The mental health and wellbeing of school business leaders

School business leaders play a critical part in the life of a school. Like many other professionals, they can struggle with their mental health. The position can come with its challenges which can have a significant impact on their wellbeing as they may face long working hours and a need to balance competing priorities.

Education Mutual and Education

Support work in partnership on this newfound research to collectively understand the working role of an SBL in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools across England and Wales. They aim to support the underestimated mental health and wellbeing of SBLs to accelerate more fulfilling, successful, and effective educational institutions.

The Findings

Half of SBLs considered excessive workload as the main work-related factor which impacted on their mental health and wellbeing. Managing multiple projects simultaneously with the demand to deliver quality work alongside the pressure of keeping the school running is becoming intense.

A familiarisation with others’ roles can help to promote a collaborative working environment. We found a surprising, varied lack of understanding of what the SBL role entails. A confusion with other administration roles was a common occurrence along with no acknowledgment for the time it takes to undertake such tasks.

The most staggering finding was the feeling of isolation within the job role. With a lacking understanding of their role, SBLs struggle to bounce ideas of others and communicate their issues with peers who recognize and relate to the obstacles they encounter.

SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you are an SBL, we strongly suggest sharing this report with your headteacher and mark your relatable findings to ensure that changes are made throughout your school to prioritise your wellbeing. Additionally, are you on Twitter? If the answer is yes, there’s plenty of networking to be done with large groups of other SBLs – a frequent reminder that you are not alone!

If you are a headteacher reading this report, when was the last time that you checked in with your SBL? This report could spark some important conversations and highlight specific areas of improvement to benefit your SBLs. Have you considered the services your staff have available through your staff absence protection? Education Mutual member schools are entitled to face-to-face counselling sessions, stress coaching and a 24/7 GP line. It’s important to reassure all staff that wellbeing services are confidential as there shouldn’t be any fear of potential consequences.

Read the report here: https://www.educationmutual. co.uk/about-us/sbl-wellbeingreport-2023/

Contact details: 01623 287840 learnmore@educationmutual.co.uk