Selly Park Girls School: finding the right support for staff
Selly Park Girls School is a local authority-run secondary school for girls in Birmingham.
Robert Turner is an Assistant Headteacher and Head of Wellbeing. He was impressed by the support available for the staff from our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – and has used the service himself.
Your stories / 3 mins read
Finding the right support for our staff
We work with young people from across the city at Selly Park Girls school, the progress of our pupils is exceptional and it’s an extremely positive place to work. We’re always looking at new opportunities for pupils to make the experience of school even better, with that comes hard work.
Staff Health and Wellbeing have been a priority at the school for many years and I wanted to find the right support for our staff to help them if required. Whilst in the process of looking for an Employee Assistance Programme I got in touch with Mark (Education Support’s Regional Adviser). He was great at explaining the benefits of their EAP services for education staff and why it would be the best fit for our school.
What appealed to me was the counselling and also the varying levels of support for different staff in the school including leaders.
The pricing was competitive, and analysis of the number of users was important to have from a management point of view.
The quality of the counsellors on the phone and the service itself was supportive, empathetic and informative.
Help with resolving a tricky work situation
Having used the service, myself I was impressed with the support offered. It was great to someone have outside of my own circle of colleagues, family and friends to discuss how I was feeling and the advice given was relevant and very informative.
When I spoke to the Education Support adviser she clarified lots of things for me. She was particularly skilled at encouraging me to talk about things in greater detail. She listened, picked things apart and gave sound advice in a really good way that helped me resolve the issue.
I started a conversation feeling one way, but an hour later, I felt different. I came in the next morning and had clarity about the situation.
The Education Support advisor listened, picked things apart and gave sound advice in a really good way that helped me resolve the issue.
Telling staff about the service
Staff need support when something’s causing them stress. When someone tells me they are struggling I know there are professionals there to support them from the service we’ve invested in.
I send the details out and put notices in the weekly bulletin. I tell them to save it in their phone and I bring it up in conversation if I can tell that someone needs support, because it is a supportive service.
A supportive, empathetic and informative Employee Assistance Programme
The quality of the counsellors on the phone and the service itself was supportive, empathetic and informative with a clear consideration to the person using the service. The advisor was caring and I like that there is no restriction on the timing.
Communication from Mark at Education Support has been outstanding. From a leadership point of view, the data on numbers of users is clear and informative, which is beneficial.
Get in touch
Our Employee Assistance Programme is a cost-effective staff wellbeing package that can transform your team's wellbeing. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.
Our service provides emotional and practical support that helps you and your colleagues thrive at work.
Are you a headteacher, deputy or assistant headteacher? Would you like to access services focussed on improving your mental health and wellbeing?
