Supporting Staff Mental Health In Your School

This is an accessible guide for schools explaining how to implement effective techniques to improve staff mental health. Drawing on case studies from years of experience supporting staff mental health, Amy Sayer introduces inexpensive, practical and realistic strategies that schools can implement to ensure the mental wellbeing of teaching staff. This book provides steps to ensure that self-care and family time do not slip under the radar in the face of increasing pressure and limited resources. From providing adequate staff room facilities to ensuring that teachers can set clear boundaries around weekends and break times, these ideas create and foster a culture of openness around mental health and help teachers to re-discover their love of teaching.

Wellbeing Champions is a practical toolkit designed to support primary and secondary schools working with children to co-create a group of Wellbeing Champions. Full of detailed resources to support both the recruitment and training of children and young people to support others in their school settings, this book has been carefully created to ensure that emotions, self-care, resilience, communication and support systems are considered in order to promote and support positive mental health and wellbeing throughout the school setting. Containing ideas for specific training as well as considering a whole school approach, the resources and tools have been designed to support practitioners, teachers, children and young people to find out what their school does well and to identify areas for development. With a wealth of photocopiable resources, including supervision and training sessions, risk assessments, application forms, feedback forms and certificates, this book offers: all the practical resources needed to recruit and interview children and young people for the role, including an outline job description and personal specifications a manual that enables teachers to recruit, train and develop the role of Wellbeing Champions within their school support to teachers and Wellbeing Champions to develop the role needed within their school easy-to-follow, user-friendly sections that can be easily adapted lessons and activities that support the Wellbeing Champions and help them understand their role and develop the knowledge and skills to support other young people Packed full of activities to help promote and support social and emotional skills development and positive mental health and wellbeing within schools at KS2, KS3 and KS4, Wellbeing Champions is the ideal resource for teachers and practitioners, focused on pastoral development, mental health and wellbeing and social and emotional development in children and young people.

Developing Your School’s Student Support Teams is a practical manual for schools seeking to establish and sustain coordinated teams in support of students’ social, emotional and behavioral health. Every day, students struggle with a range of issues, including traumas, that complicate their learning, engagement, and overall well-being. School psychologists, counselors, social workers and nurses are employed in many school districts, but their schedules often make it difficult to collaborate effectively in developing and implementing comprehensive intervention plans. This book promotes teamwork throughout schools by exploring how interdependent practitioners can come together at the appropriate levels and times to help coordinate school and community resources. This "filtering" process will guide K-12 leaders and service professionals toward systems and decision-making that enable long-term student supports, accurate identification of systemic learning barriers, improved school culture and climate, attention to diverse populations, and more. With these proactive teamwork strategies, school staff will be better prepared to share workload and accountability and to identify and build upon the existing strengths and supports of every student.

Staff in schools have never been under so much pressure with high stakes accountability leading many teachers to rethink their profession. A third of Early Career Teachers are leaving within 5 years of training while Headteachers are less sure than ever that they will be able to continue to lead their schools. We have a staff wellbeing and mental health crisis in education. The schools in Cultures of Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health have addressed this crisis by implementing a whole-school culture of staff wellbeing and mental health. It has taken courage, determination and authenticity to prioritise relationships over results, not only between the children and their teachers, but also between the staff themselves. This book will support your school with: •32 individual chapter case-study accounts by headteachers and mental wellbeing leads of how they are implementing staff and pupil wellbeing in their schools. A rich resource of strategies and ideas to adapt to your own context. •How to recognise and tackle staff burnout in your school, identifying the Maslach factors that cause it. •Why teachers putting ‘a brave face on it’ is ineffective: Jonathan Glazzard presents his ground- breaking research identifying a connection between teacher wellbeing, pupil emotional response and attainment. •What ‘buffer’ leadership is and why recognising it is crucial to the headteacher’s mental health. This book belongs to the staff of the case-study schools that recount, in their own words, how focusing on wellbeing and mental health has transformed their schools. "This book exemplifies good practice and will hopefully inspire others to follow its case study leads." David Gumbrell, Founder of The Resilience Project "This book is an outstanding reference guide for all school leaders who wish to implement a culture of wellbeing based on evidence and success. A must read!" Suneta Bagri (FCCT), Former Head teacher, Founder of The Every Teacher Matters Project & Cultivate Coaching & Consultancy "The editor not only encourages the reader to engage & empower all staff to see and own their own wellbeing, but also for leaders to model self-care & the promotion of sustainable wellbeing behaviour." Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, Executive Headteacher "A must read for any school wanting to strengthen the wellbeing of their school community." Daniela Falecki, Founder and Director Teacher Wellbeing Pty Ltd, Sydney Australia Steve Waters is the founder and director of the Teach Well Alliance. He has thirty years' experience as a secondary school English teacher. During this time he fulfilled many roles including middle leader and Assistant Headteacher. His previous books include Doing Your Research Project which is in its seventh edition.

What would a school look like if it was designed with mental health in mind? Too many public schools look and feel like prisons, designed out of fear of vandalism and truancy. But we know that nurturing environments are better for learning. Access to nature, big classroom windows, and open campuses consistently reduce stress, anxiety, disorderly conduct, and crime, and improve academic performance. Backed by decades of research, Schools That Heal showcases clear and compelling ways--from furniture to classroom improvements to whole campus renovations--to make supportive learning environments for our children and teenagers. With invaluable advice for school administrators, public health experts, teachers, and parents Schools That Heal is a call to action and a practical resource to create nurturing and inspiring schools for all children.

This planner provides detailed guidance on what a Designated Mental Health Lead needs to do, when they need to do it, and how they can achieve the best results. It gives a clear focus and checklist for each week, including spaces to add your own to-do list, and encourages reflection on the outcomes and impact of your actions on pupils' attainment and wellbeing. It also encourages a focus on your own development and self-care, with space to record what you are currently reading or listening to and one thing you are grateful for that week. In addition to the termly and weekly plans, the book provides short briefs on key aspects of the role, including how to work effectively with teachers, the HR team, the DSL, governors, the pastoral team, Mental Health Support Teams and parents. It is an invaluable resource for all DMHLs tackling the 39 academic weeks.

For many children, schools are the main or only providers of mental health services. In this visionary and comprehensive book, two nationally known experts describe a new approach to school-based mental health—one that better serves students, maximizes resources, and promotes academic performance. The authors describe how educators can effectively coordinate internal and external resources to support a healthy school environment and help at-risk students overcome barriers to learning. School leaders, psychologists, counselors, and policy makers will find essential guidance, including: • An overview of the history and current state of school mental health programs, discussing major issues confronting the field • Strategies for effective school-based initiatives, including addressing behavior issues, introducing classroom-based activities, and coordinating with community resources • A call to action for higher-quality mental health programming across public schools—including how collaboration, research, and advocacy can make a difference Gain the knowledge you need to develop or improve your school's mental health program to better serve both the academic and mental health needs of your students!