NAHT Wellness and Protect is the premier product for school well-being and budget protection. As an integral part of this product, we have a leadership support facility, to support you as a school leader in developing a whole school well-being culture in your school. I am delighted that, as an ex President of NAHT, I am able to support members with this aspect of the NAHT Wellness and Protect product and with whole school well-being.
On Thursday 25th February 2021 NAHT Wellness and Protect ran our first online conference designed to support members with a wider opening of schools on 8th March and from there, into a future post pandemic.
The session discussed the need for us to recognise that from time to time we will all experience stress and trauma, but that we need a new approach to dealing with this stress and trauma that isn’t reactive and typified by crisis management. We need to build a level of personal development and well-being that allows all of our children to thrive, especially those from disadvantaged communities whose well-being is potentially compromised the most. We know that academic potential is hugely affected by poorer levels of well-being and we know that those learners from more disadvantaged communities often have poorer well-being. Therefore, talk of social justice and levelling up becomes a discussion about the extent to which we build a metaphorical attainment house without the foundations of good well-being that underpin the ability to make the most from high quality teaching. It is fundamentally flawed.
The presentation talked about this as a principle and entitlement for all learners but also discussed the interlinked nature of staff well-being and pupil well-being. When teachers and learners are all in a good place mentally and physically then we supercharge the factors for effective learning, higher attainment and better well-being and personal development. Essentially the effectiveness of the ‘catch up’ agenda is directly linked to and affected by the ability of learners to learn, and staff to teach, effectively.
Finally, we looked at how senior leaders could support the well-being of their staff and their own well-being, and critically how governors could help to support and maintain the mental health and well-being of the staff in their schools.
As part of the presentation, we looked at what well-being is. It is vital that we understand that this is about having staff and pupils in the best mental and physical condition possible for their own benefit as human beings, but also that they are able to be the best version of themselves professionally as we know that being fulfilled professionally supports good wellbeing. This presentation was about recalibrating our approach to mental health and well-being from the traditional interventionist reactive model to one where we proactively nurture excellent mental health and well-being, to better weather the ravages of stress and trauma that are a natural part of life’s journey.
The presentation has a range of tools which I have created to support school leaders in building a whole school well-being culture and also links to a piece of work I carried out with the NGA to help governors and senior leaders to have a productive conversation around the well-being of the senior leader but also to help develop a strategic approach to whole school well-being.
If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact me – nahtwellnessandprotect@naht.org.uk
“Having just attended the Recovery Well-Being Conference I wanted to make contact and thank you for an absolutely superb event!”
“A really good event so far, thank you. Much needed at present and lots of food for thought.”
“Can I just say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved in the organisation of today. It was extremely informative, and I have gained a great deal of information moving forward.”
Personalised pastoral and leadership support is available with Ask Andy through NAHT Wellness and Protect. Click here to learn more and to request a quotation.
Andy Mellor – Director of Well-being at NAHT Wellness and Protect
Andy has over 30 years’ experience of teaching and leading in the state education system in England.
He has taught and led in a range of schools, culminating in 17 years as Headteacher of a 2 form entry primary school in Blackpool leading the school to Ofsted outstanding in March 2016.
Since then he has opened and led the Blackpool Teaching School Alliance and supported the school led system in Blackpool being a board member for the Blackpool Opportunity Area and the Blackpool School Improvement Board.
From May 2018 to May 2019 Andy was the President of NAHT. He left headship in December 2019 to become National Director of Well-being for Schools Advisory Service (SAS), sharing the organisation’s vision for all schools to become well-being friendly for both staff and pupils. Andy has since taken the lead on well-being at NAHT Wellness and Protect which he is very passionate about.