Staff Mental Health
Supporting and promoting the mental health and wellbeing of staff at The Levels School is an essential component of a healthy school. We promote opportunities to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Our wellbeing group is responsible for organising different events throughout the year to keep this healthy theme uppermost.
We endeavour to ensure an ethos of open communication, particularly when it comes to talking about concerns. There is a buddy system to ensure that all staff feel there is someone to act as a ‘sounding board’ during times of difficulty.
Policies on marking and planning take account of workload concerns of staff. We provide clinical supervision for specific staff and hope to be able to extend this to the whole staff team in due course. All staff have access to the Wisdom App for specific support for mental health. Staff are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance and there is respect for home life (e.g. discouraging late working and the right to avoid emailing over weekend).
Support with Grief
Grief can be a smooth process, or a chaotic one – particularly if we are busy and ‘put it to one side’. Sometimes we think we have finished grieving, and something happens which brings up new feelings of sadness and loss. The following sites may be useful, as well as opening up to a colleague/buddy if you feel able to.
Whatever you feel, it will be a normal reaction. Don’t go through it alone!
| Cruse: helpline & online chat | Mind: information & where to go for support |
| Macmillan: support, advice & helpline | Marie Curie: support, advice & helpline |
Downloadable Resources
If you are looking for support with mental health, try these downloadable resources.
| Mental Health Continuum | The Education Wellbeing Charter |
| Macmillan: support, advice & helpline | Marie Curie: support, advice & helpline |
| Staff Stress Container | Self-Care Audit |
| Stress Awareness Course |
External Links
These links support with recognising diminishing mental health in yourself and others, and how to ask for support.
| Charlie Waller: conversations around mental health at work | Charlie Waller: spotting signs & symptoms |
| Charlie Waller: stress & supporting someone's mental health |
