Wesleyan is proud to have supported the The National Literacy Trust in the launch of its new Teacher Wellbeing website - a platform dedicated to supporting and improving all education professionals’ mental wellbeing.
This comes as 62% of education professionals surveyed by Education Support described themselves as stressed.
Launched in response to the urgent need for support among overstretched and time-poor teachers, the free website features resources and advice from experts in order to inspire and support. It went live with a video from renowned children’s author Konnie Huq, who spoke about why she believes it is important for teachers to look after their wellbeing.
The year-long Teacher Wellbeing campaign is part of the National Literacy Trust’s wider commitment to educational recovery following the pandemic, which includes support for pupils who have missed out on lost learning. The charity, with financial support from the Wesleyan Foundation, hopes to give back to teachers after a tumultuous period during the pandemic, and help the education system recover from the ongoing effects of COVID-19.
Many activities on the platform are literary-themed, based on the insight that reading for as little as 10 minutes a day can improve someone’s mental wellbeing. For World Mental Health Day this year, the National Literacy Trust and Wesleyan engaged over 165,000 people in their Take 10 campaign, where children, young people and adults alike spent just ten minutes reading.
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust says:
"We are so pleased to launch our Teacher Wellbeing campaign, with support from the wonderful team at Wesleyan. We know that teachers are regularly very short on time and commit themselves to pupils rather than taking time out to focus on their own wellbeing or relax – and this has only been exacerbated by the disruption and increased pressure of the pandemic. Pupils benefit from well-rested, happier teachers, so everyone in education stands to gain from the launch of this brilliant new platform."
Linda Wallace, Director of Wesleyan Financial Services at Wesleyan says:
"It’s an honour to be part of this launch; Wesleyan is committed to supporting the wellbeing of education professionals. Teachers experience considerable stress and pressure, and it is so important they receive the support they need to do their jobs and nurture the next generation.
"On the platform, teachers can access a one-stop-shop of useful and engaging content that aims to really boost wellbeing. This sits perfectly alongside our own Wesleyan Wellbeing hub, which also aims to support teachers’ health and wellbeing."
Konnie Huq, children’s author and TV presenter says:
"I think that the wellbeing and health of our teachers is so incredibly important, especially at this time. That is why I am really excited to be supporting the National Literacy Trusts Teacher Wellbeing campaign."
The free website is available for all education professionals to visit at: www.literacytrust.org.uk/teacherwellbeing