Education Support’s 2025 Teacher Wellbeing Index found that 49 per cent of education staff believe their organisation’s culture has a negative effect on their mental health. Only 28 per cent said it had a positive effect.
Culture matters for retention too. The same report found that 75 per cent of staff who did not feel well supported had considered leaving, compared with 37 per cent of those who did. Here are 17 ways schools can build a culture that does not burn staff out, particularly for headteachers, senior leaders, governors and middle leaders.
1. Ask staff what gets in the way
An anonymous survey or a few honest conversations will tell you more about workload than any assumption made in a meeting room.
2. Act on what you hear
Surveys that lead to no change damage trust. Pick one or two issues, fix them and tell staff what you have done.
3. Audit your workload
Look at marking, data drops, meetings and reporting. For each task, ask whether it genuinely improves pupils’ learning. If not, stop or simplify it.
4. Set clear email expectations
Agree when staff are and are not expected to reply. Schedule leadership emails to arrive in working hours.
5. Protect PPA time
Cover requests that eat into planning time add up quickly. Make PPA protection a visible priority.
6. Make meetings earn their place
If information could be shared in an email, do not hold a meeting. Start and finish on time.
7. Back staff on behaviour
Consistent behaviour systems, with leaders visibly supporting staff, reduce one of the biggest daily pressures teachers face.
8. Support staff with parent complaints
Have a clear process for handling difficult or abusive contact, so individual teachers are not left dealing with it alone.
9. Take flexible working seriously
Part-time roles, job shares and occasional days off for important events can help keep experienced staff in the profession.
10. Make it safe to say you are struggling
Forty per cent of education staff in the 2025 index said their organisation did not support staff with mental health problems well. Leaders who talk openly about wellbeing make it easier for others to ask for help.
11. Train line managers
Heads of department and year often have the biggest day-to-day influence on wellbeing. Give them the skills to spot problems and respond well.
12. Say thank you specifically
Not feeling valued was a major reason staff gave for considering leaving. A specific, personal thank you means far more than a generic message.
13. Avoid wellbeing tokenism
Cakes and yoga sessions are nice, but they cannot make up for unmanageable workload. Fix the work first.
14. Plan the school calendar carefully
Avoid putting reports, mock marking, parents’ evenings and data deadlines in the same fortnight.
15. Model healthy habits
If leaders send emails at midnight and never take a break, staff will assume that is the expectation.
16. Signpost confidential support
Make sure every member of staff knows about your employee assistance programme, if you have one, and Education Support’s free helpline on 08000 562 561.
17. Look after leaders too
Governors and trusts have a role in supporting headteachers and senior leaders, who report the highest stress of any group in education.
Find Out More
Education Support: Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025 (PDF)
DfE: Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff
What has your school done to improve staff culture? Teach17 would love to hear about it. Get in touch.