Staff wellbeing – a vital part of the MAT due diligence process for new schools

Mark Solomons, CEO of School Wellbeing Accelerator – an acclaimed wellbeing expert with over 12 years’ experience developing leadership and culture in UK schools and creator ofWelbeea highly effective online evaluation and staff wellbeing improvement tool, winner of the ERA 2022 Wellbeing Award – offers Trusts and MATs advice on the importance of evaluating staff wellbeing when conducting due diligence.

Rigorous due diligence is central to making fully informed decisions prior to the conversion or transfer of a school into a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) yet some may be missing a vital piece – evaluating staff wellbeing.

There are many considerations for MATs undertaking due diligence. The school’s current financial position, as well as student attainment are two key indicators of current performance. Even where this is challenging and a reason for the school to be joining a MAT or transferring to a new one, future success is reliant on the expertise and dedication of staff.

Staff wellbeing has a direct impact on the outcomes of any organisation – research shows the causal effect of staff wellbeing on a range of outcomes – higher staff retention, lower absences, better financial performance and raised attainment.

Intuitively, it also makes sense that a workforce that feels valued will be more engaged and effective – happy and contented people give far more discretionary effort and time.

Evaluating staff wellbeing provides an insight into the ethos and culture of a school. Talented staff are a school’s greatest asset and understanding how they feel about their workplace, provides a strong indicator of whether they will remain or look for other opportunities. It also identifies where effort and energy should be focused, alongside steps that can be quickly taken where improvement is needed.

To obtain the true picture of staff opinion, an anonymous survey facilitated by a third party is likely to produce more open and honest feedback, than one created and controlled by the receiving Trust or MAT.

Where areas of concern are identified, the Trust can be proactive and develop necessary ‘tailormade’ plans to address the specific needs that are highlighted. Sharing the results also helps build staff confidence as it illustrates that the MAT is listening and interested in them.

Introducing or developing a successful people strategy, means there is a much greater chance of retaining staff. MATs and schools are recruiting from a dwindling supply of teachers and support staff – it’s a highly competitive market. The best ambassadors for a Trust are the staff working within it – a good reputation attracts and keeps great staff. If wellbeing is part of the culture and ethos, attraction, recruitment and retention are easier.

A schools financial position is also likely to provide insights into staff wellbeing. Staffing information which reflects high rates of staff absenteeism, many leavers, long term illness, early retirement due to ill health or stress and grievances is indicative of a school which does not consider staff wellbeing a priority.

Where good staff wellbeing is simply part of the culture, staff can focus on their ‘real’ job – teaching their students – and are better able to deal with their daily stress. This means they are able to focus on learning and attainment, and the Trust can provide students with the opportunities and experiences that enhance their learning and life choices.

Welbee offers MATs the opportunity to survey potential new schools at no cost as part of due diligence. For more information about this and other exclusive MAT benefits, please contact [email protected].

For further information on the Welbee evaluation and staff wellbeing improvement tool, please visit www.welbee.co.uk.