How Can We Help
Wellbeing
Well-being and resilience are key issues for Headteachers. The role is ever more challenging and it can feel like there is limited time or space for Headteachers to look after themselves. Headteachers spend much of their time listening, supporting and being there for others – children, staff, parents and their communities.
WALE advocates the importance of Headteachers having the time, space and resources to support themselves. WALE understands leadership challenges in schools and we are here to support you and signpost you to additional guidance should you need it.
We aim:
• To enable school leaders to reflect upon the factors which can secure effective leadership that is sustainable over time
through our quality CPD and training
• To ensure leaders have Dedicated Headship Time
• To offer leaders support through signposting to relevant agencies who are experts in mental health and well-being
• To enable access to high quality one to one support through access to supervision and coaching
• To ensure that leaders feel supported and well-equipped to tackle future challenges
CPD & Support
WALE ensures that all Conferences provide a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere where headteachers can talk openly about challenges they face and feel supported by colleagues. We aim to promote leadership, staff and school well-being as a priority for discussion. Contact your area representative to talk more.
Dedicated Headship Time
The current Schools Teacher’s Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD 2019) states: 47.2 A headteacher is entitled to a reasonable amount of time during school sessions, having regard to their teaching responsibilities, for the purpose of discharging their leadership and management responsibilities. It is recommended that this be a similar time allocation to PPA. Attached is an example document to share with your FGB to agree you Dedicated Headship time.
Mental Health & Well-being support
You are not alone. Many Headteachers suffer with the symptoms of stress. It is important that you prioritise your mental health as much as you would your physical health. The best thing we can do to raise awareness and support for this issue is to talk about it.
Education Support Partnership
This is the only dedicated UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health of education staff in schools, colleges and universities. No matter what you’re going through, they are always there, day or night, all the time. Call them. You’ll feel better. Whatever you need, they are available for you 24/7. Their trained counsellors will listen to you without judgement and will help you think through the problems you are facing, whether personal or professional, to find a way forward and feel better.
UK-wide: 08000 562 561
Txt: 07909 341229
The helpline is free and available to all teachers, lecturers and staff in education (primary, secondary, further or higher education) in England, Wales and Scotland 24/7, 365 days a year.
Helpline: 08000562561
Other Useful Contacts
There is a wealth of support available locally should you need to talk. Below are some local and national agencies that offer support.
• Connection 24/7/ phoneline for Dorset. Call 111 and select ‘mental health or dial 03001235440
• www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters
• Mind Infoline Call 03001233393
• Steps to Wellbeing Dorchester 01305367051
• Steps to Wellbeing Poole, Purbeck & East Dorset 03001231120
• Steps to Wellbeing Bournemouth Christchurch 01202309506
Supervision
Supervision for Head Teachers, Assistant Head Teachers, SENCO’s and those involved in Safe Guarding One Headteacher said it gives her:
Passion
People go into education because at some point they were passionate-it felt/feels like a calling. Over time this can get lost and one can become disconnected from this feeling under the weight of internal and external pressure
Overwhelmed and Lost
Educationalists come to Oak Practice because they want to be the best they can be…they know the value of taking an hour a month to truly be with all aspects of their work and non-work self with a person they trust and feel safe with. It is only with such a person that we can risk sharing what is not feeling ok, what we feel is not going well, maybe how unsure and afraid we are….
Isolation
Those in senior leadership roles in schools work in a culture that is currently about managing. I have experienced offering group supervision with a team in the same learning community. They could not use the group as needed and talk about difficult coping strategies as they still had to see each other at a meeting the next day. That is why I work with Senior Leaders in schools on a 1-2-1 basis.
For more information contact Talking Heads Supervision Limited. quoting your WALE password to access the discounted rate.
Rates
WALE members can apply to WALE for a £10 per session subsidy for up to 10 sessions of supervision with Talking Heads. This means that the sessions costs are:
Members: £90+VAT (per session for 10 sessions)
Non Members: £100+VAT (per session)
Members can continue to have supervision after the 10 subsidised sessions have been completed but the cost will increase to £100 +VAT per session.
If you are currently accessing supervision from a different provider, please let us know as we might be able to secure a discounted rate.
If you are a supervision provider and would like the opportunity to work with our members, please contact us - admin@wale.org.uk
Complaints
J T Resolutions offers a complete and independent service for organisations (schools, academies and businesses) on the management and resolution of their own complaints. This area can cause a huge amount of anxiety and lack of clarity on responsibilities and what to do when faced with a confrontational situation. The service covers all areas of complaints management from policy to reports demonstrating organisational learning/service improvements as well as case management including investigations and communications.
Julie Taylor, who presented to us at the Autumn Conference is able to offer discounted services to WALE Members. Julie, has a wealth of knowledge and experience and her services comprise:
The benefits of Julie’s service are:
· Operating from an up to date complaint policy, meeting DfE expectations (currently a 2 stage process not 3 as some of you may have in your policies)
· Accessing prompt and timely advice and support from her at any time within or outside the school day. This is particularly important for governors who undertake their roles outside normal working hours.
· Reassurance that you are doing the right thing
WALE rates 2020/21 (15% off subscription fee and training rates, 10% off hourly and mediation rates)
Julie can run a range of training opportunities for Headteachers and Governors including
Introduction to complaints management
Effective complaints management including management of unreasonable complainants
Complaints review committee/panels
Complaints investigations
Handling difficult customers
| Standard Rate | WALE Discounted Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 pupils on roll - £450 Up to 101 - 350 pupils on roll - £475 Up to 351 - 500 pupils on roll - £500 Up to 500 - 1000 pupils on roll - £525 1001 plus on roll - £550 |
Up to 100 pupils on roll - £383.50 Up to 101 - 350 pupils on roll - £403.75 Up to 351 - 500 pupils on roll - £425 Up to 500 - 1000 pupils on roll - £446.25 1001 plus on roll - £467.50 |
| Hourly Rate - £50 | Hourly Rate - £45 |
| Mediation - £500 per day (initial Assessment £50 per hour) | Mediation - £450 per day (initial Assessment £45 per hour) |
| Training £750 per workshop | Training £637.50 per workshop |
Julie is also able to offer a further discount for collaborations of schools, please contact her directly if you would like a quotation.
Coaching
Coaching is a developmental process where a leader gets tailored support from a Coach to help them achieve a goal and become a more effective leader.
The Coach will support a leader through careful questioning and deep listening and invite self reflection in order to achieve success for themselves and their organisations.
The Coach enables the Coachee to discover new and helpful insights and gain new perspectives on current challenges they are facing.
Jonathan Hannam
Jonathan has been a headteacher of three successful schools in Hampshire over a 12 year period and for the last 7 years works as a freelance educational facilitator specialising in leadership development, school improvement, learning culture, metacognition, coaching and P4C. He has also worked for Hampshire LA as a School Improvement Partner. He regularly facilitates NPQH, NPQSL and NPQML leadership programmes for QTL and also works with individual school leadership teams on bespoke leadership programmes. He is passionate about the power of facilitation and coaching for adult and pupil learning. Jonathan has practical experience of establishing and leading a successful coaching culture within a school over a number of years.
Rates
Members: £440 (2 hour session per term)
Non Members: £600 (2 hour session per term)
Joy Squibb
Rates
Members: £350 (6 x 1 hour session)
Non Members: £450 (6 x 1 hour session)
Joy was a Primary school teacher and headteacher based in various Hampshire schools. With a particular appetite for working in challenging situations she mainly led schools with high levels of deprivation and really enjoyed working closely with those communities to improve outcomes and experiences for pupils.
As a leader Joy believes that empowering others and growing talent is the strongest way to lead. Using coaching as a preferred tool for improvement, everybody in any organisation should not only feel strong, but should know how to get even stronger – and love doing their job! She believes that wellbeing should be at the heart of an organisation and that looking after people is everybody's job. Joy will provide virtual coaching.
Leonie Hurrell
Leonie was a successful headteacher in Dorset and Hampshire for over 8 years. Her love for teaching and making a difference in young peoples' lives was her motivation for going into leadership. Like all headteachers, Leonie faced a number of challenges head on which often left her feeling exhausted, full of self-doubt and lacking enthusiasm for what the next day would bring. It was difficult to maintain a healthy work/life balance whilst also leading a successful school. As part of her leadership development, Leonie invested time with a coach. The impact was transformational. Working with her coach, Leonie learnt how to work effectively, manage change and remove or overcome any barriers that were holding her back. Coaching enabled her to successfully balance the demands of an intensive job which she loved alongside a young family and feel far more confident and energised. As a direct result of her experience with coaching, The Thinking Academy was created and Leonie is now a qualified coach delivering coaching sessions and training to headteachers, CEOs and leadership teams enabling them to create success for themselves and inspire their teams and school community.
“Leadership can be tough, but it can also be the most enjoyable and rewarding role you will ever have. Coaching reminds us of what we value and why we love what we do. Whatever challenges you face as a leader, I can assure you investing in a coach is the best decision you will ever make.”
"I highly recommend The Thinking Academy! Leonie is an exceptional coach; professional, insightful and deeply kind. I found the experience transformative to say the least; in a very real and practical way. Highly recommended!” - Headteacher, Dorset
Rates
Members: £480 (6 sessions) Non Members: £600 (6 sessions)
leonie@thethinkingacademy.co.uk 
www.thethinkingacademy.co.uk
Connected Heads
Connected Heads is a method of collaborative learning where small groups of Headteachers meet to reflect on real work issues. Its basic philosophy is that the most effective learning takes place when we are faced with a real problem to solve; practical educational people learning from each other, creating their own resources, identifying problems and forming their own solutions. ‘Connected Heads is about promoting courageous choice – helping people to take action that is meaningful for them.’
The group focuses on real work goals or challenges. Headteacher members share:
• Common aims of achieving progress in relation to their work / development
• The ability to act as peer coaches to one another
• The willingness to learn from their own and others’ activities
In every session each group member has the opportunity to bring relevant issues to the table. The ‘learner’ retains responsibility for and ownership of their issues, solutions and actions. The primary job of the group is to listen, providing the individual ‘learner’ with space and time to think through real issues and challenges and to identify new ways forward. So the group works together, acting as coaches for the ‘learner’, listening, providing space for them to think, and asking relevant open questions to help them find their own way forward. Meetings generally include:
• Establishment / review of progress / ground rules
• A ‘check-in’ from previous meetings
• Agreement of running order and/or priority topics
• Group members have ‘air-time’ to bring their issue, with other people helping them to explore their issue and the assumptions or barriers that surround it, analyse their issue from different perspectives and generate ideas and solutions
• Review of learning about self, issues brought to the group, actions and the process.
Connected Heads is facilitated by lead coach, Leonie Hurrell and take place half-termly for a morning with 4 -6 Headteacher colleagues.
Rates
Members: £260 (6 x 3 hour sessions) Non Members: £360 (6 x 3 hour sessions)
leonie@thethinkingacademy.co.uk
www.thethinkingacademy.co.uk/connecting
Sofia Fityan
Sophia has 20 years of experience working within schools with various roles and responsibilities. Supporting others achieve their full potential has always been a core value for Sophia, whether that be young people, peers, colleagues or trainees. After many years in the classroom, Sophia decided to take a step back whilst her children were young. Soon after, she was called back into schools to specifically support NQTs and trainee teachers, recognising the value of her supportive, empathetic and calm manner, along with her significant experience. This lead to a professional coaching qualification and working within a wider number of schools supporting the well-being of staff.
Sophia is passionate about empowering those working within education to achieve their career goals, whilst also maintaining the balance they desire. She has observed the significant impact the coaching approach can have on the individual and whole school culture, leading to sustainable positive changes.
‘Sophia expertly guided me to come up with really workable solutions that have made a massive impact on my work-life balance. I came out of the sessions buzzing, feeling that I'd really explored my thoughts, motivations and actions. Together, with Sophia, I have made some extremely valuable changes that I simply wouldn't have seen without her help.’
Rates
Members: £350 (6 x 1 hour sessions) Non Members: £450 (6 x 1 hour sessions)