Staff Wellbeing

The School as an employer has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff, as far as reasonably practicable. It is also required to have in place steps to manage those factors that could harm staff members’ physical and mental wellbeing, which includes work related stress. This duty extends only to those factors which are work related and within the School’s control.

The Governing Body and School’s senior leaders acknowledge the potential impact that work has on an individual’s physical and mental health, and has a moral and legal duty for taking steps to promote staff wellbeing as far as reasonably practicable.

Newhaven School is committed to fostering a culture of co-operation, trust and mutual respect, where all individuals are treated with fairness and dignity, and can work at their optimum level. It also recognises that work related stress has a negative impact on staff wellbeing, and that it can take many forms and so needs to be carefully analysed and addressed at an organisational level.

This Staff Wellbeing Policy expands upon the School’s Health and Safety policy, setting out how the School will promote the wellbeing of staff. It also includes detailed information about the internal and external support systems available to staff and how to engage with them.

A Wellness Action Plan is a tool which helps all staff manage their mental health and wellbeing at work. The plans are a personalised, practical tool we can all use – whether we have a mental health problem or not – to help us identify what keeps us well at work, what causes us to become unwell, and how to address a mental health problem at work should you be experiencing one. It also opens up a dialogue with your line manager in order for them to better understand your needs and experiences and ultimately better support your mental health, which in turn leads to greater work productivity, better performance and increased job satisfaction.

Please find both documents below.