CONTRIBUTORS
Innovation needed to tackle the growing mental health crisis for teachers
This month NAOMI HOWELLS, Managing Director at recruitment specialists Class People and regular Education Today columnist, discusses what can be done to help improve the mental health of teachers in the UK
A survey of members by the NASUWT Teachers Union earlier this year found that 9 in 10 teachers felt their job has affected their mental health in the last twelve months; nearly 25% have used alcohol to cope; 12% have turned to antidepressants; and 3% are self-harming. Anxiety, overwork, and feelings of overwhelm are reportedly high, as teachers tackle growing
workloads, increasing pupil numbers, and rising classroom behavioural issues. The government has responded by launching their £1.5million investment for mental health support alongside medium-term measures for reducing workload, meanwhile there is optimism for further evolution following the General Election too.
For schools however, the challenges are here, now, which means a commitment to improving cultural norms within each school will be essential. Many of the challenges being faced will need long-term strategic solutions from government, but schools can adopt a culture of innovation to offer immediate and sustained relief.
Innovation is defined as a new idea or method, or the use of new ideas and methods, to create a solution to a problem. It is exactly the approach that will create lasting, positive change within schools, by finding relevant solutions suited to each school environment, and each team. Developed well, it also supports teachers to devise their own solutions, fostering buy in and meaningful long-term change. We’re already seeing the emergence of innovation in the sector, with solutions including one day off a fortnight, school closure at 1.40pm on a Friday, or embracing technology and AI to streamline repetitive tasks for example, but it needs to become more widespread.
Not all innovation has to be drastic to be effective. Instead, adopting an ethos of continuous improvement can reap significant rewards. Some key tenets to making innovation work are:
• Being proactive – set aside dedicated time to actually discuss key challenges, and encourage staff to come prepared to talk about a key topic. Top tips for this type of session are to focus on one key topic, and to also be specific in your questions to staff. Asking “for ideas” makes it a lot harder to get meaningful results than asking “for ideas of how to address the challenge of overwork”, for example.
• Making it continuous – the more people get into the mindset of creating ideas, the easier it becomes to maintain that momentum and make meaningful change. Find a mechanism to capture ideas to keep your team motivated.
• Acting on the ideas – if you’re committed to new ideas, then you need to be committed to implementing them. Or if you can’t for some reason – such as budget, or time constraints for example – you need to be really clear about why. Your team needs to see you responding to their ideas with clear implementation, to stay engaged.
Ultimately, to borrow phrasing from the Department for Education, there are “no great schools without great teachers”, so it is on us to help make sure our schools are great places to work, and that our pupils have happy, healthy teachers to teach them.
All change: what schools can do while Labour gets going with policy development In his column for Education Today
this month, GARETH CONYARD of the Teacher Development Trust takes a look at the challenges facing the new Labour Government - and what schools can do while they wait for policy changes to take effect
So, we have had a general election and Labour have proven the polls right and taken the reins of power. The big message of their campaign was ‘Change’ and that is certainly something that schools have been crying out for as they have been battling to maintain and improve standards against the backdrop of funding challenges, the recruitment and retention crisis, and increasingly shocking levels of child poverty. But as new Ministers begin to work through their new red boxes full of briefing, they will be grappling with the complexity of the system and the scale of the challenges they have inherited. Change may have been the mantra of the campaign, but the reality of governing will require patience. As Sir Humphrey famously says in Yes, Minister: “Minister, it takes time to do things now.”
When it comes to professional development, the challenges are considerable. Despite recent investment in the so-called ‘Golden Thread’ of the Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), spending on wider professional development has plummeted. As data from SchoolDash show, spending is 50% lower in real terms in primary schools and 30% lower in real terms in secondary schools compared to 2016.
Labour has recognised these challenges and has committed to introducing an entitlement to CPD alongside a new Leadership Excellence programme, with specific funding identified in its manifesto. This commitment is welcome and – if implemented well – could provide a permanent foundation for funded professional development. But, as we at the Teacher Development Trust have said elsewhere, Labour should recognise that this is a complex endeavour that will take time to implement well, building out from the central spine of the ECF and NPQs to support teachers and school leaders to undertake the most effective CPD for their context.
But what can schools do as they wait for the new policy initiatives to be developed and delivered?
First, continue to take advantage of free NPQ places if you can. Although the number available this autumn has been dramatically reduced by the last Government, there are still something like 10,000 NPQ places available. These are respected qualifications, grounded in evidence, and with transferability between job roles and settings. Second, take the time to understand where your school is in terms of its own professional development. Investing in a diagnostic of the current strengths and gaps in your school helps you make the best decisions about where to spend limited funding now, and of course how you might want to respond to a CPD entitlement introduced in the future.
Third, prioritise school culture. As our own research demonstrates, the best professional development will only be truly effective for an individual if they work in an environment that supports them to take forward what they have learned. Schools that emphasise the importance of a positive culture – of collaboration, trust, shared purpose, and respect amongst staff and pupils – put themselves in the best position to reap the rewards of investing in professional development.
https://tdtrust.org/
July/August 2024
www.education-today.co.uk 29
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