Fortifying the Mental Health of the Entire School Community with Emotional Intelligence
Wellbeing program at St. Peter’s Primary replenishes reserves post-COVID: ‘Truly life changing for many of our staff,’ say school leaders.

Facing extraordinary high levels of stress and burnout in the aftermath of the pandemic, school leaders at St. Peter’s Primary in Croydon, UK decided to invest in a mental health and wellbeing program for its staff and members of the school community.

The result? Higher engagement, better conflict management, and a more caring culture.

“This year, as a school, we have taken part in a wellbeing program which has proven to be truly life changing for many of our staff,” wrote Co-Heads of St. Peter’s Primary Samantha Sandle and Caroline Bariball. “The program provided a wealth of support and strategies for us to make positive changes in all areas of our lives – both in work and at home.”

In the emotional recession, do educators stand alone?

All over the world, people are suffering. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has entered an emotional recession. Global averages for emotional intelligence and wellbeing have declined more than 5% since 2019 – and burnout is on the rise in most industries. But no industry, except probably healthcare, faced as many challenges as education in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. Extended school closures led to students returning to school having been severely impacted in their academic and social emotional development, chronic absenteeism soared, and educator mental health suffered. Teaching was already considered among the most stressful professions, and the pandemic exacerbated job-related stress and accelerated burnout.

Research from the RAND Corporation in 2022 painted a bleak picture of the state of educator mental health compared to the general population. Here’s a few of the striking figures:

• Teachers and school leaders were more than twice as likely to be stressed as other working adults. Almost three quarters (73%) of teachers and 85% of principals said they experienced frequent job related stress, compared with 35% among adults in other occupations. This confirms research from the European Working Conditions Survey which found that teachers present higher levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue or sleeping problems when compared to other professions as a whole.
• Educators were also more likely to suffer from burnout or depression than the general working population.
• Wellbeing was especially poor among Hispanic/Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers and principals.
• 1 in 3 teachers and principals say they are likely to leave their current job by the end of this school year, as increased pressure as a result of pandemic takes its toll on well-being

“The impact of the pandemic on teachers and education staff has highlighted the need for greater mental health support and resources to help them cope with these challenges,” said Jennifer King, the lead researcher and an assistant professor and co-director of the Trauma Center at Case Western Reserve University.

Noticing these troubling trends in its own classrooms, the Co-Heads of School at St. Peter’s Primary decided they’d seen enough, and launched a comprehensive wellbeing program focused on equipping staff with emotional intelligence skills to take care of themselves and each other better – and ultimately, the students and their families.

Wellbeing program success fueled by increases in emotional intelligence

St. Peter’s partnered with Lisa Allen, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Islanda and a trained EQ Practitioner with Six Seconds, to design a multifaceted, multiyear wellbeing program. While focused primarily on staff in inset training, 1:1 and small group coaching sessions, the program also included workshops for parents on topics like managing anxiety and conflict and student-led wellbeing initiatives.