The We Lead Well Podcast

The findings from the 2022 Teacher Wellbeing Index were released on Friday and they are shocking!  They are evidence that we are heading towards a catastrophe in the education sector.  The number of staff in schools suffering from mental health issues is too high.  The findings also suggest that there are too many toxic schools in which staff wellbeing and morale are at rock bottom and a staggering number of school staff are seriously considering leaving, with many of them currently actively looking for other roles outside education.  So what can we do about it?  In this episode, I summarise the key findings in this report and discuss how we can try to turn the tide.  We can only do that with a concerted effort from all school leaders to do things differently, to really understand what good wellbeing is and create schools that focus on staff first. https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/zoga2r13/teacher-wellbeing-index-2022.pdf www.weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk  

Kate Smith works with the Heads Up network for headteachers.  She is a coach and all round amazing human!  She describes herself as an ethical and values-driven coach and leader who believes in the power of humanity; her core values are authenticity, connection and love! In this week's show, Kate and I have a conversation about the challenges of school leadership, intentional wellbeing and how you can overcome your limiting self-beliefs.  Kate worked in education for over 15 years and is a former headteacher.   @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.weleadwell.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk https://www.livelovelearnlead.co.uk/  www.headsup4hts.co.uk/ @MrsKatieSmith  

Helen was the deputy head at a school in Essex and was one of the first participants on the Women Lead Well group coaching programme.  In this episode, Helen and I talk about leading as a woman, and as a human being.  We also talk about how coaching, both one to one and group, have helped Helen's growth and development as a leader and led her to the point at which she has been able to leave her role and start her own business. www.weleadwell.co.uk vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 @essexsouthCIBY - to find out more about Helen's yoga in schools work @BakerHLC - to find out more about how Helen could support you through coaching www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com

Ben Solly is the Principal at Uppingham Community College in Rutland.  He joined us on the podcast for the second time and we talked about how he role models wellbeing as a leader and how he has created a culture of trust in his school.  It has been an absolute pleasure to have Ben join us on the show.  He's a shining example of what a headteacher can be. @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com  

Paula has 30 years experience of teaching and leadership in schools across London and the south of England. Formally, Paula was a Deputy head in two challenging schools giving her an insight to the demanding but rewarding role of leadership in school. Paula’s experience supports her belief that young people from all backgrounds and of all abilities deserve excellent teaching which comes from well led schools. Becoming involved in the City of London has opened her eyes to the great work that businesses and Livery companies undertake in support of education. This led to the idea of using these links or partnerships to support leaders in schools deliver great outcomes for students.   Paula leads on relationships with schools, supporting the school leaders, and on developing and implementing the programme. Contact Paula at paula@inspirationforall.org.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com

Julia is a lifelong learner and leader of learning.  She is the Director of Boundless Learning Ltd, specialising in bespoke consultancy support for leadership, learning and wellbeing, organisational development, staff development, coaching and supervision.  Julia is also a committed and passionate School Governor. Her extensive experience of research and development in education across a broad range of expertise is rooted in enabling emotional and cognitive development, oracy and communication, metacognition and the impact of a growth mindset on motivation and promoting self esteem so that everyone is a leader of their own learning.  Julia's research journey and learning have always been rooted in the promotion of EQ, developing motivation, oracy and language and the promotion of positively managing emotions and wellbeing across communities. She now works extensively in this area leading individual, organisational and group wellbeing provision across whole communities with Boundless Wellbeing. https://boundlesslearning.org.uk/ @boundlesslimited vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com

@WeLeadWellpodc1 Vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com www.teacherswell.com In this episode of the podcast, I chatted to Megan Corcoran all the way from Australia! Megan is passionate about supporting schools and organisations to become wellbeing communities. She believes that all members of a workplace can contribute to the wellbeing of the organisation and Megan can guide teams through practices and processes to have the skills to do so. Megan’s practice is trauma-informed and grounded in Wellbeing Science. She is an experienced workshop facilitator, coach and consultant, and is open to consulting and collaborating with schools, organisations and Not For Profits. Megan is also Co-Founder and Lead Facilitator at Teachers' Well Megan spent over eleven years teaching and leading in alternative schools for young people who have experienced trauma and/or significant disadvantage. During that time, Megan worked as a school leader in Australia’s largest alternative school, with an enrolment of 340 young people. As a leader, Megan prioritised staff wellbeing and professional practice, ensuring those choosing to do this work are well supported while developing and refining skills. Megan spent time volunteering as an English teacher in the West Bank, Palestine. She studied a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, investigating how belonging can provide healing and improve outcomes after experiences of childhood trauma. In 2020, she completed the Teach to Lead fellowship alongside twenty other Victorian school leaders.

Simon Antwis is an experienced head and Estyn inspector and in this episode we chat to him about the impact of the pandemic on our pupils and STEER and how it can help you identify the pupils who are the most vulnerable and at risk of facing mental health challenges. steer.education vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com

On today's show, we welcome Dr Rachel Briggs. With over 30 years' experience as a class teacher, senior leader, in-service trainer and education researcher, Rachel has practical experience and a theoretical knowledge of the education system and the associated benefits and risks to educators’ wellbeing.  Rachel offers coaching and supervision (reflective and safeguarding), as supportive dialogue to improve practice/competence and wellbeing which buffer against burnout and compassion stress injuries. Her practice is informed by a ‘mobile-balance’ model of educator psychological wellbeing, developed utilising her doctoral and masters studies and research, as well as her teaching and leadership experience (SENCo, DSL, deputy/acting HT), mostly gained in mainstream schools in challenging circumstances. She also offers training to school staff, governors/trustees and universities/ITEs where she shares the ‘mobile-balance’ framework to enhance understanding of workplace psychological wellbeing. This can facilitate more focused and informed conversations in schools, and individuals can be supported to identify personal stressors and wellbeing enhancers so that development and support opportunities can be tailored to individual needs. Rachel can be found on Linked In and on Twitter at @drrachelbriggs @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.transformeducationcoach.com www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com  

Drew Povey is back! This time he's come to tell us all about his brilliant new book, 'When the Clouds Come' a book about how to overcome adversity and face all of the challenges that life and leadership present.   You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09THQYWTZ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 @WeLeadWellPodc1 @drewpovey vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.transformeducationcoach.com www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com