Mental Health Awareness Week
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and has come at a time when many people are struggling with the current situation of the coronavirus and lockdown, for one reason or another. Within the Education sector, this may be exacerbated by the demands on schools keeping up with current government guidance on planning and preparing for the potential wider re-opening of schools from 1 June. School leaders and staff are not surprisingly worried about the wellbeing of their families, their colleagues, the students and themselves.
It is now more important than ever that you keep in touch with staff regularly (particularly where they are not attending work for any reason or working from home) and encourage staff to raise any worries they may have. It is also essential to involve your staff in the plans you have for reopening and listen to any individual feedback to identify and aim to allay any concerns they may have.
According to research MIND recently carried out, speaking to others regularly helps many people to feel connected and therefore can help to reduce the impact or worry of poor mental health. Therefore, maintaining dialogue with staff not only on work-related matters but perhaps even organising some “virtual” social events can go a long way.
There are also more pressures on senior members of staff at the moment and it is important not to forget their wellbeing, or indeed your own.
Related content
Over the coming months, we’ll unpack key changes, timelines, and practical steps your HR or leadership team in a school or multi-academy trust (MAT) should take now to be ready. In this post, we explain the key employment changes coming into force in April 2026.
This is a summary taken from Judicium’s DPO ‘Sofa Session’ from the 11th February, with our Data Protection consultant, Shaafah Mohamed. This session explored the use of CCTV within school settings and its link to data protection. Why CCTV is considered privacy intrusive, the legal basis for its use under UK GDPR, and practical steps schools should take to ensure compliance.
This blog is based on Judicium’s Safeguarding ‘Sofa Session’ from the 4th February 2026, with our resident experts Joanne Bocko and Sarah Cook.
This blog is based on Judicium’s Health and Safety ‘Sofa Session’ from the 28th January 2026, with our resident expert Alice Campbell.
The latest ERA implementation explains the imminent changes to trade union legislation, and several things that schools, trusts and colleges should do now to prepare.
This blog is based on Judicium’s Facilities ‘Sofa Session’ from the 14th January 2026, with our resident expert Joanne Fisher and Neil Merry. This session focused on premises safety, planning day-to-day, and contingency plans for when your caretaker is absent. Practical tips for auditing and ensuring correct regulations and training are in place.
Whats New | HR