being ignored and belittled in meetings
Being given doughnuts in the staffroom and an enforced yoga class as if that makes up for all of the above.

This.

Isn't it all so sad that this is even needed. It sounds like every school has their fair share of crap. Are there any schools out there that look after their staff?

Mine does. We haven't avoided the usual stresses so I can't claim it's a utopia, but I do think SLT care enough about keeping good staff that they do their best for us.

@lolasmiles What does your school do that helps this do you think?

Being instructed on how to eat an apple mindfully amongst other bollocks .

@noblegiraffe

All the cakes in the staffroom won’t help if your staff think you’re a nob.

It’ll just get them all in the staffroom at the same time so they can discuss what a nob you are.

Now I'm feeling quite paranoid that might be outing so I'm hoping someone else says their school also does some of those things.

It's generally common sense what we do to be honest

We used to have wellbeing half an hour a week, it was mainly for support staff, if they didn’t use it constructively or attend an organised session it was threatened to end.

Teachers usually got on with paperwork

LolaSmiles a common sense attitude to staff workload by SLT is probably outing as it’s so rare.

Selfsettling3
That's my concern.

Don't get me wrong, we haven't fixed everything and there's still the usual grumbles and we still have the same pressure as other schools, but it makes a big difference feeling like we are all on the same side and SLT want to help.

💐

The most useful thing in my experience was having a day of INSET with no content. It is so, so annoying to sit through compulsory sessions while having no time to do admin and planning tasks that would actually be useful. It's not like we don't know what needs doing. I've particularly felt this keenly since having a child as I can't so easily just pop in during the holidays to sort paperwork or classrooms out.

My school are actually completely great apart from the lack of non directed INSET. You can see/ask the Head about anything and if he can help, he will. The best thing is everything is organised well in advance and instructions are communicated clearly.

They have also made big efforts to integrate part time staff better - the weekly briefing is sent out by email, the policy on requirements re parents' eve and INSET for PT workers is clear and they've moved some HODs meetings to lunchtime (instead of after school) to help those of us rushing to pick up DC. Staff pregnancies are celebrated rather than being seen as inconveniences. You can go home early or come in late to write reports or mark exams if not teaching.

The school has quite good retention.

Funny, isn't it? Wellbeing turns out to be to do with managing your organisation well and treating your staff like adults, who want to do the right thing and have responsibilities outside the workplace

If you're doing staff room cakes, bring some down to the office staff who barely get 5 minutes to go up to the staff room.

Anyone who thinks support staff don't work hard should ask the site manager what time they open up, what time they close up, and how many days off they had during the summer "holiday"

There are some people that just cannot see that a school is an entity that requires staff at all levels to do their bit, not just those that are public facing.

And yes- I am "support staff", I have a first degree, a master's degree, and twenty years experience. I am well paid compared with many that share my job title, mainly because I was headhunted for my role, others are not so well paid or appreciated.

There have been many, many evenings when I have been working past midnight, 5, 6, 7 days a week, and I am not unique. "Staff" means all staff. Teachers aren't able to do their jobs alone; everyone in a school is working hard for the best outcomes for children.

Wellbeing turns out to be to do with managing your organisation well and treating your staff like adults

This ^
Probably completely outing myself now but I work for a Team, now not in school, but we are all teachers. Having 'Autonomy' over your diary and how you organise your work load STILL feels like SUCH a treat, even after 10 years out of school. Don't think I realised how bad it had become until after I left and worked in a slightly more normal environment.

you're doing staff room cakes, bring some down to the office staff who barely get 5 minutes to go up to the staff room.

I have to say our office staff are in the Staffroom far more than anyone else! Teachers and TAs are rarely in there.

At my last place, office staff were in the staffroom because they didn't have access to any little offices or rooms scattered around the site to hide in take breaks. Which meant that they never got their full break entitlement as they were regularly hoiked out by SLT or their LM because 'This needs to be done to make me look authoritative to others now'.

I've been fortunate to always have a list of little places to rotate around so I can't be tracked down and I always leave the site for ten minutes in daylight, away from the fucking flickering fluorescent lighting (and people who know better than me what light levels I need, insisting upon switching the bastard things on when I neither want nor need them or the resulting migraines ).

Is standing on the street in the pissing rain and seeking out cupboards to hide in just to be sure I get a brief break - well outside the legal entitlement of between the third and fifth hour - really a sign of staff wellbeing or Support getting a better deal?