The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter

The Government has launched its Education Staff  Wellbeing Charter that has been in development for the past couple of years.

The voluntary Charter is a declaration of support for, and set of commitments to, the wellbeing and mental health of everyone working in education in England.

It was co-created by:

• unions (including Voice Community)
• the Association of Colleges
• Local Government Association
• Mind
• Education Support
• Tapton School
• Learning in Harmony Trust
• Charles Dickens Primary School
• Kensington Primary School
• Meadow High School
• Reaseheath College
• the Department for Education (DfE)
• Ofsted.

About the charter

The charter:

• was created by the education sector to highlight staff wellbeing in the education sector;
• is a tool for schools and colleges to create, and publicly commit to, their own wellbeing strategies;
• is a declaration to protect, promote and enhance the wellbeing and mental health of everyone working in state education;
• includes commitments on education staff wellbeing by DfE and Ofsted;
• sets out principles of shared understanding on the meaning and importance of wellbeing and everyone’s roles and responsibilities;
• sends a message to everyone working in schools and colleges that their wellbeing and mental health matters; and
• aims to improve wellbeing in schools and colleges by encouraging debate and accountability.

Schools and colleges should use the charter to:

• show staff that they take their wellbeing seriously;
• open a conversation with staff about their wellbeing and mental health;
• create a staff wellbeing strategy; and
• create a wellbeing-focused culture.

Our views

Voice Community fully supports the concept of the charter and the commitments from Ofsted and DfE it contains.

We would like to see more authority given to the document and the facility to hold to account those responsible for increasing workload, stress and other pressures.

We’re interested in your thoughts. Do let us know what you think or comment below.

Further information

Download the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter (pdf, 1.77MB, 13 pages)

Download the charter posters (1 page pdfs):

• We have signed up
• We have signed up – print version
• DfE will 
• DfE will – print version
• Ofsted will 
• Ofsted will – print version

If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.