Staff Wellbeing

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, we place a very strong importance on wellbeing for all members of our community. This includes a commitment to staff wellbeing. We place staff wellbeing and workload at the heart of our decision taking and policy making. We meet regularly with a staff group which includes representatives from each faculty to listen to their views on workload and wellbeing and respond swiftly to their suggestions. At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury we:

  • Place a very strong emphasis on a whole school approach to wellbeing
  • Have an open door policy and listen to the needs of our staff
  • Survey our staff to collect their views on workload and wellbeing
  • Value every member of staff for the contribution that they make to our school community
  • Place workload and wellbeing at the heart of our decision making
  • Are committed to responding to the Workload Reduction Toolkit

We underpin everything that we do with our DEC values - we are both a caring and supportive school for all members of our community. Our wellbeing overview shows how we support staff wellbeing and reduce staff workload and our mental health calendar shows our commitment to support the wellbeing of all members of our community.

Staff Wellbeing Overview

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Wellbeing Calendar

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DFE Wellbeing Charter

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Meet our cross-Faculty Wellbeing Representatives

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, every faculty has a dedicated representative who meets termly to discuss staff workload and wellbeing. These meetings provide a space to raise concerns, share ideas, and develop initiatives that support wellbeing, including staff events.We are proud of our proactive, whole-school approach to staff wellbeing, and grateful to our workload representatives, whose input has been instrumental in reducing workload pressures and promoting a supportive, positive working environment.

Cross Trust Benefits

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School is proudly part of the Matrix Academy Trust. The Trust has a comprehensive package of support for all employees ranging from GP services to Technolgy and Cycling Schemes. Full details for the complete offer from the Matrix Academy Trust can be found in the HR section HERE. Please check out this page to see all that working for the Matrix Academy Trust can offer you.

Testimonials

As a member of staff, having access to the School Advisory Service (SAS) has had a genuinely positive impact on my wellbeing. The service offers a wide range of support, including confidential one-to-one counselling, emotional wellbeing check-ins, and practical advice for managing stress, anxiety and work–life pressures.
What I value most is the opportunity to speak openly with trained professionals in a safe, non-judgemental space. Being listened to and offered practical, tailored strategies has made a real difference. The additional signposting to self-help resources, wellbeing workshops and further support has also helped me take proactive steps to look after my mental health.
The service feels highly accessible and flexible, with different wellbeing options available at different times, depending on individual need. Overall, the School Advisory Service is an invaluable source of support and reassurance, helping staff feel understood, supported and better equipped to manage both personal and professional challenges.

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, staff wellbeing is a genuine priority, not just a statement. Senior leaders are highly approachable and visible, creating a culture where staff feel comfortable raising wellbeing concerns and confident they will be supported. Reducing workload is always at the forefront of leadership thinking, ensuring staff are able to manage demands and maintain a healthy work–life balance. 
As the SEND department’s wellbeing representative, I see first-hand the time, care and thought invested in supporting staff wellbeing. Cross-department social events, such as Dingles, are a real highlight, bringing colleagues together and strengthening our sense of community. The school’s commitment to protecting staff mental health is already having a positive impact — and it continues to grow year on year.

Staff wellbeing is genuinely valued and actively supported at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School. Each department has a dedicated wellbeing representative who meets termly with senior leaders, ensuring staff voice is heard, ideas are shared and concerns are addressed openly. This collaborative approach has led to a range of positive initiatives, including regular staff ‘dingles’, where departments take turns providing food and drinks and colleagues come together after school to relax and connect. Staff contributions are also recognised through weekly bulletin shout-outs and thoughtful thank-you cards from senior leaders. These small but meaningful actions foster a strong sense of appreciation, connection and community, making the school a supportive, positive and rewarding place to work.

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, staff wellbeing runs through the school like a stick of rock. In school, there are wellbeing reps for each faculty (along with other volunteers) who gather feedback from staff and meet termly with senior leadership to discuss any arising issues from the staff body. These are then actioned and reported back in a ‘you said, we did’ to staff. There are also staff shoutouts every week as part of the whole school bulletin, a brilliant way to recognize those staff who go above and beyond for our school community. This is backed up with thank you cards shared in Friday staff briefings. Outside of the teaching day, staff participate in ‘Dingles’; gatherings open to all staff that are organized by departments on a rota throughout the year. This gives an opportunity for staff to chat with each other in an informal setting. In addition to this, for over three years, there has been a yearly ‘wellbeing walk’ where all staff are invited to come along (with the family, in my case) for a gentle walk in the countryside with a nice lunch spot at the end. Participation for this has grown since the first walk and is now a popular calendar item in the summer term amongst all the exam preparation.

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