Supporting teachers’ well-being in the context of schools for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe importance of nurture for the development of well-being has been extensively documented as has the importance of the relationship between education and well-being. Supervision is seen as an invaluable and essential resource for monitoring staff well-being and as a means of maintaining effective practice. This exploratory study had two aims. The first was to determine how teachers in two special schools in England, catering for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, understood and experienced supervision and the importance they gave to it. The second aim was to explore the role of Educational Psychologists (EPs) in providing supervision. A qualitative research paradigm espousing an open-ended exploratory nature, using semi-structured interviews was employed. Convenience sampling and self-selection was used in relation to the participant teachers. Analysis of the data was undertaken using a conventional content analysis approach adopting a constructivist paradigm. The findings showed that there was a lack of consensus amongst teachers as to what supervision actually looked like in the real world of a special school. Teachers wanted objective, solution-focused and confidential support and opportunities to reflect; offload and feel contained. The provision of such support through supervision by EPs was less clear. There was a very limited perception of how EPs could play a role in promoting teacher well-being through supervision. Based on these findings, the authors propose approaches that utilise group supervision as well as individual supervision, the latter based on the principles of nurture and narrative practice highlighting a role for the EP in both approaches.