How did you identify the need for this practice? What did you do? 2002/2003

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1 Case Study Establishment name: Walter Street Community Primary School Lancashire no. 13/018 Contact name: Mrs Debbie Boughen Telephone no Award granted: Best Practice Award Project title: Staff Well Being Project summary The school has been involved in Lancashire's Staff Well Being Programme for 6 years since its inclusion in the pilot programme of 2001/2002. Staff well being has become a fundamental aspect of the school's success and is now firmly embedded in the school's culture and practice. All staff are invited to complete the annual computerised well being self review. The information from this review is collated and fed back to the staff who then decide how to use the information and identify priorities for actions. Staff ownership of and involvement in our well being work is crucial to the continued focus on well being. The profile of staff well being has been maintained by including well being within the school development plan, by identifying a team of staff well being facilitators who promote activities and by addressing staff well being needs in as many different creative and practical ways as possible. The school's commitment to staff well being has complemented and supported its work in workforce reform, change management and continuous professional development. Specific aspect of practice to be accredited? Development of staff well being and implementation of practices as a result of well being focus Aspect of Every Child Matters addressed: Be healthy Stay Safe Enjoy and achieve Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well-being What were you hoping to achieve? Our initial involvement in the Lancashire Staff Well Being Programme was driven by genuine interest in staff well being and by the need to develop a positive culture within the school at a time of many staff changes and much educational change.

2 Our continued commitment to the Well Being Programme has been motivated by the positive response from the majority of staff and the positive impact of the well being work that has been successfully carried out over the last five years. Our belief is that staff who feel valued, are happy and supported at work, whose concerns are responded to and who feel part of a successful team will work more effectively both for each other and for the children they are working with. How did you identify the need for this practice? 2001 and 2002 was a time of great change for the school with a high number of staffing changes: the appointment of an Acting Headteacher then Headteacher, a large proportion of changes within the school's management team as teachers were promoted to deputy headships in other local schools, other changes in teaching staff, new admin staff and a new Site Supervisor. Involvement in the Well Being Programme provided staff with an opportunity to focus on their successes, their needs and the improvements that could have a positive impact for them at work. This was particularly relevant at a time when the workforce reform agenda was becoming a greater priority in schools. What did you do? 2002/2003 School committed to joining Lancashire's Well Being Programme pilot. Staff Well Being facilitators were trained in October 2002 and all staff were invited to complete our first annual computerised well being self-review in November. Well Being facilitators attended training then led input about process to all groups of staff. They organised computer familiarisation sessions for welfare, kitchen and cleaning staff. They supported staff with completion of computerised self-review and led feedback to all staff following receipt of completed report. Key issues from first report related to increasing involvement of, communication with and developing team spirit of key groups of nonclassroom based support staff. This provided initial focus for developing well being work - premises and welfare staff received copy of weekly what's on, welfare staff were given yellow reflective jackets for outside duty, communication was improved by introducing a dining room noticeboard and a system of individual communication. The practice of line management systems and programme of annual staff development interviews was extended to include those staff with nonclassroom based roles. Half-termly meetings were established between new Site Supervisor and cleaners with weekly meetings between Site Supervisor and HT. Annual staff development interview with Site Supervisor was introduced and range of equipment for cleaners' use was improved. This introduced a clearer line management system for the premises staff. Classroom support staff roles were reviewed, amended job descriptions written and training needs identified at annual staff development interviews. Half termly classroom support staff meetings were introduced. Classroom Page 2 of 7

3 support staff were allocated according to children's needs. A training programme was planned for welfare staff, regular half-termly meetings were introduced and yellow vests for summer outdoor duty were bought. A programme of annual SDls for welfare was established. Invitations to staff social events included all staff and a weekly exercise class for staff began. 2003/ Staff completed their second annual computerised well being review. The School Development Plan included a section for each group of staff. Classroom support staff annual staff development interview feedback led to development of their training plan. Training included input about how to link their planning to teacher's planning & IEPs of children they worked with. Welfare staff training focused on making lunchtimes positive. 2004/ Staff completed their third annual computerised well being review. For the first time Well Being was identified in a separate action plan as part of the annual School Development Plan. A well being INSET day was introduced for all staff and suggestion boxes for staff were implemented. The well being INSET day is now a well-established event that staff look forward to! Weekly classroom support staff meetings were introduced, Wednesday staff meetings were renamed teacher meetings. A new feature of support staffs staff development interviews included teacher feedback. Welfare staff training included use of the new playground facilities, e.g. heartline, and observations of teachers as part of behaviour management training. A whole-school training priority plan was developed to include, prioritise and cost the training needs of all groups of staff following the completion of the performance management and staff development interviews. Staff discussed the possibility of changing the school day session times. The role of Key Stage Managers was developed to include pastoral support for all the staff working in their KS. Practical well being support for staff included an ironing service, a car washing service, a weekly exercise class. The Worklife Support Agency used the school and its involvement in the Well Being Programme as a case study by the HSE. The school's involvement in the Well Being Programme was reported in The Guardian. 2005/ Staff completed their fourth annual computerised well being review. Staff identified well being as a priority for this year as we were involved in introducing a new school day and PPA, coping with a major building project and expecting Ofsted! A review of the school development plan process led to changes in its format, greater stakeholders involvement and the introduction of a group of teachers working together on key aspects of each priority area. A new school day was introduced in August 2005 and a major building Page 3 of 7

4 extension was built from September 2005 to July 2006 : both these initiatives involved all staff therefore, good communication, the feedback and review process were fundamental in ensuring staff ownership of and inclusion in both these key activities. In the staffroom a thank you board was introduced and a lunch bar was built. The school developed a link with the NLP trainers, CG Associates. Staff were offered the opportunity to find out more about NLP through involvement in the training. The money raised from CG Associates using the school for weekend courses was used to fund staff well being activities. Ofsted visited in June 2006 just after the teaching staff restructuring was completed! 2006/ Staff completed their fifth annual computerised well being review. Teachers had a well being target within their performance management relating both to work and outside work, other members of staff had a well being target within their staff development interviews. The staff started their own after school badminton club. A new teacher work room with mini computer network and printer was created for use during PPA and other non-contact time. All the staff toilets were refurbished. The staffroom environment was improved with the purchase of a new fridge, microwaves & dishwasher and the introduction of staff lockers for personal items. The school kitchen started providing a menu for staff lunches. The admin staff set up their new office and roles were reviewed. The cover supervisor role was introduced as a new part of the TA3's responsibility. The roles of the Office Manager & Site Supervisor were developed to meet the changing demands of admin and premises work and to support the development of the Leadership Team. The School Development Plan included a separate staffing section. The well being facilitators organised staff events that proved both very successful and popular e.g. a tropical fruit break time, the Mystery Angel scheme and a last day of term staff breakfast. The staff and Governing Body agreed to buy in to Beneden Health Care scheme for every member of staff for a one year trial period. 2007/ Staff will be completing their sixth annual computerised well being review in January. In the autumn term we have introduced the role of the Well Being Fairy to ensure staff toilets are kept well supplied and staffroom refreshments are stocked up. Our team of 5 well being facilitators plan to meet half-termly and to organise half-termly activities for staff. They have already set up an autumnal themed afternoon tea in October and are planning a pre-christmas celebration before the end of term. The staffroom well being displays have been updated with well being Page 4 of 7

5 information, a celebration of our school's well being work, the thank you board and a staff message board. Initiatives introduced this term to address Leadership Team well being are protected leadership time, o Home On Time and an 'on call' rota to share out responsibilities for daily trouble shooting: these strategies help the Leadership Team to maintain their resilience and positivity! We acknowledge the importance of flexibility and try to accommodate individual staff needs where ever possible e.g. enabling Dads to attend ante natal appointments, parents to attend their own child's school productions. This makes a real difference to our staff and recognises the importance of their family and out of school life. The school has been involved in two Teachers TV programmes as part of their Easing the Load series - both programmes relate to well being issues. Other local primary schools have visited us to find out about our well being work - in this way we share our good practice with colleagues. Which members of the establishment and/or wider community have been involved and what was their role? Well Being Champion - Sarah Watson, the Headteacher, led the school to become involved in Lancashire's Well Being Pilot Programme. Her commitment to staff well being continues to put staff well being at the centre of the school's work Well Being Sponsor - Debbie Boughen, the Deputy Headteacher, supports the Well Being facilitators in their work and is a link between them and the Well Being Champion Well Being facilitators: a team of staff who volunteer to take this role to lead staff well being work in the school and to communicate with staff about well being matters All staff - are invited to take part in the annual computerised self-review, to participate in events, to feedback their ideas & suggestions and to take a proactive approach to well being work Governing Body - Well Being work is reported back to the Governing Body in the termly Governing Body meetings and as part of the termly Staff Report to Governors. Governors are supportive of the school's work in this area Brenda Hopper - Lancashire Well Being Co-ordinator has involved our staff in media coverage of the Well Being Programme, presenting at the annual Well Being Conference C & G Associates - a local business providing training in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) have providing training for staff and their use of the school building for weekend courses funds the school's well being work. How has the practice been modified or improved during development? Involvement in the Well Being Programme and feedback from annual well being reviews has had a positive impact for staff through changes, improving practices in the following areas: communication systems School Development planning Page 5 of 7

6 staff consultation change management CPD opportunities workforce reform quality of staff facilities - staffroom, toilets and work room provision. Feedback from the annual well being reviews reflects the strong team ethos of the staff, the positive relationships within the school and the extent to which staff continue to feel valued. Work-life balance and personal stress have been the key areas staff identified as priorities for development. Examples of work we have completed so far include well being performance management targets, training re: effective use of support staff and strategies for managing stress. What has been the impact of the project on pupils learning, achievement or enjoyment and how has this been measured? Our involvement in the Well Being Programme has provided staff with opportunities to focus on being healthy, enjoying and achieving together at work, staying safe and making a positive contribution to school life. This means that staff provide positive role models to the children they work with, are more robust and resilient in their work, work as an effective team, manage change effectively and feel appreciated. This can only have a positive impact on the children in our care. Despite the very low starting point of our children on-entry, the progress that they make is good - this was recognised by OFSTED (June 2006) and is reflected in consistently positive PIPS value added data. A recent report 'Staff Well Being is the key to school success: A study into the links between staff well being and school performance from Birbeck College reinforces the relationship between positive staff well being and pupil performance. Staff retention is good, particularly with the teaching staff. Staff strengths and desired career paths are recognised, these have been and are taken into account when addressing workforce reform and school needs e.g. TA2 with interest in and excellent ICT skills was promoted to TA3 with ICT Technician responsibility, teachers wishing to pursue management path were given opportunity to take on Key Stage Manager's role during secondment of an existing Key Stage Manager, very competent office administrator was provided with opportunities to develop bursar and office manager roles during period of time when Office Manager reduced her hours. We have recently recruited many new staff, particularly teaching assistants. We have benefited from being able to recruit from large fields of applicants. We deal proactively with staff absence - we use the return to work process following Local Authority guidance, we refer staff to Occupational Health when appropriate, we involve staff in planning the best possible return to work following longer term absences, we are supportive of staff need for absence from work e.g. during a bereavement, the illness of their child. Page 6 of 7

7 What are the next stages in the development process? Maintain well being focus. Celebrate achievements in staff well being through the Learning Excellence award. Continue to share good practice with Brenda Hopper and other schools through Lancashire's Well Being website and other activities. What aspects of this practice may be useful for other establishments to consider? All aspects of our work would be useful for other schools who were already committed to or interested in developing staff well being. Our main advice would be to encourage and include all staff to be involved in well being: well being is both a corporate and a personal responsibility, to develop as many different and creative practical well being ideas as possible AND to allocate a realistic amount of money, time and energy to developing this fundamentally important aspect of a school's work. We are more than happy to share our ideas, successes, struggles and experiences and feel that we have a valuable model to share with all those who are interested. Page 7 of 7