Prioritising School Culture & Staff Wellbeing

Course Code: T0404 £289.00

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new course provides school leaders with practical, evidence-informed strategies to reduce workload, develop a culture of support, and promote sustainable staff wellbeing. Drawing on the DfE’s Improve Workload and Wellbeing toolkit, alongside powerful examples from schools and the latest research, participants will explore real-world solutions, diagnostic tools, and structured approaches to embed lasting change.The course also draws on research into psychological safety, coaching culture, and staff development; highlighting how trust, open dialogue, and professional growth contribute to healthier, more effective teams. Leaders will learn to identify and address wellbeing challenges, foster an environment where staff feel safe to speak up and take risks, and implement coaching practices that drive engagement, creativity, and retention. 

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

  • Learn to pinpoint key workload stressors in your school using structured diagnostic tools
  • Explore research-backed strategies to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and focus on meaningful tasks
  • Discover how to cultivate a culture of mutual support, trust, and professional development
  • Understand psychological safety, staff feeling safe to speak up, take risks, and be themselves, essential for wellbeing and innovation
  • Learn to nurture a coaching culture; supportive feedback, peer learning, and leadership development
  • Leave with ready-to-use tools, templates, and action plans to drive staff wellbeing in your setting.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • Headteachers
  • Senior Leaders
  • Trust or School Wellbeing Leads
  • Staff Development Leaders
  • Middle Leaders 

PROGRAMME

10.00am: Welcome & Wellbeing Imperative
  • Introduction to the course aims, outcomes, and agenda
  • Examine the current landscape: workload challenges, retention pressures, and leadership burnout
  • What do we mean by culture? Introducing the concepts of psychological safety and coaching culture as foundations for wellbeing
11.00am: Break
11.15am: Diagnosing the Pressures: What’s Getting in the Way?
  • Understanding workload drivers and staff experience
  • Using the DfE’s Workload and Wellbeing Diagnostic Tools to evaluate the impact of curriculum planning, assessment practices, marking policies, and meetings
  • Uncover the connection between staff wellbeing, trust, and school improvement
12.15pm: Lunch
1.15pm: Psychological Safety in Action
  • Understanding psychological safety and why it matters in schools?
  • The 4 stages: inclusion, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety
  • Recognise the leadership behaviours that promote (or erode) safety and trust
  • Case Studies: How successful schools are embedding this culture
2.15pm: Break
2.30pm: Building a Coaching Culture for Sustainable Change
  • What is a coaching culture? Characteristics of coaching-led schools
  • Moving from management to growth conversations
  • Coaching frameworks: GROW, clean questions, and solution-focused models
  • Embedding coaching in your school: team meetings, line management, CPD and development planning
3.30pm: Depart 
Leadership - Code: T0404

Prioritising School Culture & Staff Wellbeing

Mike Leaman

Course Leader

Mike Leaman is an experienced educational consultant, career coach, former Deputy Headteacher, and national CPD leader. With over a decade of leadership experience in schools, including strategic responsibility for over 150 staff, Mike brings deep insight into the practical and cultural challenges facing school teams today.

Throughout his career, Mike has led successful whole-school improvement strategies, redesigned workload systems, and introduced staff development programmes that improved retention, morale, and outcomes.

Mike draws on his career coaching with hundreds of school leaders and teachers across the UK to help leadership teams build psychologically safe environments, foster coaching cultures, and implement sustainable wellbeing strategies. Known for his balance of warmth, challenge, and clarity, Mike's sessions are praised for being highly relevant, research-informed, and immediately actionable.

 

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Course Brochure

Leadership Cover