The demands on all staff within the education profession are well documented and often cited, but can also be overlooked and down-played. We not only have the privilege of educating our community’s young people: we also care for them, counsel them, support them, prepare them for the wider world, protect them, advise them, and grow them, with the hope that they will leave us to become happy and successful adults. In today’s post-pandemic society, this is no mean feat and one that requires those that work within the profession to continually go above and beyond for our young people, working tirelessly to give our students the opportunities and experiences to equip them for adulthood. Unfortunately, this can often be at the detriment of a healthy work-life balance and schools can far too easily become ‘pressure-cooker’ places of work, where staff well-being is compromised.

The culture we are working hard to develop at St Regis is inspired by Three Spires Trust’s ‘flourishing’ strategic plan, where the well-being of all adults within the Academy is prioritised. Ultimately, amongst all of the demands of the profession, we want St Regis to be an attractive, rewarding and enjoyable place for staff to work.  

In my opinion, there is no magic wand to achieving this but the culture we are promoting at St Regis is one of complete team togetherness: treating each other with kindness, compassion and respect, whilst ‘having each other’s back’ to support one another through the demands of the profession. We do not scrutinise, clock-watch or hour-count, but recognise the immense hard work and effort every member of staff puts in, and we aim to “give back” to staff in regular, meaningful and tangible ways. 

Our weekly ‘Koinonia’ (Greek: ‘fellowship’) break time on Wednesdays is a protected time for all staff to come together and share a range of refreshments prepared for them, catch up and have some quality, undirected time together. Throughout the year, our staff are provided with additional opportunities to enjoy each other’s company whilst being treated to, for example: on-site ice cream van; on-site barista coffee van; dunkin’ doughnuts delivery; or simply (and importantly) ending each term with a sociable drink together at our local. We encourage a Staff Wellbeing Committee to meet monthly to feedback on how staff are feeling and what more can be done to support them.

We try and promote clear communication around upcoming school events through a range of means. This enables staff to manage their time, have the sense of preparedness and foresee changes in workload.  Our school calendar is carefully planned and structured to spread workload fairly and appropriately throughout the academic year. This is shared as part of our staff handbook in September, but then regularly updated and confirmed through the publication every Friday of “The Week Ahead” document. Our well-structured and embedded morning CPD program gives staff protected time for important information sharing, whilst removing the need for any formal after school staff meetings: every Monday (for 20 minutes before form time) is whole staff briefing and has a SEND/Safeguarding focus; Tuesdays are in Year teams; Wednesdays are in Faculties; Thursdays are whole staff and has a Teaching & Learning focus; Fridays are Middle Leadership Team meetings. Our Monday morning briefings begin with shared “Staff Shout-outs” from the previous week, which any member of staff can nominate any other member of staff for. Staff Shout-Out nominations are then regularly used to populate staff prize draws throughout the term.

We are a ‘young’ Senior Leadership Team, and with the support of the Three Spires Trust, the Academy has achieved so much in the past 12 months, but at the core of our approach is a genuine open-door policy with all staff. We make time for all staff, and are working hard to nurture a culture where staff are made to feel they can approach any member of SLT to discuss any matter, however great or small. Supporting our staff to make their very difficult jobs more manageable is the first priority for my SLT.

I am a firm believer that working with young people in any school is a vocation, and a privilege, and that many adults enter the profession with a desire to make a difference. It is ultimately important, however, that this motivation does not lead to an overwhelming sense of pressure and an unsustainable, and often unhealthy, work-life balance. Happy staff deliver great lessons and, in turn, achieve amazing things with our young people.

Mr E Parry

Principal