Rounders proves pivotal to staff wellbeing at Evolve

With statistics suggesting that a concerning 75% of teachers will experience a mental health issue at some point during their teaching career, staff wellbeing in the education industry has never been so prevalent.

12-hour working days are becoming common for teachers, draining energy and enthusiasm for the role, thus affecting performance in the classroom. As the pressure to ascertain a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grade from Ofsted heats up, the added workload appears to be formulating a negative outcome.

However, promoting your own wellbeing is becoming a hot topic within the industry and numerous members of teaching staff are acting on the concern. In many cases, wellbeing of staff and pupils is being added to the school development plan, whilst some are joining forces outside of their contracted working hours.

Evolve colleagues Amie Richards, Kat Watkin, Jeevan Chagger and Sean McKee ensured they set aside time for the Leagues4you rounders competition in Redditch once a week. The tournament is designed to be ‘fun, friendly and hassle-free’, as stated on the Leagues4you (@Leagues4you) Twitter page, with a wide range of competitions becoming more prevalent in various areas of the country.

Health Mentor Jeevan Chagger noted how useful the tournament was for developing staff morale. He explained, “it certainly brought us together as a team, colleagues and individuals, sharing jokes with each other and getting to know our strengths, whilst challenging each other”.

Jeevan also explained how he was able to “let off steam in a relaxed environment”, thus proving how such an approach can help develop the team culture whilst also supporting staff wellbeing.