Education Support

At UAL Awarding Body, we know teachers are at the heart of providing successful education for students. We believe that all teachers and education staff should have access to support and resources to ensure their wellbeing. In this blog, we are spotlighting Education Support, a charity for teachers who provide mental health and wellbeing services for the education workforce.

About Education Support

We were established by teachers for teachers, and we have been supporting teachers and education staff for 146 years!

Education Support is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of leaders, teachers and education staff. We believe that better mental health leads to better education.

We support individuals and help schools, colleges and universities to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their staff. We also carry out research and advocate for changes in Government policy for the benefit of the education workforce.

Why is ensuring educators have support with their mental health vital for a good education system?

Our 2023 Teacher Wellbeing Index shows that more teachers than ever are showing signs of stress and burnout:

• 78% of teachers are stressed (6% increase on 2022 & highest of all job roles)
• 36% of teachers felt, or it was suggested to them by others, that the symptoms they experienced were signs of burnout (9% increase on 2022)
• 45% of staff thought the symptoms they experienced were signs of anxiety – compared to 33% of the population of Great Britain (ONS)

With pressures on staff being so high, we know that education institutions are looking for new ways not just to support their staff, but to keep the conversation and momentum going throughout the year.

Education staff need to know when to reach out for help, and that there is no shame in doing so – it is an important part of maintaining their wellbeing.

What steps can employers take to prioritise wellbeing of their staff within the education setting?

Role-modelling wellbeing

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to choose between prioritising the mental wellbeing of yourself against the wellbeing of your colleagues or students. They are all interconnected. Healthy leaders are better able to provide support to staff, who are able to better provide high quality education and support for pupils.

It is also true that cultural change usually starts from the top. If mental and emotional health become a priority to you – and you are able to role-model that behaviour – it can spread throughout your organisation. Allowing staff to learn, work and grow together  has the potential to improve relationships with pupils and ultimately how you teach them.

Building psychological safety

Psychological safety together with role-modelling can help to create an environment where staff:

• Are trusted and feel safe
• Can be honest with managers and colleagues i.e. if they are struggling with stress levels
• Are able to speak up when they need to
• Have the freedom and security to try new things and make mistakes
• Feel safe enough to be creative and take risks
• Can be themselves, in order to perform at their best without any risk to their mental wellbeing
• Can safely and respectfully disagree

A quick exercise to try with your team

Here's a five minute exercise you can try with your team to see how safe, open and emotionally supportive your school setting feels to them. You can either open these questions up in a group discussion, or allow staff to provide feedback anonymously if you think that would work better:

• If someone makes a mistake in this team, will they be blamed for it?
• Can team members bring up problems and difficult issues without fear?
• Do people in this team sometimes reject others just because they are different?
• Is it okay to take a risk in this team?
• Is it easy to ask for help from others in this team?
• Would anyone in the team purposely work against the team's efforts?
• When working with this team, are unique skills and talents valued and used?

To explore role-modelling wellbeing and for a free guide on psychological safety, visit the resources on the Education Support website

What resources and advice do you have available to educators who are having a difficult time with their mental health?

We provide free mental health and wellbeing support to teachers and education staff. Below is a list we recommend sharing at the start of term. We would also encourage re-sharing these resources and offers of support at different pressure points during the school year, for example exam season or when an unexpected issue arises that impacts staff wellbeing.

• Education Support Helpline: Our free and confidential helpline is open 24/7 on 08000 562 561 and is staffed by qualified counsellors. It is available for everyone working in education. Print our helpline poster and put it up around your school (i.e. in the staff room, back of doors in the staff toilets).
• Education Support Website: Discover free, expert-led guides, tools and video’s to help you, your colleagues and your organisation with mental health and wellbeing; covering topics from burnout to menopause and bereavement. We also publish robust research which allows us to advocate for changes in government policy.
• Education Support Webinars: Each term, we host a live webinar on a topic that we know matters to your school. Hear from experts on a range of specialist areas and gain new perspectives, insights and tools to implement straight away which can improve your mental health and wellbeing.