A couple of months ago, we heard from Vinny Wagjiani, Chair of Governors at Leechpool Primary School about his board’s efforts to improve staff wellbeing. In the latest instalment of our wellbeing governor stories, Vinny explains the board’s approach to supporting student wellbeing and promoting success. Leechpool Primary School is…
Julie Palmer, Chair of Governors, Howden Junior School, East Yorkshire Howden Junior School has around 215 pupils and is a two-form entry maintained school in East Yorkshire. Our mission statement is ‘championing excellence – nurturing aspirations’ and our four key values – chosen through collaboration with our school community –…
Vinny Wagjiani, Chair of Governors, Leechpool Primary School, West Sussex Leechpool Primary School is a community primary school with around 400 pupils, located on the outskirts of Horsham. We ensure pupils, families, staff and governors embrace values including: 1) Reflection, 2) Resourcefulness, 3) Relationships, 4) Responsibility, 5) Risk-Taking and…
Improving the educational and life outcomes for pupils is at the centre of a school’s purpose and drives those who work and volunteer in education. Parents of students are even more invested in ensuring their child or children are given the best possible start in life, but despite this shared…
Fortunately, highly traumatic events are not a common occurrence. But, when they do happen they can have devastating and long-term consequences for those affected. School staff are particularly vulnerable, working in stressful conditions and being exposed to a wide variety of potential sources of trauma in the school community beyond…
Providing support and challenge to headteachers and a school’s leadership team is one of a governor’s key roles. For some people, finding the balance between the two can be the hardest part of the job. To ‘provide challenge’ can conjure up visions of confrontation and…
Working in a school is rewarding yet challenging, and the past few months will likely have been some of the most difficult of many teachers and school staff’s careers. Looking after school staff’s mental health and wellbeing should always be a priority for governors.
Governors can help transform their schools’ approach to staff wellbeing and mental health. But before they can do so, governors need some underlying knowledge and understanding of the terminology and issues involved. The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every…
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the issue of mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of schools. But it’s a subject that’s been of concern for some time, and will continue to be long after the effects of the pandemic end. School governors have a role to play in mitigating the effects of…
Kingmoor Infant and Nursery School recently became the first school in Cumbria to be awarded the AcSEED Award. Headteacher Nicky Corfield and Youth Mental Health Champion Nikki Hall, answer some of our questions about their school’s approach to mental health and wellbeing in this Q&A. 1. Should schools…
This guest blog from Stonewall discusses why it’s important that schools have a particular focus on LGBT pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, and the role governors can play in ensuring this happens. In the context of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools and colleges have had to find new ways of…
Wellbeing has been a big issue in schools for a long time, and rightly so. But the events of 2020 have put mental health and wellbeing at the forefront in schools, with lockdown, grief, uncertainty, and changes to our way of life all taking a toll on…