Suffolk Association of Secondary Heads Ben Gibbs and Sue Hugo 14th October 2016 © Education Support Partnership 2015. All rights reserved.
Who are we? Why are we still needed? We are the only charity dedicated to improving the health & wellbeing of the entire education profession. Established 140 years ago as a benevolent fund for teachers, we understand the unique pressures of working in education. Why are we still needed? Education is in crisis – with 34% of teachers planning to leave by 2020. Our free 24-hour helpline gets around 30,000 calls a year from teachers and other education staff who have reached breaking point. And this is increasing year on year.
Support for you Helpline Our free 24 hour helpline provides independent, confidential advice and in the moment support from accredited counsellors, specifically trained to support education staff. Call us now: 08000 562 561 Or chat to us online: edsupport.org.uk Information & Guidance We offer a range of information and advice on our website. Topics include: work-life balance, handling stress, time management and managing difficult student behaviour. Go to: edsupport.org.uk To suggest more topics, please get in touch: info@edsupport.org.uk Financial Assistance (grants) Our confidential grants service is here to help you manage your financial and money worries to get you back on track when you are struggling. Go to: edsupport.org.uk/grants Call: 0207 697 2772
Support for organisations We also offer a range of products and services, designed to help schools and organisations look after their staff, prevent workplace stress, and build a positive working environment. These paid-for services include: Employee Assistance Programme, with a dedicated support line providing access to a range of advice, and to face-to-face counselling if required Positive Workplace Surveys, identifying issues and providing support to overcome them Coaching and facilitated support for school leaders and managers A range of training and professional development programmes
Why be concerned about staff wellbeing and engagement?
‘Over the past five years, job strain has been the single most important factor causing teachers to access the Education Support Partnership’s 24-hour help lines’
It’s a buyer’s market 190,176 extra teachers will be needed in England by 2020 unless more current teachers can be persuaded to stay…. The cost of replacing a key member of staff earning £25,000 or more equates to £30,614* Oxford Economics ‘The cost of the brain drain’ Feb 2014
2015 NAHT survey 62 % of schools were struggling to recruit heads 14% revealed they had failed to recruit deputy heads 20% had failed to recruit assistant headteachers
And another thing? There’s not enough talent out there- you need to grow your own Paying attention to staff wellbeing is critical to achieving your goals Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
It’s all about engagement Engaging Teachers: NFER Analysis of Teacher Retention (Sept 2016) - 15% surveyed were ‘disengaged’ - 36% were ‘ambivalent’ re engagement - 26% of disengaged teachers consider leaving Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement (MacLeod, Clark, 2011)
Creating energy and resilience in your school
Why is it sometimes so hard to balance your energies when you work in a school?
Minimising risk factors that deplete energy Culture Demands Control Relationships Change Role Support Wellbeing and work/life balance
National secondary school data 2016. According to ‘Time in Education’
Building organisational resilience Developing and strengthening characteristics such as hope and optimism increases our ability to effectively deal with challenges, broadens our thinking and improves decision-making abilities. (Seligman, 1998,Fredrickson, 2003.)
Wellbeing and leadership
‘….the importance of supportive leadership in helping individuals and organisations cope with the increased responsibility within the profession.’ Findings from Candy Whittome, Research Fellow: Birkbeck University of London’s Department of Organisational Psychology, using data gathered from the ESP’s Positive Workplace Survey.
Developing energy to build resilience (from the work of Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz)
Emotional Energy Mental Physical Spiritual
The energy principles Principle one: Draw on all four sources of energy Principle two: Balance expenditure with intermittent renewal Principle Three: Push beyond your limits, build capacity Principle Four: Create specific routines for managing energy, to reach optimum performance
Managing the transition The contrast between day and evening tasks ‘Active unwinding’ versus ‘anaesthetising’
Self cleansing and assimilation
08000 562 561 Free 24/7 Helpline: Contact us! info@edsupport.org.uk 0207 697 2750
‘The most important investment a school can make is an investment in its people.’ © Education Support Partnership 2015. All rights reserved.