As a school we place staff and student well-being at the heart of what we do. Our values are embedded into school leadership and support our well-being 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.
We 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 the school and have set up a staff wellbeing group to discuss and lead wellbeing initiatives.
We take a positive approach to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and as a result Southfield School enjoys 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, Southfield School is adopting a ‘prevention rather than cure’ approach.
The approach to staff wellbeing at Southfield School 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 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 Southfield is successful because we work so well with each other. There is a vibrancy and an energy across our school. Our staff are committed to supporting each other to provide the best possible learning experience for our students.