Promote staff mental health and wellbeing

Embedding staff wellbeing in schools and colleges

On this page you can find information about:

• how to promote staff wellbeing in your school or college

• embedding a plan for staff wellbeing.

Promoting staff wellbeing is crucial in creating a positive school or college environment, fulfilling the duty of care to staff, and supporting all staff and students.

Promoting and prioritising mental wellbeing can lead to:

• increased staff productivity and job satisfaction

• reduced absences and better staff retention

• improved educational outcomes

• a more positive school or college culture.

Promoting and prioritising staff wellbeing

It is important to work with staff to identify their mental wellbeing needs and reflect on how you might promote staff wellbeing in your setting.

This includes school and college leaders prioritising their own wellbeing and working with governors to ensure that they have the support that they need. More information on working with governors can be found on the Governors for Schools website.

Some things to consider are:

• Leadership commitment: senior leadership should prioritise their own wellbeing, actively model good practices and communicate with governors to ensure they are supported.

• Clear policies: develop and communicate a staff wellbeing policy and implement policies to manage workload and promote healthy boundaries.

• Support: ensure appropriate support mechanisms are in place for staff, including supervision and reflective spaces.

• Action planning: develop concrete steps to address identified needs.

• Embedding: integrate mental wellbeing initiatives into your setting’s culture and strategy.

The Department for Education staff wellbeing charter provides further guidance on how schools and colleges can prioritise and promote staff wellbeing.

Taking action

It can be helpful to consider the following questions when developing your approach to promoting staff wellbeing:

• Is there a designated staff wellbeing lead (such as a senior mental health lead)?

• How does the school or college ethos promote openness about mental wellbeing?

• Are there opportunities for supervision to support staff dealing with complex issues?

• Could measures be introduced to reduce workload or limit hours spent working outside of the school day?

• Is there a comfortable, dedicated physical space within the school or college where staff members can take time out if needed?

• Have relevant staff received appropriate mental health and wellbeing training?

Senior mental health lead training

Our senior mental health lead training equips staff with the knowledge and skills to develop and implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Sign up to training

Embedding a plan

To ensure staff wellbeing is prioritised, and becomes part of your school or college culture, it can be helpful to:

• review and update your mental health and wellbeing policy to include staff wellbeing

• hold regular meetings focused on staff wellbeing

• use INSET and other training and development opportunities to focus on wellbeing

• identify practical steps based on staff feedback and discussions

• incorporate these steps into your school's development plan

• make staff wellbeing a standing item on staff and governor meeting agendas.

How your setting promotes staff mental health can change in response to needs and resources, and should respond to ongoing feedback and evaluation from staff.