While the Headteacher felt that his staff had a voice and were involved in all the school’s processes, he saw the merit of being involved in the Well-Being Pilot as a further indicator and affirmation of his perception. He also considered that it would link with the work the school is doing as a pilot school for workforce reform.
The school has a high number of casual admissions. For example by the October half-term 2004 there had been 50 pupils admitted across the school. 50% of the pupils have English as their second language and 52% have special needs. To help cater for these needs, the school is working with other agencies on site to extend its role in the community.
In 2003 the school celebrated an increase of 5% in A*-C GSCE passes.
The joint INSET day, its organisation and its aim to meet the needs of all staff, has been in place for the last 3 years. The courses and training offered cover aspects of wellbeing and other related school topics.
The school completed the Well-Being Organisational Self Review Measure (OSRM) in January 2004 and received a good response rate from the 102 staff at the school.
The areas perceived to be a priority, reflecting all the different groups of staff were:
Staff were invited to a meeting to receive the Commentary feedback and a copy of the whole report was given to everyone. Following the initial briefing at the staff meeting, staff split into working groups to discuss their five priorities. Feedback from the working groups was given to all staff and the information displayed in the staff room. The feedback was used to develop an action plan.
It was evident at this stage that there were some ideas that could be implemented quickly and this was actioned. The next stage was for the feedback to be discussed in the various working groups who were writing the School Development Plan (SDP). It was seen as important to incorporate the major action points in the Three Year Plan.
It is the policy that the whole school including the governors are involved in this process. There are 16 staff working groups and each group was given the lists of actions for one to two priorities. Groups then included what they felt was relevant to the SDP. The governors were also part of this process as the Leadership team are keen that there is an opportunity for everyone to be involved in this key process.
A wellbeing page has been included in the SDP. Wellbeing is included in the other aspects of the plan and will be used as one of the criteria to evaluate the plan.
The Facilitators and the Leadership team feel that there is a correlation between increasing staff morale and their wellbeing. The following have been put into place as a response to the Well-Being Programme:
The school will continue implementing their agreed plans in the second year of the Programme. The medium and longer term will be reviewed as an outcome of the second OSRM in spring 2005. New staff appointed since the last OSRM will be included. A positive outcome has been the focus on staff and what matters to them. A strand dedicated to wellbeing has also been included in the school’s consultative processes towards their strategic planning.
The practice of having an annual cluster day is an excellent example of the Well-Being process in action. It is inclusive, consultative and responsive to staff needs. It is a large undertaking that is appreciated by all staff and eagerly looked forward to. Staff from the different schools have requested for their next cluster day topics including mental health, stress, relaxation and anger management; and also activities such as sports, arts and crafts, and cookery.
This one annual activity shows the school’s philosophy of including staff in all processes in action. It complements the processes and protocols in all the other aspects of the school.