As individual schools and a trust we place staff and student well-being at the heart of what we do. Our values are embedded into trust and school leadership and support our wellbeing approach. The better supported and healthier our staff are the better they will be able to model this, perform at their best and inspire students.
All trust schools have signed up to and are committed to the ‘Education staff well-being charter’ using the 5 principals of shared understanding on the meaning and importance of wellbeing and everyone’s roles and responsibilities as a basis for our wellbeing strategy. We have a programme of training mental health champions across our schools and have set up a staff wellbeing groups to discuss and lead wellbeing initiatives.
We take a positive approach to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and as a result our schools enjoy many benefits such as a highly performing staff, low levels of staff absence, low levels of staff turnover and a proven track record in attracting the best new talent and highly experienced candidates.
We, also, like to think of our staff as having increased levels resilience, as a by-product of their wellbeing, and, importantly, they are ‘wellbeing’ role models for students. Overall, Orbis Education Trust is adopting a ‘prevention rather than cure’ approach.
The approach to staff wellbeing at our schoo0ls includes implementing strategies which address the potential sources of ill-being such as excessive workload, onerous time pressures, a lack of flexible work routines, a lack of workplace integration, a lack of recognition, a lack of workplace support, mental and physical health issues. Left unchecked these issues can be the cause of symptoms such as stress, excessive fatigue and anxiety.
We include an optional Wellbeing Plan into our appraisal process and ask staff to complete a survey each year to feed into our wellbeing strategy.
We involve staff in a variety of activities and development opportunities throughout the year through staff training and involvement in projects. This involvement improves wellbeing and the feeling of accomplishment whilst allowing staff to develop their individuality.
We firmly believe that Orbis Education Trust is successful because we work so well with each other. There is a vibrancy and an energy across our schools. Our staff are committed to supporting each other to provide the best possible learning experience for our students.