Quality leadership strongest factor in staff satisfaction

A new study in schools across England finds that the quality of school leadership is the most important factor behind satisfied and engaged staff – with teaching and learning, professional growth, and diversity and inclusion also key contributors.   
 
The report by the social enterprise ImpactEd found that teacher workload and classroom behaviour, commonly cited as major contributors to staff dissatisfaction, were less important factors in whether school staff are happy or not.
   
ImpactEd’s study – which saw more than 45,000 pupils and almost 900 school staff in primary and secondary schools polled – also concludes that where staff are satisfied, so are pupils. It says pupils’ wellbeing is highest in schools where teachers have a more positive relationship with their work.
 
ImpactEd is also supporting schools to use the tools in the report to understand the factors influencing staff satisfaction and pupil wellbeing in their setting.

On a correlation scale of 0-1, there was a strong correlation of over 0.85 between staff happiness and responses to the statements, ‘I feel supported by the leaders and managers in this school’ and ‘leaders and managers in this school communicate effectively about what is happening’.

Additional drivers of staff satisfaction include diversity and inclusion, teaching and learning, and professional growth – above work-life balance or behaviour management systems.    

The report found that the perception of behaviour management was strongly linked to pupil wellbeing – the research found a 0.73 correlation between teachers who felt they had effective systems for managing classroom behaviour and pupil wellbeing in that school.  

Year 7 females particularly likely to benefit from wellbeing support – Year 7 girls showed a 6.5 per cent increase in anxiety scores between Autumn and Summer, compared to a one per cent decrease nationally. This increase in anxiety was close to double that of their male peers.

Senior leaders were more likely to recommend their school when compared to classroom teachers – at an average score of 8.5 versus 7 on a ten-point scale.
 
Owen Carter, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ImpactEd, said: “We know high-quality teachers are the cornerstone of our education system, yet staff wellbeing and retention continues to be a pressing challenge for the sector. At the same time our research shows that pupils are struggling with mental wellbeing and anxiety, in particular children with special educational needs and those eligible for the Pupil Premium.
 
“Our report’s findings demonstrate how important it is for school leaders to consider the wellbeing of staff and pupils in tandem, and that achieving one is more than likely to achieve the other.
 
“The last two years in particular have been very challenging for so many people working in schools, with Covid and changes in Government policy. However, whilst national policies may well impact on many aspects of staff engagement, the high variation in scores between schools suggests individual schools are able to have an impact on staff satisfaction and therefore on pupil happiness. The quality of leadership is front and centre among the factors that drive stronger staff satisfaction and engagement. We are pleased to be supporting schools with tools that will help them understand the drivers of staff engagement and pupil wellbeing in their setting.”
Steve Rollett, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, the sector body for school Trusts, said:

"Recent years have challenged the wellbeing and mental health of school staff and children. This presents a real risk to outcomes of children and the vital recruitment and retention of school staff, so ImpactEd's work to understand more about how schools can meaningfully act in this area could not be more timely.

“We believe that workforce resilience and wellbeing is a key feature when defining a strong schools trust. This new research shows that getting these fundamentals right – leadership, teaching and learning, meaningful professional development – not only results in a happier workforce, but that very happiness also impacts positively on the wellbeing of pupils.”
 
Nick Brook, Deputy General Secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, said:
“Mental wellbeing is, and will continue to be, a priority for school leaders. The Working Well report demonstrates the interrelation between the welfare of staff and that of the pupils they serve. It leads us to conclude that actions that support provision for pupils but lead to unsustainable working practices for school staff are unlikely to be successful in the long run, and that taking an integrated approach is likely to yield the most long-term benefit.

"ImpactEd's national dataset has the potential to be an enormous benefit to schools and education, supporting leaders to reflect on how engagement and wellbeing within their own schools compares to others like them, helping to create environments in which teachers can thrive and young people can succeed. NAHT have been delighted to work with ImpactEd to inform the Working Well report, on such an important and timely theme."