Staff Wellbeing

The wellbeing of staff is a priority for Parbold Douglas CE Academy.

We have a staff wellbeing committee with meetings held on a half-termly basis. Committee members include governors, senior leaders, teachers and support staff.

The committee seeks to ensure that staff members have a healthy work-life balance and are enabled to flourish both professionally and personally.   

Our Christian ethos is of fundamental importance to our approach to staff wellbeing; we want every adult in our school to feel valued, loved and cared for. Our school motto (let your light shine - Matthew 5:16) is very much about the adults, as well as the children, in our community.

Addressing Workload / Prioritising Wellbeing

A culture of addressing workload is well-established. The school prioritises tasks and activities that have a significant, proven impact on pupil achievement and the pursuit of our Christian vision. Tasks and activities that have limited proven impact make way for those that do. This culture underpins every strategic decision and policy.  

In recent years, we have devoted staff meeting and INSET time to considering how we work, not just what we do. These sessions have been powerful and have allowed staff the opportunity to reflect and adjust - see the slides below for an example.

Employee Benefits

At Parbold Douglas, we care deeply and value everyone. Demonstrating our commitment to this, we provide a number of additional employee benefits, including:

• Access to support from the Schools Advisory Service
• Access to the Medicash scheme
• Access to the Cycle 2 Work scheme

Spiritual Development

We have shaped a school culture in which the spiritual development and wellbeing of staff is prioritised and valued. During the annual Thy Kingdom Come global prayer event, we set up a prayer space that staff are invited to use each morning. We create staff prayer stations, including the provision of a permanent box of resources. We also plan and offer regular opportunities to pause, pray and reflect at our staff meetings.

Growing Together

In 2021, the staff team was invited to participate in a short course, providing opportunities to: grow spiritually; reflect together on challenges; and explore new ways of being, living and working together. The staff team completed a six-part course based on the book ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ by John Mark Comer. This is one of the most relevant books of our time and allowed us to reflect on how we can live healthier, happier lives that are more free from chaos and emotional stress. The course was explored during autumn term INSET days, with additional opportunities for discussion provided at team meetings.

Policies

Our staff wellbeing policy can be accessed via the link below.