*Note: I will use the word teachers to represent all staff members who work in schools - please don't moan that I am ignoring Teaching Assistants, office staff or ancillary staff.
After a Twitter poll I ran in the week, people wanted to know how I support my team at my school. Here is my blog - I hope you enjoy it!
Teaching is a person centred profession. It is full of extremely caring, giving and loving people. However, we are also our own worst enemies. Teaching is an all encompassing job if we allow it to be. Despite what is said by non-teachers, we do not only do our jobs 9 - 3 and have lots of holidays. The job is constantly on your mind. It pops up at inopportune moments (like your wedding anniversary- but the less said about that the better!). I have taken note of the number of work based thoughts that have popped into my head over the couple of hours:
Is my assembly sorted for tomorrow?
I wonder how my team are doing?
We have some new children starting tomorrow, I hope they are OK.
I hope the child attending AP next week will be OK.
Have I done everything I need for the SEN Panel meeting tomorrow?
How is our student teacher doing?
Have the grass cutters been in?
Have the gates been fixed?
I cannot wait to meet our new Reception parents - how can I make the transition even better for them this year?
I haven't finished all of my planning for my teaching this term - do I have time to sort that?
Oh no - 5 policies have expired and need updating (maybe I will change the date and nobody will notice...)
I haven't heard anything from anybody about COVID - I hope I don't have a lot to deal with tomorrow.
I need to finish the safeguarding audit!
I hope the forest school providers we signed up with are good.
I know, from my experience that similar thoughts pop into teachers' heads all of the time and the relentless nature of the job can lead you to burn out, feel like you do not have enough time to do your job and give up family time to work for other children.
I see a big part of my job is being an enabler. I enable teachers to be the best that they can be so that they can do their best job for the children in their class. Teachers cannot do this if they are burnt out or are working excessively because of pointless tasks that they have been given. I have to create the atmosphere where teachers can only do tasks that are important for the children, are trusted and are encouraged to keep their home life as their priority.
This has not been easy, as there are a range of external pressures which as a head I have to filter through and keep away from my team. However, teachers have been bashed for so long. Even now, I get the question of "Don't I need evidence for this?" or "Can I really do it that way?". My response is always - I trust your professional opinion, do what you need to do for your class!
I have created a well-being charter which which are the promises that we make as a school to our team. This charter is:
1. Trust our staff. We will trust you to do your jobs. We do not have overzealous monitoring protocols, do not regularly conduct formal observations (we use low pressure drop in sessions) and do not expect you to work to required formats.
2. Reduce workload wherever possible. We cut back on pointless paperwork, do not have an onerous feedback policy and will only meet when we need to meet. We will always give you time if you have been asked to complete a specific task.
3. Remember that you have a life outside of school. We aim to be flexible where we can be, to help with family events and emergencies.
4. Focus on your health. We will allow you to take time for important medical appointments when they categorically cannot be arranged out of school hours, and offer you a flu jab every year.
5. Value you and provide positive acknowledgement when you have done well.
6. Provide an open-door policy, where you are encouraged to speak to us so that we can help each other.
7. Check in on you, and check that you are OK.
8. Ask your opinion on changes that could have a significant impact upon your workload – we aim to include you in decision making. We give you the freedom to make choices about initiatives you want to try.
9. Never jump onto the latest education fad. We will only make considered decisions that have a positive impact for the children.
10. Give you personalised, bespoke professional development to support your career progression.
I know what we do is not special or new - lots of schools and heads do much more than we do. However, we feel our charter allows our team to know that we will look after them and help them where we can. One lovely positive of this is the feeling of team work and camaraderie that has developed. We all look to help each other, staff are willing to go the extra mile when needed and we have very low staff turn-over.
I always worry that I am soft touch. However, I am learning that being empathetic, kind and caring does not make you weak, if anything it is a strength. I believe it is harder to open yourself up, deal with people with kindness and trust people to do their jobs than it is to rule with fear and monitor people to an inch of their lives. Fear does not build a team, does not get the best out of people or create an atmosphere of innovation. I will never be able to lead this way - and I am glad that I can't!