As a school leader you care passionately about learning, your community and your pupils. You often put your team and others before yourself, giving time and energy to keep others going. What this may sometimes lead to is a sacrifice of your own well-being and mental health.

In partnership with Education Support, we’ve developed a toolkit to help you maintain a healthy mind and culture during periods of challenge, such as inspections. It offers practical exercises, tools and tips to help you implement healthy habits support your own well-being, and maintain a mentally healthy working environment for yourselves and your team during times of challenge.

You can watch our Staying well during challenging times webinar, and have also created two short videos to help support you and your team.

A practical toolkit for school leaders

This toolkit is split into three sections: 

1. Building a healthy mind and culture to deal with challenges and stress 

This is the section to read (and hopefully implement some of the hints and tips) before a challenge arises. If you are in a strong position when entering a challenging time, you will be much better prepared to deal with it. 

2. The challenge itself – the pressure of being under stress 

This is the section to read during an acute period of challenge. For example, when you’ve received the call to notify you of an inspection.

3. Managing the after-effects 

The impact of any acutely challenging scenario shouldn’t be underestimated. Taking time to replenish your reserves and reflect before the next challenge arises is an important part of the process.

You can download the toolkit here.

We have also developed two short videos to help support you and your team. Watch them below.

Webinar: Staying well during challenging times

What can you do to stay mentally healthy when the pressure is on?

Join a practical webinar run in partnershop with Education Support to discover evidenced-based strategies for staying well during times of challenge, such as inspections. Faye McGuinness, Education Support's director of programmes, will take you through the stages of challenge and ways you can support yourself.

You will explore:

• How you can build a healthy mind so you are better able to cope in times of stress
• What evidence-based techniques you can use when you are in the middle of a challenging situation
• What you can do, once the pressure, is off to manage the after-effects of stress on your mind and body

Take the time to prioritise your own mental health and well-being.

You can watch our Staying well during challenging times webinar here.

Leaders helping themselves 
 

Leaders helping others