Head in appeal for funds to aid staff ‘wellbeing’

Families asked to contribute gifts

PARENTS IN one of Yorkshire’s most affluent towns have been asked to help fund a “wellbeing week” for their children’s teachers.

The head of Ilkley Grammar School has written to families appealing for donations in the form of discount vouchers for local business, and similar benefits.

The request comes two years after the school asked parents to donate up to £180 a year to help offset the effect of budget cuts.

Its wellbeing week, which begins on May 20, is among the first of its kind in the country. It has been organised amid concerns about stress and mental health issues among teachers which are said to have accounted for 1.3 million days off nationally over the past four years.

In her letter to parents, seen by The Yorkshire Post, the school’s head, Helen Williams, asks for gifts to support the initiative. She tells families that donations could take the form of “discount vouchers for your business, goods and services e.g. ironing service, car valeting, merchandise or anything at all that would provide a little boost to a member of staff ”.

Explaining the purpose of the wellbeing week, she says the school is running “a programme of in-school and out-of-school activities to support all staff in our drive to ensure we make their wellbeing a priority so they, in turn, can continue to fully support KNIFE CRIME and school exclusions are likely to be two symptoms of the same underlying problems, according to Ofsted.

The chief of the inspections body, Amanda Spielman, said there was a “harmful narrative” developing that exclusions must cause children to join gangs or carry knives.

But she added the issue was “too complex” to be reduced to binary arguments, and that schools cannot tackle the issue alone.

Ms Spielman said: “Schools can and should play their part, and many are.

“But this has to be as part of a broader coalition, with the support of local partners and the police.”

our students and the school community as a whole”.

There have been increasing concerns surrounding anxiety levels in schools. Last year, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, warned of an “epidemic of stress” as teachers were signed off on long-term sick leave because of pressure of work and mental illness.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats revealed that one in 83 teachers had spent more than a month off work in 2016-17.

A primary school in south London enrolled its staff on a 10-week wellbeing programme to improve their physical and mental health.

Ms Williams said she had been “overwhelmed by the positive response” so far to her letter.

She said: “Later this year we are running our inaugural wellbeing week.

“We have asked for the support and generosity of parents, carers and local businesses to provide support for the week.”

The school already has a “wellbeing Wednesday” for staff, once every half term. One staff member said: “The issues we have are national ones. But the teachers have a really challenging job, and that comes across in terms of workload and stress levels.”

The school, an academy rated “excellent” by Ofsted, is one of the most heavily oversubscribed in its area, and has a history of asking parents to contribute financially to their children’s education. Two years ago, Ms Williams told them that changes to funding were making the task of providing the highest level of education “increasingly difficult”.

She asked parents to donate voluntarily by a single payment or regular contributions ranging from £60 to £180 a year.

We have asked for the support and generosity of parents and carers. Helen Williams, head of Ilkley Grammar School.