wellbeing

Staff Wellbeing

At Etone College, we place a very strong importance on wellbeing for all members of our community. This includes a commitment to staff wellbeing. We place staff wellbeing and workload at the heart of our decision taking and policy making. We meet regularly with a staff group which includes representatives from each faculty to listen to their views on workload and wellbeing and respond swiftly to their suggestions. At Etone College we:

  • Place a very strong emphasis on a whole school approach to wellbeing
  • Have an open door policy and listen to the needs of our staff
  • Regularly survey our staff to collect their views on workload and wellbeing
  • Carry out face to face meetings with staff to collect and respond to their needs
  • Value every member of staff for the contribution that they make to our school community
  • Place workload and wellbeing at the heart of our decision making
  • Are committed to responding to all DfE document including the Workload Reduction Toolkit and the Wellbeing Charter

We underpin everything that we do with our Etone Values -  we are both a caring and supportive school for all members of our community.  At Etone College, we take a collegiate and shared approach to our work and are a solution focused school – everybody benefits because everybody contributes.

Wellbeing Overview

Our overview which gives information about how we work more effectively, reduce workload and promote wellbeing.

5 Top Tips

Our Etone College 5 Top Tips to Wellbeing.

Cross Trust Benefits

Etone College is proudly part of the Matrix Academy Trust. The Trust has a comprehensive package of support for all employees ranging from GP services to Technolgy and Cycling Schemes. Full details for the complete offer from the Matrix Academy Trust can be found in the HR section HERE

Please check out this page to see all that working for the Matrix Academy Trust can offer you.

Staff Professional Development

At Etone College, we really value your professional development.

Meet our cross Faculty Wellbeing Team

At Etone College, every faculty has a representative who meet at least each term to discuss staff workload and wellbeing. This is something that has been in place for a number of year and has been part of our very successful and nationally recognised approach to staff wellbeing (TES Awards 2023 School Wellbeing Award nominee). The team meets to discuss ideas to promote wellbeing such as Tea and Talk, flu vaccines, staff sports as well as have the opportunity to raise any concerns around workload. For example, the team worked collectively to streamline approaches to feedback to ensure that the were time efficient whilst remaining effective for pupils and have discussed ways to maintain effective communication whilst reducing email traffic. We are very proud of our proactive whole school approach to staff wellbeing and my thanks go to all our workload representatives who have been so instrumental in helping me to reduce workload and promote wellbeing. Every meeting at Etone College starts with wellbeing – a sure sign of the commitment that we show to our staff – along with investment in the professional development of our staff such as National College and Subject Association membership. Our wellbeing overview and mental health calendar shows all that we do as part of this commitment.

Etone Staff Book Club

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Department for Education Wellbeing Charter

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Mental Health Calendar

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ECF Plus

At Etone College, we are committed to delivering the Early Career Framework but also take every opportunity to ensure that our provision goes above and beyond. Click on the link to find out more about our Etone ECF Extras offer

ECF Extras Offer

Previous News Stories

Read all about some of our Good News stories for staff and pupil wellbeing below. 

Testimonials

 Our College’s approach to workload and wellbeing stands out because it places staff voices at the very heart of decision-making, ensuring that wellbeing is not just a policy but a lived priority. From my perspective, one of the most impressive aspects of Etone College is its whole-school commitment to wellbeing. The college doesn’t treat workload and wellbeing as add-ons; instead, they are embedded into the culture of the school. My highlight is our termly faculty representation wellbeing discussions: every department has a voice, which makes the process inclusive and fair. This proactive stance means that wellbeing isn’t reactive - it’s preventative. Staff know their contributions are valued, which builds trust and morale across the community. The workload and wellbeing group has had tangible impacts. By meeting regularly and acting on staff suggestions, the group has: streamlined processes, created a culture of responsiveness, and organised valuable opportunities to chat and check-in on colleagues we do not get to encounter on our daily routes through the school.

One way in which I feel that Etone supports our wellbeing is through our individual faculty wellbeing representatives who meet often to discuss how to continue to improve wellbeing across the school. For example, we have adapted our feedback sheet at KS3 to allow a plethora of fix it codes which contains tasks that stretch and challenge the high ability pupils as well as differentiated tasks for other pupils. Staff can then give personalised feedback that targets pupils' areas of improvement through highlighting the code. This reduces teacher workload whilst still providing personalised beneficial feedback for students and has worked effectively to enable pupils to make progress and learn from their mistakes.

Another way in which I feel that my wellbeing is supported at Etone is through climate walks by leadership, which allows staff to feel consistently supported. We also have staff shoutouts which is a nice opportunity to praise colleagues on the weekly bulletin which is sent out to all staff. We also have time to talk after school sessions which are an opportunity for staff to meet at the end of the day and catch up. There are also bacon butties at breaktime for all staff at the end of a long term! These small acts of kindness towards the staff body and many more supportive strategies at Etone not only improve staff wellbeing but also creates a positive working environment that I feel honoured to be a part of.

"Working at Etone College has been an enriching experience that values both the professional growth and personal wellbeing of its staff. With a progressive approach to workload management, the school proudly boasts a commendable 12% PPA ratio, surpassing normal standards. The constructive feedback received through lesson observations and work sampling ensures continuous improvement, making it truly impactful for educators. Moreover, the shared approach to assembly planning and resources for form time fosters collaboration and enhances the overall teaching experience. A significant reduction in data entry requirements to just three times a year not only streamlines administrative tasks but also allows teachers to focus more on what truly matters – delivering quality education. At Etone, feedback isn't just heard; it's actively embraced and implemented. The provision of health services, such as flu jabs for all staff, demonstrates a genuine commitment to staff wellbeing. For Early Career Teachers like myself, the regular teach meets provide invaluable opportunities to learn and grow, ensuring continuous professional development and support in becoming better practitioners. Joining the team at Etone isn't just about teaching; it's about being part of a community that values its staff and prioritises their wellbeing, making it an exceptional place to work and thrive."

Small gestures show staff that the little things are really appreciated - it is recognised that all tasks are part of a bigger picture and staff are thanked such as staff shoutouts, praise cards, bacon butties, etc.

Coffee Morning
Time to talk
Dress up
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