Staff Wellbeing at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
Why is staff wellbeing important?
Good staff wellbeing is essential to the success of a school; a school cannot function without its staff! Just as an artist or engineer would look after the tools of their trade, we have a commitment to look after the tools of our trade, which is us, the staff body! Good staff wellbeing is essential for cultivating a mentally healthy school, for retaining and motivating staff, and for promoting pupil wellbeing and attainment.
As a Catholic school it is especially important that our beliefs are reflected in our policies and practices, and the health and happiness of our staff body is an integral part of this.
What have we done to actively promote staff wellbeing?
We have a vision at Cardinal Wiseman in which staff work hard, spend a manageable amount of time on the activities that make a difference to pupil lives and do this in a positive working environment.
To show our commitment to this vision, we have a staff wellbeing lead on the Senior Leadership Team, a staff wellbeing link governor and a staff wellbeing policy. It is also an agenda item at Head of Year, Head of Department and subject department meetings, and every new member of staff - including our trainee teachers - has a discussion on the importance of staff wellbeing as part of their induction into the school.
Every member of staff also has access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), provided by the Education Support Partnership, which is advertised - along with other staff wellbeing materials - on our staff wellbeing board in the staffroom.
Every new member of staff, and those returning from a period of significant leave, such as maternity or paternity leave, are inducted back into the school and given a ‘buddy’ - basically a friendly face and supportive ear - who can support them on their Cardinal Wiseman journey.
Staff wellbeing should not be a tokenistic add-on, it needs to be an integral part of the ethos and culture of the school. Everyone who works in education knows that it is a demanding job, but the staff at Cardinal Wiseman are able to thrive in their roles by working in a supportive and caring school environment.
DFE Wellbeing Charter:
The DFE Staff Wellbeing Charter is a set of guidelines to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of education employees. It outlines various principles and initiatives aimed at supporting staff members in maintaining a healthy work-life balance, managing stress, accessing resources for mental health support, fostering a positive workplace culture, and promoting overall wellbeing. Cardinal Wiseman is - and always has been - extremely proactive with regards to staff wellbeing, introducing many of the initiatives shown in the image below, long before the Department for Education published its Staff Wellbeing Charter.
An example of one such initiative was the creation of the Staff Email Protocol document which sought to set clear boundaries around communication in the school. The driving force behind this document was the creation a better work-life balance for our staff - i.e. emails are not to be sent outside of the hours of 8am-6pm and never at the weekend -, and the reduction in the amount of email traffic staff have to read and reply to which was causing unnecessary stress.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP):
The Education Support Employee Assistance Programme provides the staff at Cardinal Wiseman with access to a range of emotional and practical support 24/7, all year through. It is completely confidential, and our staff benefit from knowing that they can access the support as and when they need it.
We all need a bit of extra help at times, and the fact the Headteacher pays for every member of staff to have access to the EAP reflects really well on us as a school and our commitment to staff wellbeing. Assistant Headteacher.
The EAP support includes:
- A range of counselling options including telephone, online or face-to-face sessions, and a mindfulness module;
- A dedicated coaching service for line managers, aimed at developing soft skills and building confidence for handling challenging situations;
- Financial, legal and practical support from qualified professionals on a range of personal issues;
- Access to online health and wellbeing resources and a specialist information service.
To read more about our EAP, click on the following link:
https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/employee-assistance-programme/
In addition to the EAP membership, we also share a monthly wellbeing newsletter with our staff, which focuses on a particular issue and gives them top tips on how they can maintain their own wellbeing. Link to past newsletters
Testimonials from staff:
The quotes below, all taken from our staff body, give you an insight into what it is like to work at Cardinal Wiseman. Staff retention is very high, and the fact we have a number of staff return to us, after working elsewhere, really does say it all!
“The closeness of our community and the love and respect I see on a daily basis mean so much to me. The students obviously bring joy, seeing them develop and grow is a wonderful thing to be part of - knowing that each of us has a special role to play in their lives. I have been truly blessed with those I work most closely with. I thank God every-day for this. We support each other through good and bad times. I could not fault the respect and support that SLT have shown me whilst I have been here, this gives me the confidence and motivation to strive harder. I absolutely love any chance we get as a staff to get together - staff socials, awards evening, the school prom etc!” Learning Support Assistant
“As we are a relatively small community, even as a non-teacher I know many of our students. I am also able to participate in activities outside of my specified duties e.g. break and lunch duties, retreats, school trips, student choir, Lourdes, charity events etc. We have access to the school swimming pool and dance studio for personal use”. Data Manager
“I enjoy working at Cardinal Wiseman because it feels like we are all singing off the same hymn sheet. Consistency across the school means that behaviour is excellent and therefore, teachers are empowered and given the opportunity to teach high-quality lessons”. Head of Department
