The secrets of teacher wellbeing

The Teacher Support Network (TSN) is widely known for its work in the realm of teacher wellbeing. A recently-organised conference, Retention in schools - strategies for keeping your staff, 20 May, revealed that the need to focus on staff retention has never been greater. Delegates, among them Stephen Twigg MP, explored strategies for improving staff retention and tackling the issue of high teacher turnover in the UK.

Teacher wellbeing and retention: the facts

• Out of every 100 teachers enrolled into teacher education institutes, 40 drop out of their course, 15 move into another branch of education and 10 leave after just three years of teaching. Hence, on average, only about one third remain in teaching as a full-time career. Teachers leaving, Robinson and Smithers, Centre for education and Employment Research, September 2001
• According to recent government figures, a teacher taking sickness absence was absent for 10 days during the year on average.
• Staff turnover can cost schools £40,000 a year.
• 49 per cent of applicants for ill-health retirement from education cite psychiatric reasons. Ill Health Retirement and Absenteeism Amongst Teachers, Bowers and McKiver 2000

The Teacher Support Network Conference showed that there is no single answer to the current situation around retention of staff and overall teacher well-being. No single person, book, organisation or department has all the answers. But suggestions abound and, from the examples given during the course of the day, progress is certainly being made.

Helping teachers to help themselves

Professor Tim Brighouse, London School's Commissioner, spoke of the need for teachers to experience respect and recognition for what they do. Responsibility, permitting circumstances and new experiences were all equally important too, he said. Through achieving these things, Professor Brighouse felt that teachers should talk about teaching, should observe each other's practice, should plan, organise and monitor together and ultimately, should teach each other.

Patrick Nash, Chief Executive of the Teacher Support Network, explained that there needs to be both individual and organisational responses to any issues of well-being and the knock-on implications of teacher retention. If the problems lie at school level, individual support such as counselling can only go so far in terms of improving things. That said, confidential counselling remains a crucial safety net for teachers in need and feedback from some of the 63,000 people who have used the Teacher Support Line (08000 562 561) in the last three and a half years suggests that it is keeping people in the profession.

Patrick Nash also explained the central role that organisational approaches can play. Research has shown that teachers stay in a school because of its management, its ethos, and the general morale amongst staff members. When teachers are praised, supported and consulted with, well-being is generally higher. 'Education is about people - the way relationships are managed is central to transforming the culture and ethos of our schools' he said. 'School staff are our most valuable resource and we have to treat them as the professional people they are.'

Looking at the whole teaching experience

Dr Morag MacSween, Associate Director of the Audit Commission revealed recent research indicating that it is 'push' not 'pull' factors that cause teachers and other public sector workers to leave their jobs, and that the most effective solution for retaining staff is to target people's whole experience of work. In addition, research from the Institute for Policy Studies in Education suggests that the majority of those who leave the profession do so for occupations that are (at least initially) less well paid.

Other speakers included Mike Baker, senior Education Correspondent at the BBC, Cllr Graham Lane, Education Chair of the Local Government Association and Martin Williams, Deputy Director of the Schools Workforce Unit at the Department for Education and Skills; an interesting mix revealing concern and understanding of the issues right across the world of education.

Putting it into practice

The afternoon session included workshops discussing, in particular, what is known to work in schools. Andy Mash, Headteacher of South Wootton First School, King's Lynn, gave a particularly impassioned synopsis of what a focus of teacher well-being has done for him and his staff. From his experience of implementing Worklife Support's Well-Being Programme (from the Teacher Support Network), he sees well-being as common sense. He has found that it improves health, motivation, recruitment and retention, it reduces sick leave and helps to create inclusive communities. By doing this, schools can expect to see an impact on culture, effectiveness, staff performance, pupil behaviour, communication and so on.

Even relatively small gestures have been shown to have a positive impact. Andy Mash now provides sandwiches for staff when they need to have working lunches, as well as dedicated staff meetings on a six-week cycle. He has adopted family-friendly policies whenever possible and equality of entitlement to professional development. 'No bag' days (when teachers don't take school work home) fill each term and his school has a rest area with no telephone. As Andy explained, 'if we can't look after the people who look after the children, who's going to look after the children?'

Steve Thorp is the director of Worklife Support. He reminded conference attendees that a school's climate and culture impacts the health of students and staff alike as well as the educational effectiveness of the school. A positive school climate and culture is, he explained, comprised of effective leadership, a good working team, open dialogue and a safe environment.

The Well-Being Programme operated by Worklife Support aims to ensure that schools have a positive and proactive approach to the well-being of staff established as part of the ongoing development and management of the school. It has operated in Norfolk LEA since 1999 in a pilot project and is now an ongoing programme with 300 schools. Currently, the Well-Being Programme is operating in 20 English LEAs plus a new pilot in Scotland.

The truly positive aspect of the whole teacher well-being and retention issue is the priority it now seems to have in the wider world of education. The Teacher Training Agency document, 'Keeping good teachers - Effective strategies in teacher retention' states that, 'Having invested time and money in training people to a high standard, we need to make the most of their expertise. Able and committed teachers can start a virtuous circle, creating an environment where other teachers want to teach and pupils want to learn, which is why schools need effective strategies for retaining teachers.' This is a view echoed by Pat Williamson, Teacher and Well-Being facilitator at Andy Mash's school in King's Lynn. 'We do value our people. I can't imagine a school that doesn't - but the test is showing that to people, in order to bring out the best in them. Recognition of worth says something about the individual and about the school as a whole. It can't fail.'

Originally published on Teachernet