By law, all state (not private) schools must have a behaviour policy in place that includes measures to prevent bullying among pupils. Such policies are designed to ensure pupils can learn, play, thrive and develop in a safe, harmonious and respectful environment.
But what about their teachers? On a daily basis, headteachers will have to manage myriad relationships with pupils, parents, staff and various professionals and representatives from across the education sector. In the course of doing this, it’s inevitable that on occasion, disagreements and differences of opinion will arise. Learning how to manage, contain and resolve any disputes that could potentially lead to accusations of bullying is vital. Any instance of teacher-on-teacher bullying ought to be addressed in the same way as incidents to which your standard bullying policies might apply, whether recording a grievance or carrying out a disciplinary action.
A recent report by Education Support Partnership found that workplace stress and work performance issues were the two most common reasons for education staff contacting our services. Of particular concern are the increases we’ve seen in cases that relate to bullying or harassment (up 18%) and conflict at work (up 16%) compared to last year. Our confidential support helpline further reported a 35% increase in calls from teachers over the past 12 months, alongside a 24% rise in calls from headteachers and deputy heads seeking advice and guidance.
There are no easy solutions for preventing conflict in working relationships, though there are some management techniques that are worth pursuing. Headteachers might want to consider adopting a system of ‘matching up’, whereby members of staff who will be work or interacting with one another regularly are partly assigned on the basis of having complementary personalities.
Be aware that even good relationships can become gradually strained over time. In situations where this has started causing issues, fostering an honest discussion between both parties may help to increase reciprocal understanding and prevent the likelihood of either outright confrontation or more subtle forms of bullying.
Don’t allow past differences to linger. If some staff members seem to continually rub each other up the wrong way, assist them with revisiting the cause(s) of their initial conflict and attempt to resolve them.
There are many good leaders out there, including headteachers who see themselves more as coaches than managers. Good leadership can be learned, and we’ve seen for ourselves many examples of what a good school leader looks like. Often they’ll be the ones seeking our support, because they recognise that they need help too. We can offer schools a wide range of services, including visits by staff wellbeing consultants, as we know just how tough the tasks faced by leaders and staff can sometimes be.
Julian Stanley is the chief executive of Education Support Partnership; for help or advice on any issues affecting your work in education, contact the organisation’s free 24-hour helpline on 08000 562 561
