Staff welfare

The winners of the 2023 Teacher Awards were announced earlier this month. In this article, we speak with the winner of the Cultivating an Inclusive and Positive Culture Award, Dr Todd Zadow from St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar, about how he ensures his classroom is a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for all students.

The winners of the inaugural Teacher Awards were announced this month, and over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing their stories. In this article, we speak with Kate O’Donnell from GOAL College, winner of the Improving Health and Wellbeing Award, sponsored by Bank First.

As an educator, finding the time to discuss matters you are finding challenging with colleagues, to seek advice and reflect on your practice, might seem impossible. In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Anne Southall and Associate Professor Fiona Gardner to hear about their development of a reflective circles education model.

Experiencing grief is something we will all confront at some point in our lives, but navigating a death in the school community, when you also need to support your students, can be really challenging. In this Q&A, we’re joined by author Hazel Edwards OAM to unpack her new book, Grief and Loss in Schools: A Resource for Teachers.

Effective teaching and learning go hand in hand with supporting the health and wellbeing needs of students and, just as importantly, staff and school leaders. In this Q&A we speak to high school teacher Sue Webb, whose book Teachers Cry Too shares her struggle with and recovery from mental illness.

Student violence directed at school staff is a common issue. In this episode of The Research Files, we look at the results of a new study which analysed the frequency and impact of occupational violence perpetrated by students towards teachers working in the P-6 sector. We also discuss the prevention and coping strategies staff use and find effective.

In this Q&A, Margaret Horton, Senior Vice Principal at Methodist Ladies College, shares how the school has developed a culture of wellbeing which has raised EAP utilisation rates well above the industry standard.

‘Ultimately, our pilot … has transformed the way we meet the needs of our students and staff, particularly in a post-pandemic landscape.’ In this reader submission, Bridget Garing shares the details of a pilot Pittwater House in New South Wales undertook earlier this year to encourage staff to work collaboratively to support students.

It’s well-known that teaching is a stressful career. Finding the time to discuss challenging matters and to reflect on your practice might seem impossible. New research shows a reflective circles peer support model has a positive impact on educators. We speak with lead researcher Fiona Gardner in this article to find out more.

As a teacher, how has work impacted your wellbeing during the pandemic? What wellbeing initiatives are offered at your school, and how can they be improved to better support teachers? In this article, we outline five further readings which explore educator wellbeing in Australia and internationally.