13: Promoting Staff Well-being: Small Changes Can Make a Difference

As an independent Curriculum and Re-Engagement (CARE) school, Fairbridge College supports adolescents in Years 7–12 (aged approximately 12–18 years) who face significant challenges in mainstream education. This creates an emotionally demanding environment for staff who have daily interactions with students who have experienced trauma and high needs. Recognising the bidirectional impact of staff and student well-being, a small leadership team within the College addressed growing concerns such as teacher burnout, low morale, and a high staff turnover rate. Previously, staff well-being had not been a priority in the School Improvement Plan. As part of the Raising Trailblazers project, the project team implemented an initiative focused on enhancing staff well-being and retention. The team implemented deliberate, small changes, such as integrating positive reflections into daily meetings and establishing wellness activities for improving staff self-regulation and connection. Post-intervention data revealed 75% of staff reported high levels of well-being related to their work. The findings from this project underscore that prioritising staff mental health is crucial not only for staff retention but also for directly enhancing student engagement and academic outcomes.