The Power of People: Creating a Positive Peer Culture Across your Organisation

The Reality of the Mental Health Crisis in Schools

According to a recent study, 78% of all education staff experienced mental health symptoms due to their work*, a statistic echoed across our social media feeds where we see daily posts from teachers discussing their own declining mental health. Tweeting about their return to school following the Christmas break, one user wrote ‘How many other professions see their workers exhibit this amount of anxiety about the return work?’. Whilst most replies mirrored the original post, one teacher pointed out that ‘anxiety doesn’t mean not liking the job’. So how can we support educators who are passionate about teaching, but are facing a mental health epidemic? Our solution has always been to offer guidance, practical advice and wellbeing support via our resources and hubs.

Safeguarding for Everyone, Everywhere

We believe that safeguarding support in schools should extend beyond children and the vulnerable to teachers, support staff and volunteers too. We often find ourselves turning to the quote, “You can’t pour from an empty cup” as a reminder to always ‘put our own oxygen mask on first’. In the words of Dr Joseph Fleming, a leading Mental Health Social Worker, “We often talk about self-care, but it can be difficult in a world that values hard work and productivity.” How can we expect safeguarders to oversee the safety and wellbeing of others, when their own health us suffering?

Teaching is a demanding job, one which has been exasperated following the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw schools pivot to a brand-new way of teaching, adding pressure to an already stained profession and figures from The Department of Education show that one in three teachers quit after just five years. We know through data analysis from publicly available Ofsted reports, that having good systems in place, such as effective safeguarding case management tools, can help relieve some of that stress and reduce workload put upon school staff

Advice from the Mental Health Foundation suggests the following for teachers:
• Plan in time for the things that help you
• Keep up with the basics
• Share how you're feeling with people you trust
• Share how you're feeling with your manager
• Keep things in perspective
• Find small moments for yourself
• Approach others with kindness and an open mind
• Note things you're grateful for

*2022 Teacher Wellbeing Index, conducted annually by the charity Education Support in conjunction with YouGov.