Overall impression:
The book is easy to read from cover to cover but also to dip in and out of as it presents a practical school model that will help leaders address staff wellbeing. It contains practical ideas, highlights misconceptions around wellbeing and sets out ways to take a proactive approach. It is a book for anyone invested in the wellbeing of everyone in their school containing real-life examples and suggestions for moving forward.
Who is the book for and what will they learn?
The toolkit has been written predominantly for school leaders, however there are sections of the book that are relevant to everyone. It is a model of how to make wellbeing an integral part of school culture by reducing workload, managing stress and supporting each other in challenging situations. It will help leaders develop a culture of positivity and provides a strategy to enable staff to take ownership of their wellbeing. ‘Considered within its broadest definition, staff wellbeing includes: work and workload, retention and recruitment, mental and physical health, resilience and career choice. It should therefore be of concern to all school leaders.’
Writing style:
Andrew writes with passion but is it obvious he has a realistic picture and understanding of how schools work. It is written in a friendly style which seeks to help school leaders think and question current practice. Chapter 1 starts with the principles of wellbeing, what wellbeing is and importantly what wellbeing isn’t alongside the acknowledgement that teaching, and schools are pressured environments with challenges for all. The book then moves onto practical strategies, advice and guidance coupled with the principles and values that determine approaches to wellbeing. Each chapter starts with a chapter overview outlining the main points and ends with a Toolkit takeaway which is easy to return to time and again serving as a useful reminder along with real-life examples in the form of case studies from a variety of schools and school leaders.
A quote that resonates:
‘Wellbeing cannot be ‘delivered’ in a staff meeting and then forgotten about for the rest of the year. It cannot be delegated to a member of staff to deliver as part of their appraisal cycle. One course on mindfulness and ten minutes of rather awkward meditation doesn’t solve everything. A bag of goodies can be a pleasant surprise, but if it is one-off, the gesture becomes tokenistic. What use is a head massage in September to a teacher struggling to keep up with assessments in March?”
Additional comments:
The anonymous quotes from school staff in chapter 1 are a stark reminder that wellbeing isn’t ‘being nice’ or that it is a ‘tick-box exercise,’ but that wellbeing is for every day and for everyone.
“There has been a token wellbeing day so that they can tick a box but no sustained recognition of the need to manage wellbeing. Plus, the constant pressure points don’t help and no forethought to planning the calendar to support workload.”