Leadership Academy Associates launch latest Commission on the Well-being of Educational Leaders

The National Academy for Educational Leadership are delighted to announce the launch of the latest commission report from a group of Associates from Cohort 5 titled, A Well-being Entitlement for Educational Leaders in Wales.

The enquiry addresses the urgent need to improve the well-being of educational leaders across Wales and highlights the moral imperative for it to be prioritised in the Welsh education system.

This commission will be officially launched at our Well-being of Educational Leaders Conference on Wednesday, 27 November at the Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff. Tickets are still available, book your place by visiting Well-being of Educational Leaders Conference – National Leadership Wales

Owain Jones, headteacher at Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron and a member of the group which worked on the commission, said: “The opportunity to work with experienced colleagues from different educational settings on this important commission has been a privilege.  We have been very aware of the importance of the conversation about well-being in educational settings and hope that our commission can be used in a positive way to move the agenda forward.

“Following the launch of the commission, our group will seek to continue the conversation regarding the well-being of leaders.  We are searching and pressing for real, sustained and costed changes to support the well-being of leaders, so that they can focus on the well-being and provision for all pupils and all staff in our educational settings.”

Geraldine Foley, headteacher at Marlborough Primary School, who was also a member of the group, added: “Being a member of the commission group has been a privilege and a professional challenge. There was a weight of responsibility in ensuring that we accurately captured the voice of leaders across Wales and accurately documented the issues that were affecting their well-being. We felt a moral imperative to be solution-focussed and we have sought to provide ambitious yet realistic and achievable recommendations.

“We feel that our commission report is just the starting point and we are collectively determined to see the recommendations come to fruition.  The current data on the wellbeing of school leaders is inextricably linked to the recruitment and retention crisis. If we want a world leading education system in Wales, we need leaders who are flourishing. When School Leaders flourish, learners flourish.”

To read the commission report in full, head to A Well-being Entitlement for Educational Leaders in Wales – National Leadership Wales