Teachers are being offered counselling in school to help them deal with “increased challenges”. St Richard Gwyn RC High in Barry trialled the sessions with mental health charity Mind.
The school said the sessions proved so helpful that free counselling is now being offered to staff one day a week. Mind in the Vale designed a bespoke service which is delivered in school in a dedicated and privately-accessed room.
Head teacher David Blackwell said teachers were under increasing pressure partly as a result of the effect of the pandemic on pupils. "Teacher stress is a mixture of work and life," he said. "Work is busy as always but there are increased challenges with workload and supporting pupils with increasingly complex needs."
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Mr Blackwell added: “The other challenge is school resources are being stretched due to funding concerns so as a consequence staff are dealing with increasing responsibilities. Covid recovery still plays a role in the school dealing with pupils getting used to exam pressure and trying to reinstall expectations of behaviour to support their development. Staff are also feeling external pressures like everyone else in society."
Last year the Teacher Wellbeing Index reported that 75% of all teaching staff across the UK were stressed. Feedback from the initial counselling trial at St Richard Gwyn showed an overall increase in staff wellbeing of 33%, he said.
“Initially staff were a little reluctant to get involved but after a little encouragement a few people went to see the counsellor," said Mr Blackwell. "The wellbeing project [Mind] put together for staff has had a great impact, increased staff wellbeing, helping them to better manage the daily stresses of work and life. With the pressures staff are under in schools mental health services are imperative and it would be brilliant if Welsh Government were able to support a scheme such as this in all schools.”
Lead counsellor Emma Llewellyn said the partnership had been vital for the staff and pupils at the school. “Teaching staff are under increasing amounts of pressure and having this service on site has really helped them access the support they may not have had time for outside of work," she said.
Mind agreed to trial the counselling sessions to see if they would have a positive impact on those that participated. One anonymous participant said: “Being able to speak with Emma has been a massive help following personal issues. It has provided the opportunity to discuss experiences and gain advice/support from an impartial friendly face."
Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan’s executive manager Caroline Chapman added: “We recognise the immense pressures that teachers face and were eager to use our expertise to help support the wellbeing of the school’s staff. Our approach to wellbeing is all about the individual so it’s not a one-size-fits-all service. We work closely with the person and look at all areas of their life." Vale of Glamorgan councillor Rhiannon Birch said: “The initiative has clearly had a positive impact and the council hopes other schools follow suit.”
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