Wellbeing
We are proud holders of the London Healthy Workplace Award - Achievement level, an accolade granted by the Mayor of London in recognition of our commitment to making Chestnut Grove Academy a happy and healthy workplace for all staff.
"The culture seems open and it appears there is no hidden agenda"
"There are lots of opportunities for staff voice to be heard"
"The real focus on appreciating the efforts of staff"
"The acknowledgement that wellbeing is vitally important"
"The support offered to staff who need it"
"The real passion and commitment for health and wellbeing"
"That staff genuinely feel cared for" *
*From LHWA verifiers' report, 4th April 2019
The Academy is committed to improving the quality of working lives for all staff and providing a healthy working environment. We recognise that our staff are our greatest asset and our wellbeing strategy is founded on the core values of promoting and celebrating diversity, tolerance, freedom from discrimination and the prevention of work-related ill health.
Wellbeing strategy is meaningful and effective only when it is integrated into all spheres of our professional practice - from policy-making and professional development, over day-to-day teaching, to creating a healthy working environment that is conductive to high levels of staff engagement and performance. Our programmes reflect our holistic view of wellbeing, comprising a wide variety of mental, physical and social health initiatives. At Chestnut Grove, wellbeing is promoted by all - our governors, the SLT, teaching and support staff volunteers. And whilst we nurture pluralism of opinion, belief and choice, we are all uniform in the recognition that Chestnut Grove community is uniquely cohesive and nurturing.
Chestnut Grove Academy is classed as a medium-sized enterprise and its workforce is culturally and linguistically diverse. The concept of diversity is used at its most extended sense: we actively seek to encourage the acceptance of all types of protected characteristics, including mental difference, which constitutes our drive for diversity of thought and self-expression. Our imperative is to promote a tolerant learning community with highly effective support and communication systems on all levels - a community in which ALL members can thrive.
Wellbeing Strategies
- Workload and stress risk-assessment of all policies and programmes before their implementation;
- Reduction of workload: We hold termly workload consultations open to all staff. Since 2017 we have significantly reduced marking, planning and workload around data. For more details, click here
- Effective channels of communication, including annual wellbeing and workload surveys for all staff;
- Professional development of ALL staff is at the heart of everything we do: we offer a wide range of accredited and in-house training opportunities that recognise staff's different starting points, roles and career aspirations;
- Our HR, H&S and Performance Management have been assessed as excellent by the LHWA verifiers;
- Encouraging staff cohesion, support, participation and sharing of ideas and resources through a wide range of wellbeing events. And, yes, there's a free hour of yoga with an experienced instructor every Friday!
London Healthy Workplace Charter Award Ceremony
Click here for the photos from the ceremony
