Skills for the Mind Training Pathway

skills for the mind PATHWAY OF SUPPORT

This pathway is aimed at providing staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to attend to their personal, team and organisational wellbeing needs. This includes training on supporting staff wellbeing at the personal, team, and whole setting levels. The pathway is a comprehensive offer to educational settings. The pathway consists of evidence-based training sessions delivered either face-to-face or on Microsoft Teams, alongside wellbeing consultations, peer support network meetings and evidence-based six-session staff support groups.

 

Mapping onto the Ofsted Inspection Framework and Relevant Guidance

The Skills for the Mind Pathway of Support maps onto key elements of the following guidance:

Ofsted Inspection Framework: The quality of teaching is a key judgement area for Ofsted. The inspection criteria refer to the importance of ensuring that all teaching staff benefit from appropriate professional development and that performance is rigorously managed. When assessing leadership and management, inspectors must consider the school’s use of performance management and the effectiveness of strategies for improving teaching. This should include the extent to which professional development is based on the identified needs of staff and the induction needs of newly qualified teachers and teachers at an early stage of their career.     

Department for Education (2021) Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing guidance: Staff Development, primarily promoting staff health and wellbeing, is an integral principle of the whole setting approach to emotional health and wellbeing. Staff may first need to look after their own wellbeing to be able to support students.

NICE (2022) Social, emotional and mental wellbeing in primary and secondary education guidance: The guidance recommends settings provide continuous professional development and training to staff to support both their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of students; signposting to staff for wellbeing support; peer supervision; and protected time for supervision for those in pastoral roles (1.1.8; 1.1.9; 1.1.10; 1.1.11; 1.5.1).

TrainING SESSIONS IN THIS PATHWAY

Supporting Staff Wellbeing and Organisational Resilience

Duration: full day

Location: in-person at Lancaster University

What is this training about?

This full day in-person session focuses on how settings can support staff emotional wellbeing through the application of evidence-based strategies using a compassion-focused approach. The session will include opportunities to share your good practice and start to develop plans and policies to support staff wellbeing in your setting.

In this session, we will share evidence-based models and strategies for supporting organisational and staff wellbeing and resilience that can be applied in school and college settings. We will focus on compassion-based ideas and theory that can help you plan your staff wellbeing strategy. We will use a ‘Train the Trainer’ approach and will share practical exercises and resources to allow attendees to lead discussions and exercises in their settings.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • An introduction to a compassionate-focused way of thinking about staff wellbeing.
  • Activities and resources to use in your setting.
  • Time to think about how to develop a staff wellbeing strategy in your setting.

What people have said about this training:

“It helped to break down ways to support staff into different strategies and styles of support to suit the individual”

“It was very relatable in terms of things that can be tried in school, and it felt very practical rather than being abstract”

“Great activities and resources in the session that we can use in school with the team”

 

Supervision Skills for School and College Staff

Duration: full day

Location: in-person at Lancaster University

What is this training about?

This full day in-person training will introduce you to ideas and models around individual and peer supervision that can be implemented in school and college settings. It will be useful and relevant for any setting which plans to introduce or develop a system for staff supervision to support their practice.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • A better understanding of what supervision is.
  • How to apply supervision models to practice in schools.
  • To understand and practice good supervision skills.
  • To think about how to set up supervision in your setting.

What people have said about this training:

“The session covered a wide scope of what supervision could be. It made me think about how helpful it could be, and I am sold on its value now!”

“It was good to talk about how supervision may mean different things according to the setting and the needs of the staff and what we can try.”

“It was really helpful discussing other people’s experiences and those of the facilitators and getting practical ideas of what to do.”

 

Staying Compassionate in your School Leadership

Duration: 2 hours

Location: Microsoft Teams

What is this training about?

We recognise that school leadership is a challenging role with many pressures of supporting staff, students and families. In this session, we will share ideas and strategies for supporting your wellbeing and resilience, focusing on compassion-based thinking and theory.

The session is for head teachers, senior school and college staff and staff with specific leadership responsibilities who are interested to learn about ways to support their wellbeing.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • An overview of theories of compassion and ideas from compassionate mind training, and the potential benefits for school leaders in using these ideas.
  • An understanding of how compassion-based ideas can be used to support the resilience and wellbeing of ourselves as leaders as well as the staff we support.
  • Practical skills and strategies for practicing compassion for yourself and in your leadership role.
  • Support to maintain a compassionate, safe and supportive workplace environment.

What people have said about this training:

“Self-care always seemed like a bit of a luxury but not anymore – I will really think about this and encourage my staff to do this too.”

“It was an excellent and thought-provoking session.”

“I really enjoyed it and it has helped me to understand what my brain is doing to me!”

“I have become more confident in understanding other people’s emotional control systems and how to help them to focus on a task in hand.”

 

Revive your Passion for Education with PERMA

Duration: 3 hours

Location: Microsoft Teams

What is this training about?

The teaching profession can be incredibly challenging. Many educators report feeling overwhelmed by the workloads and pressures of the role. This session will explore ways the PERMA model can be used to improve wellbeing, fulfilment and meaning when working in complex and demanding environments.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • Consider the challenges and pressures of your role.
  • Learn about what the PERMA model is and how we can use it to improve personal and professional wellbeing
  • Explore during interactive exercises how the model can be applied individually and systemically within a whole school or college system.

What people have said about this training:

“I really like the PERMA model and I’m hoping to build it into my whole school curriculum.”

 

Opening up, noticing and doing what matters: techniques for living a meaningful life

Duration: 2 hours

Location: Microsoft Teams

What is this training about?

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is a versatile set of principles which can be used for enhancing human performance, improving health, and enriching relationships.  The model can equip us with the necessary practical tools and strategies to make desired changes in our lives.

ACT isn’t about removing challenging thoughts or uncomfortable feelings; it’s about living a meaningful life by taking action which is aligned with our values. Integrating these principles can increase a sense of personal wellbeing for educators.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • Learning to open up: distancing ourselves from unhelpful thoughts and beliefs
  • Noticing skills: cultivating present-moment awareness and connecting with our experiences
  • Doing what matters: aligning our actions with our core values.

What people have said about this training:

“Some great ideas and informative slides. I will be using the ACT matrix and Passengers on the Bus exercise.”

 

How to Stay Compassionate at Work

Duration: 2 hours

Location: Microsoft Teams

What is this training about?

There is growing evidence to show that explicit development and practice of compassion can provide a useful way of helping education staff to manage their own distress and reduce experience of self-criticism, anxiety and depression.

This workshop will introduce you to compassionate mind training for staff support and give you practical skills and strategies so that you can practice compassion both for yourself and within work.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • To provide an overview of compassionate mind training for education staff, including the potential benefits of these ideas.
  • To provide education staff with practical skills and strategies for practicing compassion for themselves and within work.
  • To explore practical ways staff can maintain a compassionate, safe and supportive workplace environment for all.

What people have said about this training:

“It’s helped me to challenge the idea that the self-critic is helpful and explore the resistance around letting it go and replacing it with compassion.”

“A relaxed and informative session. I’ve learnt how to be more compassionate towards myself.”

 

How to Leave Work at Work

Duration: 2 hours

Location: Microsoft Teams

What is this training about?

Bringing the stresses and worries of our workday home with us is common, and it can affect our wellbeing and ability to switch off and relax. This session will explore mindfulness skills and how they can be applied when thinking about how to leave work at work.

What will you learn and gain from this training:

  • Learn more about what mindfulness is.
  • Learn about the ‘how’ and ‘what’ skills of mindfulness.
  • Apply mindfulness skills to challenges associated with bringing the stresses of work home.
  • Give opportunities to practice and discuss mindfulness skills in a group space.

What people have said about this training:

“It was an interesting reminder of mindfulness and brought to mind some ways to consider practicing and implementing mindfulness activities to help at school.”

“I was pleased to have taken the course as it’s always good to know what mindful practice is and what it isn’t. I learned about the different types and can perhaps use it in my own practice with my thoughts but also relay information to students at school who might be receptive to it.”

“This has been really enlightening and really on the mark of what I do on a day-to-day basis.  I will have a look at all the resources and build it into my daily routines. It may even change my life for the better!”

 

individual wellbeing consultation meetings

LEHSS consultation sessions are a space for staff to discuss on a one-to-one basis, difficulties in school or college relating to mental health. This may include helping staff to understand why a difficulty is happening and consider ways to improve the situation. For example, this could be a child who is disruptive, anxious, or low in mood; low staff morale across the school; or individual work-related staff wellbeing difficulties. These sessions can also be used following attendance at our training sessions to discuss how to use the ideas taught within your school or college environment.

We strive to ensure these meetings offer a safe space should you wish to discuss your own wellbeing needs and aim to offer reassurance, understanding and problem-solving.

Examples of topics or themes about wellbeing could include:

  • Coping with challenging work relationships.
  • Feelings of anxiety and low confidence regarding your work role.
  • Breaking unhelpful coping habits or creating more helpful coping habits.
  • Achieving a better work life balance.
  • Coping with a major life event in self or others.
  • Developing greater self-care and self-compassion.

Meetings with a wellbeing focus will last up to 45 minutes and will take place over Microsoft Teams.

These sessions are open to all staff working within education.

Staff are welcome to book up to three wellbeing consultation sessions within a school year, which can either take place within a term or across terms.