Teacher Support Network has begun a three-year collaboration with Birkbeck College, University of London, exploring how headteacher behaviour affects teacher wellbeing. The funding proposal with sponsorship from Teacher Support Network beat stiff competition to win funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The scheme is part of the ESRC's commitment to knowledge transfer, providing funding for doctoral students to carry out research with private, public or third/voluntary sectororganizations in order to encourage greater interaction between business and academia. The award enables a PhD researcher to work full-time on the programme. Candy Whittome, a doctoral student at BirkbeckCollege, was selected for the position earlier this year and began work in October 2010, under the supervision of Professor Rob Briner. Professor Briner's main research interests are in work and well-being and he was co-author (with Dr. Chris Dewberry, also of Birkbeck College), of a report commissioned by Worklife Support, looking at the relation between well-being and climate in schools and pupil performance.

A recent Teacher Support Network review of the evidence relating to teacher wellbeing highlighted three key knowledge gaps, including the way in which supportive leadership and management in schools can promote teacher wellbeing, which is the starting point for this research. This cross-disciplinary project will draw on research and expertise across a number of fields including organizational psychology, business and management, school administration and educational policy.

While there is some understanding of the links between what headteachers do and various teacher and pupil outcomes, relatively little is known about the underlying processes. This makes it difficult for those in leadership positions to know what behaviours will bring about the change they seek. The role of organisational climate - the unwritten rules of the organisation - has long been thought to be critical in explaining employee attitudes, beliefs and behaviour. Understanding how headteachers affect school climate is therefore a critical piece in the jigsaw.

Some of the key questions this research seeks to address are:

• What types of leadership behaviors lead to what types of changes in school climates?
• What are the processes through which leadership behaviours lead to changes in school climate?
• How does school climate impact on teacher well-being?
• What are the policy implications for leadership training and development for headteachers?

 

"Understanding how headteachers can impact on teacher wellbeing is really important for us," says Julian Stanley, Teacher Support Network's Chief Executive. "We were delighted that the ESRC selected our joint proposal with Birkbeck particularly given that only 25% of applications were successful. This is an indication that teacher wellbeing is widely recognised as being a major issue for schools and pupils. This research award will provide very welcome support for Teacher Support Network's efforts to understand these issues better. We are delighted to be involved with this project."