How and Why to Look After Your Wellbeing as an Education Leader
Education leaders feel immense stress, and it can have serious impacts on headteacher wellbeing. Here's why that matters and what to do to improve your wellbeing.
The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022 findings are in, and they present a concerning picture of the mental health and wellbeing of education staff in the UK. Three-quarters of all school staff are stressed, with similar results reported across secondary, primary, and early years staff. Poor mental health symptoms are also on the rise, with 36% of all school staff reported issues in the past academic year, including insomnia, mood swings, and poor concentration. This figure jumped to 39% for senior leaders.
Let's dive into more detail about the findings from this important report, and explore how what can be done to improve the current state of wellbeing and mental health in schools.
The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022 results are based on the responses from 3,082 educational staff in the UK. The sample includes all job roles, ranging from senior leaders to support staff, and focuses on wellbeing and mental health to analyse trends.
The key results related to school staff wellbeing and mental health include:
While the stats above are somewhat staggering, it's essential to view each within the context of your school. You can do this by implementing evidence-based tools to measure your staff wellbeing and use the results to help you develop of actionable plans and policies. For example, the Welbee Survey is an effective, comprehensive strategy that provides benchmark results. This survey asks evidence-backed mental health questions and benchmarks against other UK schools. This invaluable feedback will guide you toward targeted improvements to ensure the most significant impact.
As they say, you can't pour from an empty cup. For many teachers and staff, diminishing mental health in schools and looming burnout are major issues.
The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022 found:
The greatest drivers of stress in education workplaces include issues surrounding trust, a negative team culture, and a lack of support. The overall wellbeing score across the education workforce was 44.01. This score is considered 'at high risk of psychological distress and increased risk of depression'. Unfortunately, over 35% scored below 40 points, indicating probable depression.
Taking a proactive approach here can yield significant, measurable results. Leveraging something like the Welbee Toolkit can help actively support and improve mental health and wellbeing in schools.
The point of this survey is not to shine a spotlight on school leaders. Many of the stats pulled from the 2022 survey would have been higher if only school leaders' answers were considered; leaders are also affected.
For example, the survey results state that 78% of staff experienced mental health symptoms. However, this figure increase to 87% when just the responses of senior leaders were taken into account. As to signs of burnout, 37% of leaders expressed they felt they may be at risk of brunout, compared to 27% of teachers. Signs of exhaustion, acute stress, and mental health issues were highest among leaders.
As a leader, you must look after your wellbeing and mental health to better support yourself and your staff.
Just as yearly results matter, so do the bigger-picture trends. When comparing the 2022 survey results to 2021, it was found that 48% of school staff did not feel supported (a 5% increase compared to 2021). A total of 12% stated they were unsure whether they felt supported. In 2022, 10% more leaders said they did not feel supported by their job role (51% this past year vs. 41% in 2021).
This trend is causing staff to consider leaving the education sector. The top three variables threatening retention rates include workload volume (68%), the desire to achieve a better work-life balance (63%), and not feeling valued (60%). School leaders and teachers gave the same top three listed reasons. For support staff, a lack of resources was also a significant issue.
Lack of resources and mental health concerns also weigh heavily on 48% and 39% of overall staff, which is why providing access to comprehensive wellbeing resources, such as those provided in the Welbee toolkit, is key.
The recent Teacher Wellbeing Index provides a good overview of what's happening across the UK concerning teachers and school staff. An increasingly burnt-out workforce cannot deliver the quality of education students deserve. Leaders also strive for a healthier work environment for all.
Despite these latest figures, you must take a more localised approach. What are the most pressing issues in your school? What goals can be set and achieved to support staff better, whether it be leaders or teachers?
Why not sign up for the Welbee Wellbeing Toolkit to access many helpful free resources? This support is intended to help leaders, teachers, and education staff work towards positive mental health and improved wellbeing in schools. When implemented, the results can be powerful.
Have questions? Contact us at support@welbee.co.uk or 01277 554001
Education leaders feel immense stress, and it can have serious impacts on headteacher wellbeing. Here's why that matters and what to do to improve your wellbeing.
The Education Support's 2023 Teacher Wellbeing Index has, once again, highlighted some of the key challenges facing education staff, but what can leaders do to help prevent workplace stress and improve the wellbeing of those they lead?
This guide explores how you can achieve excellence in people through the seven stages of the employee lifecycle.
Working in education and perfectionism often go together, but striving to be flawless can hurt teacher wellbeing. Check out our tips to manage your inner perfectionist.
Discover some of the key steps you can take to better protect and improve your own wellbeing in this useful guide.
Compassionate leadership is an essential component in creating the organisational culture for positive staff wellbeing. Find out more in our complete guide to compassionate leadership.
Take a look at our helpful guide containing tips, ideas, and resources for managing your finances.
Watch the video to explore the impacts that a lack of sleep can have on your physical and mental wellbeing.
Workplace relationships have an immeasurable impact on wellbeing. Learn more about repairing old relationships and building new ones today.
Discover the importance of setting boundaries for school staff, including the types pf boundaries, key principles, and how to sustain healthy workplace boundaries.
Discover how to create the foundations for excellent wellbeing in this useful guide.
Education staff are often with others all day, but loneliness still impacts teacher wellbeing. Learn more about how loneliness impacts you and what you can do to combat it
Discover how you can use Mental Health Awareness week to kick-start conversation around mental health and highlight the importance of staff wellbeing.
Compassion fatigue in education can lead to poor education staff wellbeing and job burnout. Learn how to recognise and combat it with this useful guide.
Read this useful guide to deepen your understanding of why boundaries for education leaders are vital and how establishing boundaries can help combat issues within schools.
Discover how you can help your staff avoid burnout in this helpful guide.
Although the terms are often interchanged poor mental health is not the same as having a mental illness. Watch this video to explore what mental illness actually is and how it differs from mental health.
It can be difficult to know how to start a conversation with a colleague or someone you manage about their mental health. Watch this video to discover 10 useful tips to help.
Watch the video to explore when a low mood may be a normal response life stressors and discover the evolutionary purpose of low moods.
Anxiety can both be a normal reaction to the stressors of day-to-day life, or a sign of a mental health illness. Watch this video to learn how to tell when anxiety is 'normal'.
What exactly is mental health and how does it differ from mental illness? Watch this video to find out.
Listening is a key skill for leading in an empathic way which supports employee wellbeing but there are many things that get in the way of listening effectively. Explore 7 of them in this video.
Recent UK-wide statistics on the wellbeing of school staff indicate the importance of feeling appreciated and supported in the workplace. Watch this video to discover why creating a culture of appreciation is important.
Watch this video to discover why sleep is so essential for positive mental and physical health.
Discover some of the most common sleep problems in this useful video.
Watch this video to explore the Interest Based Rational Approach to "principled negotiation" which encourages parties to use joint problem solving techniques, rather than positional bargaining.
Discover what burnout is and how to avoid it in this useful guide.
Saying no can be difficult! Read this useful guide to discover the importance of saying no and learn how to say no confidently and professionally.
Managing parents who are difficult or aggressive is stressful for anyone working in education. Use these tips to improve family relationships and protect teacher wellbeing.
Relaxation is crucial for positive mental health but how can it be achieved amidst immense pressure? Watch this video to hear 5 top tips.
This compassionately written guide explores the sensitive topic of suicide and suicidal feelings.
Secondary trauma has a profound impact on today's schools. Learn more about the symptoms of secondary trauma in education staff and strategies to cope with it.
Do you struggle with sleep? This guide will help you understand why sleep is important, the common causes of sleep disturbances, and how to improve your sleep quality.
Discover the powerful connection between physical activity and education staff wellbeing in this useful guide.
Watch the video to explore some quick tips for cultivating and maintaining a positive mindset.
In this video we explore The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80:20 rule and how this can help you manage your workload.
Delegation is a key skill for leaders, but what limits does it have? Watch this video to explore if authority, responsibility, and accountability can be delegated.
We often about the importance of being empathetic, but what exactly is empathy, and why is it important? Watch this video to find out and discover the 5 elements of empathy identified by Daniel Goleman.
