Education Supporter Spring 2021 by edsupport

Education Supporter

The magazine from

Helping people working in education

Inside this issue: Tackling declining mental health in the education sector

Spring 2021

Welcome and thank you Welcome to the Spring 2021 issue of Education Supporter. This past year has been a deeply unsettling time for all of us, but of course, given the nature of our charity, our thoughts are first and foremost with teachers and education staff, who have continuously battled through the past year, while under constant scrutiny from the media. This magazine has to go to print some weeks before you receive it. But it is my hope that by the time you’re reading this, it will be with renewed optimism that we have come through the worst of the pandemic, and can once again spend time with our friends and families. Although life in general has been somewhat unpredictable, thanks to you, Education Support has been a constant in the lives of so many teachers and education staff who have needed us during this time. We are in a strong position to continue adapting our services and expanding our reach. More than ever, we want education staff to know about us and to be able to access any of our support mechanisms. Together we can repair the damage done to education staff so that they are resilient and can continue to support our children and young people to overcome the effects of the pandemic and strive for their best future. I know I say it every time I write to you, but it comes from the heart – thank you, for being there with us. I’m going to be talking in a little more depth about how the charity is developing on page 4. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy this issue and may I take this opportunity to send you my best wishes for a healthy year ahead.

Sinéad Mc Brearty CEO, Education Support

Contents Welcome and thank you

Where are we now?

The Lives You’ve Changed – Rosa’s story

Our latest research results

The Lives You’ve Changed – Su’s story

Your Voice

Farewill service

The lives you’ve changed – Tara’s story

Wellbeing in Wales

Break–time

Donation form

Keep in touch Address

40A Drayton Park, London, N5 1EW

Phone

0207 697 2750 (general enquiries)

Helpline 08000 562 561 (Free, confidential 24/7 Helpline) Email

fundraising@edsupport.org.uk

Website educationsupport.org.uk 3

Where are we now? As I come up to the second anniversary of my tenure as Chief Executive at Education Support, it is a good time to give you an update of how the charity is developing.

The pandemic has been an experience unlike any other in the lives of many of us. Whilst we have faced difficulties in the past, few of us have lived through historical events that affect the whole of society: The effects have not been equally felt, with particular communities bearing more than their fair share of the pain. Much of what we took for granted has changed forever. This is true at Education Support too. Coronavirus affected our income and the way we deliver services, but I’m pleased to say that we maintained support for education staff throughout. This was only possible due to the thousands of individual donors who give regularly to the charity. We pared back our activity to focus on the work that makes the biggest difference to the frontline, and the lessons learned from this year will stand us in good stead as we face the coming years. I come from a family of teachers. My grandfather was a schoolmaster in rural Ireland in the 1940s and 50s. He taught his pupils to read, write and count, but more than that, he helped poor families to navigate an impenetrable and punitive welfare system. He encouraged parents to learn to read and write. He provided a listening ear for stories that would otherwise have gone untold. And he was beloved by the community that he served. 4

The context might be different today, but my grandfather’s experience is replicated across the UK in modern settings today. I will use every ounce of creativity and passion at my disposal to ensure that the health and wellbeing of school staff gets taken seriously in 2021. As the days lengthen and the buds of spring appear in the garden, I find my attention drawn to some of the positives in this horrible situation. A variety of polls show us that the public continues to value and trust teachers. Those of us who homeschooled our own children are well aware of the effort that is going in to remote learning, sustaining direct contact with children and young people, and maintaining on-site support across the country. Once again, education professionals have demonstrated the critical role they play in keeping calm and carrying on.

Individuals Support for the individuals who make up our education sector remains at the heart of our work. This includes teachers, lecturers, school and college leaders, as well as support staff and administrators.

We continue to make hardship grants to those in distress. Our helpline continues to provide 24/7 support to anyone working in education: with almost 600 calls each year from people clinically assessed to be at risk of suicide, this is a real lifeline for many. During the first lockdown we began creating short videos on subjects including stress, bereavement, anxiety and more. That content has been viewed over 130,000 times since April 2020, illustrating the appetite for specific mental health advice for teachers.

Schools, colleges and universities as workplaces Our main work with education workplaces focuses on the provision of counselling support for staff. In addition, we have developed a highly successful online peer support model as well as a telephone supervision service. We developed this work in response to the obvious strain on school leaders over the past twelve months. The initial evaluation is very positive, and we expect to expand that work over the coming year. In the meantime, we are piloting a Wellbeing Advisory service in Wales: one of our experts works directly with schools to help them develop the most appropriate support for their staff locally. More of this on page 16.

Education policy We will continue to research the mental health and wellbeing of the education workforce. We then use this evidence to lobby for changes to government policy. Currently, we are advocating for changes to the accountability system,

the expression of trust in teachers and the unsustainable workloads regularly seen in the sector. Many of our donors have written to us to describe their frustration at how education policy has become something of a political football. Retired teachers and lecturers are aghast at the way in which education professionals are treated. As we assess the long-term impact of Coronavirus on education, we are determined to increase our work in this area and to amplify our voice in the policy debate. We will do this through focused research to fill gaps in the evidence base, as well as through partnerships with other organisations who also want to see change, be they mental health charities, think tanks, trade unions or academics. All the while, we must continue to make sure that teachers across the country know that our services are available to them. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to reach more people directly through online events: I presented to over 850 people on various Zoom events last week alone. We will continue to innovate and deliver high quality services that demonstrate the value of good support across the sector. In particular, we want to find ways to support those educators who routinely deal with the most difficult situations in schools and colleges and we know that they can be left distressed by the difficulties they see in communities, families and students. Thank you for supporting this work. 5

The lives you’ve changed… Rosa’s story Rosa first came to the UK from Peru in 1980. She soon found a happy home here and a passion for teaching. She has been teaching for 26 years, first teaching Spanish to early years children in a primary school. She later taught adults at evening classes whilst also working as a carer to provide for her family.

During this time, she tried to look after herself and manage the pain as well as she could but after a while it put a huge strain on her emotionally. Rosa came across the Education Support helpline number and decided to call us.

Rosa began to have health problems 10 years ago following an injury to her lower back - the result of her work as a carer. This resulted in a long-term back condition and forced her to work from home as a tutor.

She said: “I’m usually a positive person but the Coronavirus crisis has made me feel very low, very depressed and not able to do anything. As a tutor at home, my regular students had stopped coming because of safety risks so I have had a lot less income. An Education Support counsellor listened to how I felt, to my feelings and that really helped. She made me think about why I am useful and helped me feel more positive about my situation.”

Rosa said: “When my problems started my doctor told me I had osteoarthritis, but saw my pain as quite ordinary. It became more and more painful and hard to manage. I even ended up going to A&E last year as it was so bad.” Before the first lockdown back in March 2020, Rosa had an MRI scan and had begun treatment at a pain clinic. This had to be put on hold during the pandemic.

Along with helpline counselling, we were able to help Rosa with a grant to help ease her financial worries.

We’re here to help you Call our helpline: 08000 562 561

Visit our grants page: educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/apply-grant

Our Research 84%

of all education professionals described themselves as stressed (89% of senior leaders)

31%

of all education professionals have experienced a mental health issue in the past academic year.

38% of

all education professionals considered their organisational culture had a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing. 8

We have all felt the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic, both in our personal and professional lives, but the impact on our teachers and education staff has been particularly acute. There has been a lack of clear guidance from Government; schools and colleges closed during lockdowns; and a rapid adjustment to online teaching was needed. This all took place against a backdrop of stressed students, colleagues and parents. On top of this were very real concerns about personal safety, trauma and bereavement. Our latest Teacher Wellbeing Index provides an important view of how our teachers have coped in a year defined by crisis. It shows a worrying trend of increased symptoms of poor mental health, such as mood swings, difficulty concentrating, insomnia and tearfulness. It also highlights the sustained pressure on senior leaders as they again report the highest levels of stress among all teachers and education staff. Workload continues to be a problem that can lead to talented people leaving the

education profession: 63% of teachers and education staff have considered leaving the sector due to workload, whilst 53% reported personal mental health and wellbeing as a factor.

Stress at an all-time high Our survey was carried out in June and July 2020, while most classrooms were closed to all but vulnerable children and those of key workers. Conscious of the uniqueness of this situation, we carried out an additional short survey in October 2020

to investigate teacher stress in the new academic year. Comparing these two surveys, we see a flashing red light: stress levels between July and October rose from 62% to 84%. Many of the teacher wellbeing issues that arose existed long before the pandemic struck. Our previous reports have demonstrated a consistent problem with teacher and education staff wellbeing. Last year’s index has shown us that we are operating at the limit of what is possible within the available resources. Many school leaders are forced to choose spending priorities between catch-up sessions for learning loss, classroom deep cleaning or on staff wellbeing – there simply isn’t enough budget to meet all of these needs.

Positive change is happening We are heartened, however, to see some positive developments. There is more mental health guidance available for teachers and education staff in the workplace. Despite these challenges, education staff have responded with resilience, flexibility

45% of

education professionals felt compelled to come to work all of the time when they were unwell.

31% of school

teachers (70% of school leaders) worked more than 51 hours a week on average. Working long hours and stress appear to be closely linked.

and integrity by continuing to teach throughout the pandemic.

Urgent action needed It is time to start taking the mental health of our teachers and education staff seriously. We are asking the UK Government to act now, by providing education institutions with the resources needed to perform their duties effectively. Without additional Government investment, education institutions cannot prioritise the wellbeing of their staff and students. We are also urging the Government to be swift and decisive on the issue of staff retention. Education Departments must fast-track strategies for the retention and recruitment of senior education leaders, or we risk losing the much needed talent and experience that can guide the education sector through recovery from the pandemic. We need a resilient and high quality education system that delivers for all children, young people and students. Without mentally healthy teachers and educators, our national recovery will be a long, hard road.

74% of

all education professionals have experienced behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work.

The lives you’ve changed… Su’s story Su works in a pastoral role at a sixth form college. During the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic she found working remotely and not seeing her students face-to-face very difficult. After a traumatic safeguarding incident took a big emotional toll, her human resources department told her that she could get emotional support from the Education Support helpline.

felt I needed some support to keep me going and to give me some perspective. I wasn’t sharing that I was going through a difficult time with anyone outside work.

Su called and spoke to one of our specialist counsellors about the incident. She said:

“The helpline counsellor gave me permission to feel what I was feeling and that I wasn’t burdening anyone. I would say to anyone considering calling, don’t feel that it is a sign of weakness. Get in touch as soon as you feel things aren’t right as it really helped.”

“I knew I needed to talk it through with someone soon after it happened. One of our students took their own life and we had had no indication that anything was wrong. It was a shock for the whole school community. It was taking its emotional toll on me. “I also felt quite isolated dealing with it during lockdown. My senior colleagues were struggling to deal with it and I just

Thanks to donations from supporters like you, we can be there to help people like Su through these extremely stressful situations. If you or anyone you know might need us, please tell them to get in touch. Nobody should go through these things alone.

We’re here to help you Call our helpline: 08000 562 561 Visit our grants page: educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/apply-grant 10

Your voice We love hearing from you and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments, advice, stories and ideas. We wanted to share a couple of your letters. If you’ve got any comments, stories or views you’d like to share, please do get in touch.

Write or email us at: Email: magazine@edsupport.org.uk Write: Education Supporter magazine Education Support 40A Drayton Park, London, N5 1EW

Considering writing or updating your will? As one of our cherished supporters, we are pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to write your will completely free of charge through our partnership with Farewill. Their straightforward online willwriting service guides you through this process with online support. All you need to do is enter the code ‘EdSupport’ at the checkout and there will be no cost to you at all. There is, of course, no obligation to do so, but if you are in a position where you’d like to leave a gift to Education

Support in your will, you’ll also be able to do this through the Farewill service. Gifts that people leave us in their will are crucial to our continued survival. We have been here for teachers and education staff for generations. A gift from you in your will could mean we are here for future generations of teachers too. If you can leave a special gift to us, thank you so very much.

Please visit Farewill.com for more information and to claim your free will today.

The lives you’ve changed… Tara’s story Teaching Assistant Tara has been working at a secondary school supporting pupils with SEN for the last two years and loves her job. Prior to this, she was a primary TA. She said: “Most of my time was spent supporting a student who has autism in all her lessons and I helped her into a routine that she was comfortable with.” “She was reluctant to come to school at the start of the year, but her confidence really grew and she soon settled into a routine that worked well.” Tara takes great pride in having helped the student to such an extent that she began coming into school every day. Due to the continued school closures, Tara was forced to work from home, while her daughter was also home-schooling.

she doesn’t live nearby and it involved a car journey for her which wasn’t very practical during lockdowns. “Once libraries shut I was really stuck. A laptop was too expensive. Previously we were always able to go there to use one.” Education Support was able to help Tara and her daughter with a grant towards the cost of a laptop. Tara added: “I’m so grateful. It will make a huge difference. Without it I wouldn’t be able to work at home and neither could my daughter.”

The pandemic has presented a huge variety of challenges for education “It’s been difficult. My daughter and staff, whether they’re teaching in I were trying to access our work sharing school, at home, or often both! We can my phone but it wasn’t easy. We could sometimes borrow my Mum’s laptop and only provide the help that teachers and other staff need with your generosity. she would leave it on the doorstep, but

Wellbeing in Wale The Coronavirus pandemic has turned the education sector upside down. Headteachers have been working around the clock to manage the transition back to school, respond to changing guidelines, whilst ensuring their staff and students are safe and school communities reassured. Our research indicates that Headteachers are under particular stress at this time. In response we are piloting two types of wellbeing support targeted specifically at Headteachers, both funded by the Welsh Government:

Peer-to-peer support We are offering an online facilitator-supported space for Headteachers. In six meetings Heads can share, decompress and hopefully leave feeling much stronger and more resilient. The aim is to provide new tools to help them maintain their own mental health and wellbeing so they can support their teams. We have delivered facilitated peer-to-peer support to thousands of Heads across the UK for more than 20 years. We have adapted this service and are now offering Headteachers the opportunity to share their experiences and insights with each other online.

To find out more, please visit e 16

es Services for teachers and school staff Individual supervision This service offers six sessions of 1:1 support by telephone, delivered by accredited counsellors. The purpose of the service is to support individuals to reflect on the personal impact of their professional roles. Places on these pilots are offered without charge to Headteachers currently working in schools in Wales. Depending on the findings of this pilot, we may seek to extend the service to a wider group of participants later in 2021.

Workplace wellbeing advice for your school We are also offering free workplace wellbeing support through our Schools Advisory Service for Wales. We can provide schools with resources and advice on policies and practices that support staff wellbeing, based on best practice.

educationsupport.org.uk/Wales 17

Break-time Taking care of your own wellbeing often means finding a helpful diversion and having a bit of fun. This is why we’ve made you another quiz. Good luck!

1. How many novels did Roald Dahl write? 2. What are the four Little Women sisters called? 3. In Mrs Dalloway, the reader is told the title character Clarissa Dalloway is setting out to buy what in the first line of the novel? 4. Which species in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is described as not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous? 5. Which two countries provide the setting for Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities? 6. What is the name of the pig in Charlotte’s Web by EB White? 7. In Pride and Prejudice, who does the youngest Bennet daughter, Lydia, marry?

10. What is the name of Harper Lee’s second novel which was published in 2015? 11. Which Shakespearean play features the characters Bianca, Roderigo and Lodovico? 12. What is the name of the tribe of maneating giants which feature in Homer’s The Odyssey? 13. Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People has recently been adapted into a BBC Three drama, but what is the name of her first novel published in 2017? 14. What was the first name of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple? 15. Which British Prime Minister was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature?

8. What is Jay Gatsby’s real name? 9. Which two authors won the Booker Prize in 2019? Answers (on back of covering letter) 18

Let us know how you did or contribute a question to the next quiz! magazine@edsupport.org.uk

We know you already support us. But if you’d like to and feel able to send a gift, thank you so much. We promise to put it to good use as always. £25 could help fund a place to sleep An increasing number of teachers and apply for a grant because they’re facing the threat of losing their home. Some even spend nights sleeping in a car. Your donation could make sure they have a bed for the night. More than half of the grants we awarded last year were to people facing a housing crisis.

£50 could help someone at risk of suicide Every day, two people calling our Helpline are clinically assessed to be at risk of suicide. Your donation could make sure we’re there to answer those desperate calls. Our dedicated 24/7 Helpline team handles more than 9,000 conversations every year.

£150 could provide household essentials Many teachers or people working in education come to us when they can’t afford to replace or fix essential items in the home during times of financial struggle. Your gift could replace a vital kitchen appliance or even a bed to make life easier for them and their family. In the past three years, we have awarded more than £90,000 in grants to replace or repair essential household goods.

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