ABSTRACT
Schools are increasingly expected to improve mental health and wellbeing and academic outcomes for students. However, the debate about wellbeing and school improvement is often unhelpfully polarised with attachment informed and Restorative Justice approaches pitted against structures and systems that instil discipline. This book seeks to take a ‘middle way’, looking at how these perspectives might complement one another and argues that healthy teacher-student relationships require an adult that is both attuned to their students’ needs and able to hold boundaries with them.
Setting out conception of leadership that is clear, compassionate, and self-aware, Leading Mindfully for a Healthy and Successful School draws on therapeutic and educational research to identify key strategies for improving wellbeing across the school that are sustainable in the long term. Divided into three sections – Leading Yourself, Leading in the Classroom and Leading Other Adults, chapters cover:
- Inter-personal neurobiology and the role that attachment plays in our work
- Self-care and how this can be built into school life
- The role of structures and relationships
- Building trust
- Radical Inclusion
- Building calm and effective classrooms
- Healthy adult authority
Including reflective activities, thought provoking case studies and key takeaways for every chapter, this is an essential read for all current and aspiring school leaders.
Forward Introduction Section 1. Leading Yourself 1. Leading Mindfully 2. The Imprint of Authority 3. Self Care Section 2. Leading School Culture 4. A Middle Way 5. A Safe Base 6. Streamlined Schools 7. Radical Inclusion 8. Support Yourself Section 3. Leading In The Classroom 9. A Mindful Classroom 10. The Mindful Teacher Conclusion References
