“I’m OK, you’re ok.”

Thomas Harris, in his 1967 book of this title, set out an important idea – if we are to be in a state to help others, and respond in ways that enable, support and empower, then we have to be OK in ourselves. Looking after the staff, so that they can look after the community, has never been so important. In other words, put your own gas mask on first.

Why is this so important at this time?

• Everyone is affected. Never before has an individual’s personal and domestic situation become an area of focus for employers. They vary wildly and impact massively on personal capabilities, capacity and wellbeing.
• The crisis has triggered underlying mental health challenges for many people, and others who have not struggled before, are now.
• Schools are places which give out energy – they are of course in reality a group of people, and each of those people has to give out energy. They have to overcome their own issues and be of service to others. That is hard at the best of times, and can feel impossible if you don’t feel ok yourself.
• The loss of control, with reliance on decisions from central government, is a real source of stress for leaders. We are not able to plan and make decisions for our community, and this loss of control can be a major source of stress.
• The duty of care to our staff continues; we have a role to play in avoiding isolation and understanding the issues people have

Helping staff proactively to be ‘OK’ has long been a high priority at Surrey Square; after all, our mission of ‘personal and academic excellence’ is for ‘everyone, every day’ – and we take that seriously. So how have we adapted our established practices for supporting, celebrating and empowering our teams at this time? What are our underlying principles and beliefs about this work, and how have we enacted these?