Our teachers and headteachers appear to be under more pressure than ever. Not only do they lead on teaching and learning, they support and listen to their staff and deal with the concerns of students and their parents.
Headteachers and school leaders have roles that require a high level of professional expertise. Challenges can include managing operational change, staff performance and wellbeing, dealing with difficult students, ensuring high standards of learning and teaching, as well as parental concerns and general school administration and operation.
With this in mind, there are a number of simple changes that headteachers can make to help stay on top of these challenges.
Managing change effectively
Staff deal with change better when they are clear about what is happening and if they are directly involved in the process. School leaders need to set out these strategies and support staff in understanding how they achieve these goals. They must ensure that work is designed effectively and efficiently, but more importantly, that staff are trusted in how they organise and deliver their work.
In a tough economic climate, it is even more important to maintain staff wellbeing in order to motivate and retain staff. Leaders and managers are at the heart of establishing an organisational culture which embraces change and in which staff have the emotional resilience to cope with it.
Communication
Communication is often a key area that can be improved upon in schools. One simple solution is to look at how, when and where different groups of staff can access information, and ensure that no group is excluded when communications are shared. Asking staff for their ideas on how they both prefer to receive communications and in what format will give the school a better idea of where any gaps are and how they might be filled.
It is important to clarify roles and responsibilities within the school and ensure this is communicated at relevant points to the right people. This can help reduce anxiety both for individuals and groups of staff.
Staff wellbeing
A simple but effective tool for improving wellbeing of staff is to publicly celebrate individual or group achievements. This doesn't need to be extravagant or expensive, but should include all staff, so the timing of the celebrations needs to be considered.
Another initiative is to obtain feedback from teachers about how the school might improve the wellbeing of staff. This gives some of the ownership and control back to the teachers as well as the responsibility for the generation of ideas.
Trusting relationships are essential to wellbeing, and teachers with a high sense of wellbeing will perform better and are more likely to accept change rather than being overwhelmed by it.
Time-management
Having accomplished time-management skills will always go a long way in helping those with a heavy workload. In school there is the added pressure of always having to respond to a bell or the clock.
The pressure of timetables makes undertaking other tasks more complex. While it is not always easy to do, try to suggest that teachers put aside some time each week and set a goal of completing three key things that have been on their list for a while before they become urgent.
This can allow them to regain a sense of control over a really busy day.
The creative use of planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) or leadership times can create a block of time that could potentially be taken off site. By having time within the week or fortnight that can be used more flexibly, staff are more likely to be effective with this time. However it is important wherever possible to protect this time once agreed, as the impact of it being cancelled or infringed upon can be detrimental both to the individual and their relationship with the leadership of the school.
HR issues
Headteachers and school leaders tackle a variety of HR issues on a daily basis. Challenges can include managing staff employment, performance, conflict disciplinary procedures, sickness and absence.
If there is an HR issue, be it a teacher disagreement, continuous absences or managing a disciplinary procedure, headteachers should not feel apprehensive about the need to seek out assistance from a relevant professional organisation to help them with managing this effectively.
Headteacher wellbeing
While headteachers are responsible for the wellbeing of their staff, they need to recognise that the same factors no doubt also impact on themselves. Increased workload, loss of control, pressure from external demands, as well as managing more challenging pupil and staff relationships can all have a negative impact on wellbeing.
Governing bodies have a statutory responsibility for supporting the wellbeing of their headteachers, but often find this difficult to address. Headteachers should actively engage themselves and their staff, as well as their governors, in programmes that support teacher welfare. Our teachers are an extremely valuable tool in society and should be given the resources and encouragement that they deserve.
- Keren Prior is head of professional development at Essex Education Services, part of Essex County Council.