Episode 5 - Wellbeing at the Heart of Education with Andrew Cowley

How can schools move from simply reacting to stress to proactively embedding staff and student wellbeing as a core principle?

In this episode of the In This Together Podcast, Becky Dawson is joined by Andrew Cowley, a wellbeing consultant, speaker, author, and coach for Designated Mental Health Leads. Drawing on his 30 years as a primary teacher and school leader, Andrew shares his insights on what it truly means to look after school staff and build a culture of genuine support.

Together, they discuss:

• Andrew's journey from teaching into his current work, which was influenced by his early realization that staff wellbeing needed better management in schools.
• The critical importance of building strong relationships and connection with colleagues and students, which involves knowing them beyond their professional or student roles.
• The need for school responses to crises to be proactive, responsive, and principled, rather than simply reactive.
• How students can sense when teachers are struggling or burnt out, emphasizing that staff wellbeing directly impacts the quality of teaching and student experience.
• The "THINK" acronym—a framework for embedding mental health and wellbeing.
• The challenges around lack of protected reflective practice for educators, contrasting it with professions like the NHS.
• Why everyone—from teaching assistants to school leaders—is a wellbeing leader, and how the approach should be sideways-in, not top-down or bottom-up.
• The importance of embracing a diverse team, including cynical people and support staff, to create an effective whole-school approach.

✨ Key takeaways from this episode:

• Proactivity and principles are essential for a responsible approach to wellbeing, not just reacting to issues.
• The THINK acronym stands for: Time, Holistic, Inclusive, Non-judgmental, and Knowledgeable.
• Wellbeing is for everyone in the school, and leaders should communicate the moral purpose (the why) behind the work.

🔗 Sharing is Caring Recommendation

Andrew recommends:

Book: 'Legacy' by James Kerr, which focuses on the culture of the All Blacks rugby team.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:31 Andrew's experience within teaching and his move into wellbeing work

04:57 The importance of knowing your colleagues and students

09:46 Laiba's perspective as a student on teacher wellbeing

11:57 The THINK acronym explained

21:35 Challenges for staff wellbeing and the lack of protected reflective practice

24:43 Lateral leadership and Kulvarn Atwal's slice groups

26:03 Key steps for a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing

28:39 Final Recommendations & Resources

31:13 Closing Remarks