In a system driven by exams, targets, directives, progress and challenge, it is easy to forget about kindness. Yet, if we take a closer look at what kindness actually means, it should clearly be central to every decision made by teachers and leaders.

Kindness has three facets: considering the feelings of others; having everyday acceptance, courtesy and love towards others; and behaving honourably towards them (Mental Health Foundation, 2020). You can see clearly how this links to wellbeing, and wellbeing is increasingly accepted as an important part of the physical health of students.

There are a raft of initiatives focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. For example, charities such as the Anna Freud Centre and Time to Change work to provide advice and support to ensure that our approaches are as powerful as possible. And yet, as valuable as these programmes are, we often fail to acknowledge that the mental health and wellbeing of the education professionals who deliver them are just as important.

In 2019, the Teacher Wellbeing Index, published by mental health and wellbeing charity Education Support, highlighted that 78 per cent of education professionals said they had experienced behavioural, emotional, psychological and/or physical symptoms caused by their work; and 49 per cent (rising to 55 per cent of senior leaders) considered their workplace culture had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

The past eight months can only have exacerbated the situation. Research by Kathryn Asbury and Lisa Kim at the University of York has begun to document the detrimental effects of the pandemic on teachers’ professional identity, agency and levels of resilience. Their work suggests that teachers’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness aren’t being met, with serious implications for their wellbeing.

How can teachers and leaders effectively support their students to thrive if they are not thriving themselves? It goes without saying, the mental health and wellbeing of those who work in our schools and colleges should be of the utmost priority.

Now is the perfect time to ensure that this happens. We need to engage in carefully constructed research to define the issues teachers face, and how workplace cultures become toxic and undermining; work strategically to ensure we care and act with kindness to create workplaces that are supportive; and respond proactively at points of distress, ensuring we are able to provide support and signpost appropriate agencies.

Until this work is done, we need to make sure looking after each other is a priority - and key to that is kindness. Because now, more than ever before, we really do need it.

Megan Dixon is director of research and development at the Aspire Educational Trust

Education Support provides immediate counselling and support for education professionals at the point of need. Teachers can access 24-hour support by email or phone - visit educationsupport.org.uk

This article originally appeared in the 6 November 2020 issue under the headline “We depend on the kindness of colleagues”. 

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