Our thanks to Julie Carson, director of education at Woodland Academy Trust, for her help with this article.
In a nutshell
What’s the approach?
Woodland Academy Trust developed a trust-wide approach to staff wellbeing based on 3 pillars:
- Communication
- Feedback
- Flexibility
Why this approach?
It helped the trust apply consistent initiatives across the trust that were effective and practical.
This approach has had a positive impact on:
- Staff sickness absence
- Retention
- Recruitment
The trust says it has also helped it:
- Make its vision work in practice
- Reduce teacher workload
- Share best practice across the trust
- Keep an open dialogue with staff
- Build trusting relationships with staff
- Tailor the approach to each school
How long did it take?
This approach can work for any trust size – larger trusts may want to take a regional approach. The strength in this approach comes from sharing practice and
