Download Good practice guide: Mental health and wellbeing

Introduction

As a member of the education workforce, the work you do can be hugely fulfilling. It can have a significant impact on you and your colleagues, as well as the lives of children and young people, and their parents/guardians. It is therefore crucial that you take care of your mental health and wellbeing.

This isn’t something you should just do if you are struggling, or feeling low. It's something you should think about all the time and really invest in, just like with your physical health. Good self-care is a reflection of good professional practice.

Some of the factors that impact on your mental health and wellbeing may be out of your control. Employers, and the leadership in an organisation, is key to role-modelling and supporting good emotional and mental wellbeing. It is important to create an environment where mental and emotional health becomes a cultural priority. However, the choices you make as an individual can be critical for your own wellbeing, and there are many ways in which you can take positive steps to support yourself.

You should always familiarise yourself with any relevant policies in effect at your workplace. These might include policies relating to health and safety, mental health and wellbeing, and domestic abuse. This guide is designed to complement such policies. It discusses some of the core building blocks to supporting your own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of your colleagues. It is intended to encourage you to consider the steps you could take, in relation to how you work and your lifestyle, that could have a positive impact on your wellbeing.

It also provides links to a range of useful tools, resources, and sources of information, as well as contact details for organisations that can provide you with specialised help and advice.

We have produced this guide in partnership with our colleagues at Education Support, the only UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff ¹.

The Code

The Code of Professional Conduct and Practice (the Code), sets out the key principles of good conduct and practice for registrants. As part of that, it recognises the importance of registrant mental health and wellbeing, and outlines that registrants should be mindful of “the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues, and themselves”.

This guide is designed to complement the Code and offers practical advice that will assist you in fulfilling your professional responsibilities.

Building blocks of good mental health and wellbeing

Evidence suggests that there are a wide range of practical steps you can take to help improve your mental health and wellbeing. We have tried to identify some of the core ‘building blocks’ that can help you to feel happier and healthier. These are based around the five ways of wellbeing:

• a healthy lifestyle: eating well, sleeping well, and getting regular exercise
• communication: talking (and listening) to others
• taking notice: being mindful of the present moment and your own feelings and thoughts
• keep learning: learning boosts our self-esteem, keeps us engaged, and helps us adapt to change
• taking time to help others: making sure that colleagues feel listened to and appreciated

This document is not intended to provide all of the answers, but it will hopefully help you to think about your mental health and wellbeing, and reflect on the positive choices that you might be able to make.

A healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is essential to mental wellbeing. Some of the key ingredients of a healthy lifestyle are: exercise, eating well, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Exercise

Exercise is great for your physical health and evidence has shown that it can also improve mental wellbeing, decrease stress, boost self-esteem, improve concentration, and help you to sleep better. Exercise can also provide ways of connecting with friends, colleagues, and the world around you.

You do not necessarily have to head to the gym every day, or run a marathon in order to gain these benefits. Focus instead on joyful movement - what feels good to you. This might mean just getting out for a walk once a day, or getting back into an activity that you used to enjoy but haven’t done recently, such as swimming or cycling.

If you enjoy competition, then you could use an app to record your step count, distance, or repetitions – competing against yourself and perhaps challenging others.

Participating in team sports can also be great for mental health, helping you to feel that you’re not isolated, whilst also generating mood-boosting endorphins. You don’t need to be great, you just need to turn up and support your team mates.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition, find out about getting active with a disability.

Eating well

Eating a well-balanced diet can be a challenge – particularly after a long day at work when you may lack the energy and motivation to cook yourself a healthy meal. But, like exercise, your diet also has a significant impact on physical and mental wellbeing.

Eating a nutritious and balanced diet can improve energy levels, boost concentration, and help you sleep better. A good, well-balanced diet can also help to prevent and ease symptoms of mental illness, as well as help you to maintain a healthy weight, improving your physical health and reducing risk levels in relation to a range of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Tips for eating well

1. Plan your meals
   Set aside time in your week for meal planning and try to ensure that you have ingredients available that will allow you to make healthy meals.
   
   
2. Stay hydrated
   Make sure that you drink regularly throughout the day. The NHS recommends drinking 6-8 glasses or cups of liquid every day (including water, lower-fat milk, sugar-free drinks, tea, and coffee).
   
   
3. Eat a balanced diet
   A diet that embraces a variety of food groups will boost your nutrition. The UK Government’s Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
   
   
4. Eat regularly
   Skipping meals can disturb your blood sugar levels, leaving you susceptible to mood swings and cravings. Eating small meals or snacks regularly helps keep energy steady. It is also helpful if you can’t face cooking or eating big meals.
   
   
5. Enjoy eating with others
   Use meal times as an opportunity to connect with friends, colleagues, and loved ones. It doesn’t have to be every day, but sitting down with friends or family, even once a week, can help boost your mood.
   
   
6. Seek help if you think you might have a problem with food
   If you think you are using food, or the control and restriction of foods, as a coping mechanism, and that this is impacting your life negatively, you may be experiencing an eating disorder. If you are concerned that this may be the case, speak to your GP for advice and support.

Getting a good night’s sleep

Sleep is essential to our emotional and mental wellbeing. The NHS recommends that adults need between 7 and 9 hours’ sleep every night. Sleeping well will help to rejuvenate your body (allowing it to grow muscle and repair tissue). It will also help your mental health and wellbeing as a lack of sleep can increase stress levels and trigger episodes of depression.

Our colleagues at Education Support have put together a helpful guide that explains why sleep is so important, outlining nine practical steps to improve our sleeping patterns.

Take a break

Taking a break can have a significant positive impact on your frame of mind and mental health. It can also help to improve your memory, boost creativity, and reduce stress levels. This might mean taking a proper break at lunchtime that allows you to re-energise.

Communication

It is essential to talk about your feelings and experiences with people that you trust. Speaking about what’s on your mind with friends and family, or colleagues, can play a key role in supporting your mental health.

Some of us can feel uncomfortable talking about our feelings, particularly when we are upset or troubled. But sharing how we feel is not a sign of weakness and can help you to cope with problems.
Find time in your week to be with your family and friends, such as meeting for dinner, going for a walk together on the weekend, or trying a new lunch spot with a colleague.

It is also important to try to be there for your colleagues. Try to have an ‘open door’ policy and encourage colleagues who may want to share their issues and concerns with you to talk. Remember too that opening up about your own concerns and vulnerabilities will help others to gain the confidence to do so.

Never be afraid to ask for help

We all need help sometimes. Perhaps you’re just feeling tired, or maybe you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed by work? If so, it’s always best to seek help as early as possible to ensure that you address problems before they have a negative impact upon your mental health and wellbeing. Your colleagues, family, and friends are often the best people to speak to first.

However, depending on the nature of the problems you are experiencing, you may also need more specialised help and advice. The final pages of this guide provide a wealth of links to useful resources. They also provide contact details for organisations that can help you if you are experiencing significant problems, such as stress, anxiety, depression, alcoholism, or suicidal thoughts.

Work-life balance

Working with learners and young people is demanding, can involve long hours, and requires a degree of flexibility. It is therefore important to set some boundaries as overburdening yourself might lead to burnout. It can be difficult to say no, but it is essential to ensure that you leave adequate time for relaxation, hobbies and interests, and friends and family, as well as work.

Lack of work-life balance can have significant effects on your health, leading to problems such as exhaustion, anxiety, and a higher risk of physical illness. It will also impact negatively on your wellbeing, leaving you with insufficient time to exercise and socialise, and contribute to insufficient sleep and a lower quality of life. Ultimately, a lack of work-life balance will not help either you, or your employer, as it can lead to periods of sickness and absence from work. In addition, it may impact negatively on your relationships and personal life.

Achieving work-life balance can be difficult. It can be challenging to say no, particularly if you aren’t used to doing so. Learning to say no in the right way is a vital part of being an effective practitioner and maintaining your own wellbeing. Setting boundaries in this way will help you to protect your mental health and wellbeing and to conserve energy, helping to ensure that you can be effective when you are most needed. Without boundaries, being open and available can quickly lead to you becoming overwhelmed and overworked.

It is also important to make time for your friends and family, letting them know when you’re free to spend time with them and when you will be needing time for yourself. Our colleagues at Education Support have produced a helpful guide that sets out the importance of setting boundaries and how to communicate this to colleagues.

Education Support have also produced a guide on work-life balance.

Take notice

‘Take notice’ is about paying attention (on purpose) to what is going on around you and how you feel. Taking time to reflect on the ‘here and now’ within a busy lifestyle can help you to enjoy life and appreciate what really matters to you.

Examples of taking notice may include:

• spending time outside, to take notice of new things, such as the changing seasons, plants, and wildlife
• listening to your favourite piece of music, thinking about how it makes you feel and what memories it may bring back
• taking time each day to write down three things in your life you feel grateful for

Take notice through mindfulness

Mediation and mindfulness activities can also play a role in helping you to take notice. Mentally switching off and focussing on the present can be a huge challenge when you’re focused on your work. It can also be difficult to find dedicated time for activities such as meditation. Consider starting small by meditating for just a couple of minutes a day at first and see whether you feel the benefits. Education Support have put together a guide on meditation that outlines a range of different activities and techniques, including mindfulness, visualisation, and movement mediation. Try experimenting with these and see which ones you find most helpful.

Keep learning

Learning boosts our self-esteem, keeps us engaged, and helps us adapt to change. It has also been shown to help prevent depression in later years.

Learning doesn’t have to happen in a classroom, it can be informal and can happen in a variety of ways. It is about exploring new ideas and embracing new experiences.

Get creative

There is evidence that participating in creative activities such as art, craft, or playing an instrument can help to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Allow yourself more time to undertake a hobby, or work on a creative project. Perhaps try to continue to challenge yourself by taking up a new hobby. You may find that others share your passion and that there are groups that you could join, made up of people trying to achieve a similar goal, be that a gardening club, a band, orchestra or choir, a running club, or a knitting circle.

Take time to help others

Caring for others is integral to what you do as an education practitioner. However, it is important to take time to help colleagues, as well as the learners and young people that you work with. Be open and honest with your colleagues and (above all) be ready to listen to their problems and concerns.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated, but sometimes the pace at which we live our lives means that some people can feel overlooked. Simple acts of kindness can play a significant role in helping colleagues, who may be experiencing problems. to feel seen, appreciated, and cared for. An act of kindness doesn’t have to be a big gesture – anything from complementing a friend or making someone a cup of tea can provide real benefits to both their, and your own, wellbeing. Taking such actions has been known to provide individuals with feelings of euphoria and has been recorded as increasing serotonin levels for both the giver, and receiver.

If you think that a colleague might be struggling, let them know that help is available. Ask them what they need and whether you can assist, encourage them to take a break, and show empathy and kindness. If you think that they may need additional support, encourage them to make use of the services and resources that are highlighted within this guide and on Education Support’s website.

Useful links and resources

Many of the links and resources below include examples of good practice. Always familiarise yourself with any relevant workplace policies. Your trade union (both nationally and through local representatives) may also be a useful source of help and advice on matters relating to mental health and wellbeing.

Education Support

Education Support’s mission is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of education staff. They believe that better mental health leads to better education.

The charity’s website hosts a wealth of information and helpful advice to support your mental health and wellbeing. They also provide practical resources covering a range of topics, including:

• anxiety
• stress
• burnout
• working life
• depression
• grief or bereavement
• personal life
• self-care
• finances

Education Support have also produced some useful resources for leaders, including this guide to bringing wellbeing into the everyday and a tool for undertaking a staff wellbeing audit.

Health and Safety Executive - Talking Toolkit. Preventing work-related stress
Link: Talking Toolkit: Preventing work-related stress (hse.gov.uk)

Mental Health Foundation – information on mental health issues in Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities:
Link: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-bame-communities

Mentally Healthy Schools - resources for understanding and promoting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing:
Website: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-approach/supporting-staff-wellbeing/

Mind - LGBTIQ+ mental health information
Link: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/lgbtiqplus-mental-health/about-lgbtiqplus-mental-health/ 

Welsh Government - Framework on embedding a whole school approach emotional and mental wellbeing:
Link: https://gov.wales/framework-embedding-whole-school-approach-emotional-and-mental-wellbeing

If you need to talk

Alcoholics anonymous:
Website: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
National helpline: 0800 917 7650

Anxiety UK:
Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk 
Telephone: 03444 775 774

Bipolar UK:
Website: www.bipolaruk.org 
Telephone: 0333 323 3880

Education Support:
Website: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/
Helpline: 08000 562 661

Men’s Health Forum:
Website: www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Telephone: 0330 097 0654

No panic:
Website: www.nopanic.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 772 9844

Menopause:
Rock My Menopause
Website: www.rockmymenopause.com 

The Menopause Charity
Website: www.themenopausecharity.org 

Mind Cymru:
Website: www.mind.org.uk 
Telephone: 0300 123 3393

OCD UK:
Website: www.ocduk.org 
Telephone: 03332 588112

Rethink Mental Illness:
Website: www.rethink.org 
Telephone: 0808 801 0525

Samaritans:
Website: https://www.samaritans.org/
Telephone: 116 123

Sane:
Website: www.sane.org.uk 
Telephone: 07984 967 708

For other suggested sources of support and advice, visit the NHS website

[1] Education Support’s remit includes working with education practitioners

Download good practice guide: Leaders in education

Introduction

Leaders in education have a wide range of responsibilities, and play a pivotal role in ensuring that learners and young people are educated, nurtured, and encouraged. We know our leaders in Wales are hugely committed professionals.

The Code of Professional Conduct and Practice (the Code) sets out the key principles a registrant is expected to uphold in their day to day conduct and practice. To complement the Code, the Education Workforce Council (EWC) has published a number of guides that are intended to support all registrants, including leaders, in understanding and applying the Code. Both the Code and the guides are on our website.

This guide, however, has been developed specifically for education leaders, and will be of use for those in both senior and middle, leadership roles.

The Code

As a leader, you will be familiar with all parts of the Code, using it as an important point of reference. Learners, young people, colleagues, and the public will look to you as a role model, someone who is expected to uphold the Code and its five key principles:

1. Personal and Professional Responsibility
2. Professional Integrity
3. Collaborative Working
4. Professional Knowledge and Understanding
5. Professional Learning

However, as a professional, inappropriate behaviour in your personal or professional life could ultimately affect your position as a leader, your registration with the EWC, and possibly your eligibility to continue to practise.

Raising your awareness

In your position as a leader, you will use a range of skills and resources to be in the best position possible to discharge your daily responsibilities.
Nevertheless, on occasion, no matter how skilled and self-aware a leader may be, they can still make a mistake, an error of judgment, or poor decision, which ultimately results in their conduct being called into question.

Using our experience of the types of conduct seen in our fitness to practise casework, we have highlighted some common themes which have resulted in education leaders being referred to us.

The examples we use below to illustrate important principles are not mutually exclusive and the behaviours described may span a number of types.

Financial mismanagement

• breaches of financial procedures/regulations resulting in mismanagement
• using funds, or property, for personal or professional gain
• not acting with probity or being accountable

Governance and accountability

• breaches relating to governance and accountability
• disregarding policies and procedures
• not establishing and sustaining a professional working relationship with the relevant governing body or directorate
• being dishonest with the governing body or directorate, not keeping them fully informed
• breaching statutory laws, such as those relating to equality and data protection

Breach of professional boundaries

• misuse of power and position
• bullying, harassing or intimidating staff
• inequitable approach to dealing with learners, young people, and/or staff
• not maintaining professional boundaries with a colleague, learner, or young person
• not using social media responsibly

Risking the health, safety and welfare of learners, young people and/or staff (including safeguarding)

• not taking reasonable steps to ensure that the health and safety of learners, young people, and/or staff are adequately maintained
• not undertaking, or recording, risk assessments
• not making sure appropriate procedures are followed on external trips
• not recording, reporting, or maintaining accurate records of incidents

Dishonesty

• falsification of documents
• assessment and/or examination malpractice
• providing untruthful information either verbally and/or in writing
• theft of funds, financial mismanagement

Criminal offences

• criminal offences which undermine professional reputation

Breaches of the Code

With the above in mind, the below are illustrative of cases where registrants in leadership positions (from all registrant categories), have been subject to EWC disciplinary proceedings.

We do recognise that the vast majority of leaders act with the utmost professionalism. However, in all these cases, there has been a clear breach of the Code. Registrants received a range of disciplinary sanctions including, in some cases, being prohibited from practising in the education workforce in the future.

Financial mismanagement

A registrant in a leadership position did not record money received from learners, kept the money at home, failed to bank it, and amended the original dates on cheques received

Governance and accountability/risk to health, safety, and welfare

A registrant in a leadership position:

• failed to report a sexual relationship between a member of staff and a child at another school
• put learners at risk by ignoring health and safety regulations and avoiding ratification by the governing body for playground development
• failed, on several occasions, to follow child safeguarding procedures which contributed to serious harm to the young people concerned
• committed serious data breaches by sharing confidential information about learners with outside parties
• failed to follow procedures for educational visits and trips, putting learners and young people at risk
• persistent, unauthorised absence from duty, in breach of the absence policy
• failed to follow the recruitment policy and procedures by appointing a family member without the vacancy being advertised

Breach of professional boundaries

A registrant in a leadership position:

• abused their position by bullying and victimising members of staff
• openly discriminated against members of staff because of their gender and ethnic origin
• behaved inappropriately with a learner on school premises after school hours
• behaved inappropriately with a colleague on work premises which was covertly recorded and shared on social media

Dishonesty

A registrant in a leadership position:

• falsified the counter-signatory signature on school cheques before cashing them for personal use
• ignored malpractice taking place with assessments, it being an ‘accepted’ way of working in the organization
• signed National Numeracy and Literacy Examinations declaration forms to confirm all exam body guidance was followed appropriately, when they knew this was not the case
• was implicated in forging signatures on assessment forms, which led to the contractor losing Welsh Government funding

Criminal offences

A registrant in a leadership position:

• was convicted for sexual offences against a member of staff following a period of persistent harassment in the workplace
• was convicted for the cultivation and supply of drugs
• was convicted for theft after gambling online using school funds

Our advice

Ask yourself, if you adopt a specific course of action, either in your private or professional life, will your behaviour fall within the expectations of the Code, or be in breach of it?

If things do go wrong, inaction may put you in breach of the Code. Do not ignore it and act early.

Be honest

Being truthful about what has happened is a faster route to a positive outcome. Take responsibility where you need to. Avoid blaming others, and be accountable for your own actions.

Ask for advice or professional help

You may be unable to deal with this on your own. Ask for advice and support (from a trade union, professional network, mentor, other senior leader). It may help you decide the best approach to take professionally.

Reflect on any advice you have been given, and consider how best to move forward to resolve the situation

Remind yourself again of the expectations placed upon you to uphold the Code, especially given your position of responsibility.

View this as an opportunity to preserve, or restore, your professional integrity.

It may be appropriate to self-refer to the EWC.

Commit to a resolution, learn from it, and move forward.

Further support

We offer presentations which focus on fitness to practise and the Code. If you or your employer would like to arrange one in the workplace, please contact us.

Download Good practice guide: Professionalism in action

Introduction

Professionalism is the behaviour expected of a professional person. It describes the qualities required of those who are trained and skilled to carry out particular roles, not just within those specific roles, but in society as a whole.

When you became a practitioner in education in Wales, you committed to being professional in all that you do and by doing so, contributing to upholding public trust and confidence in your profession.

This guide aims to help raise your awareness and understanding of key areas related to professionalism in both your professional and personal life.

This is not regulatory or mandatory guidance. Scenarios have been included to help you think about and explore some of the issues which might arise, and how our advice might apply. We have also included examples of unacceptable practices where professional boundaries have clearly been crossed.

The Code

All Education Workforce Council (EWC) registrants are subject to the Code of Professional Conduct and Practice (the Code), which sets out the key principles of good conduct and practice for registrants. This guide should be read in conjunction with the Code.

The principles and expectations in the Code are all relevant to professionalism in practice. In this guide, however, we particularly highlight:

1. Personal and Professional Responsibility

Registrants:

1.1 recognise their personal responsibility as a role model and public figure, to uphold public trust and confidence in the education professions, both in and out of the workplace
1.2 conduct relationships with learners and young people professionally
1.3 engage with learners and young people to encourage confidence, empowerment, educational and personal development
1.4 have a duty of care for the safety, physical, social, moral, and educational wellbeing of learners and young people
1.5 are mindful of their professional responsibility for the health, safety, and wellbeing of colleagues and themselves
1.6 demonstrate a commitment to equality and diversity

2. Professional Integrity

Registrants:

2.1 are accountable for their conduct and professional competence
2.2 behave honestly, and with integrity
3. Collaborative Working

Registrants:

3.1 respect, support, and collaborate with colleagues, learners, young people, and others to achieve the best learning outcomes
3.2 share experience and knowledge to help themselves and other practitioners develop and maintain best practice
3.4 communicate appropriately and effectively with all involved in the education of learners and young people
4. Professional Knowledge and Understanding

Registrants:

4.4 where necessary, seek support, advice, and guidance, and are open to feedback, responding to it positively and constructively
5. Professional Learning

Registrants:

5.1 demonstrate a shared commitment to their continuing professional learning by reflecting upon, and evaluating, their practice, keeping their professional knowledge and skills up to date, and taking steps to improve their practice where necessary

The Code is an important point of reference. Think about the five key principles and the expectations they place upon you. The Code will help you make the right decisions when faced with the challenges covered in this guide.

The Code is available on our website.

What is professionalism in practice?

Professionalism in your practice is about reflecting on your personal and professional values, morals, ethics, and having the confidence to make sound judgements, informed decisions, and behave appropriately as a professional, sometimes in challenging circumstances.

You are responsible for upholding your own professional conduct and practice and ongoing self-reflection is central to maintaining your professionalism.

There are many important characteristics that contribute to professionalism in practice. These include the following, which are not mutually exclusive:

Being honest and having integrity means:

• keeping your word as a professional, you are trusted implicitly
• not compromising your values
• doing the right thing, even if it means taking a more difficult road
• being accountable
• being humble, admitting when you might have made a mistake, or need help and being willing to learn from others
• representing yourself honestly and accurately when you are, for example, applying for jobs or interacting with your regulator
• understanding that the public place a lot of trust in you as an educational professional, and recognising that in return, the public expects you to act with high levels of integrity, both in and out of work

Being a good role model means:

• living up to expectations by demonstrating clearly what professionalism looks like in practice and leading by example
• having a clear moral and ethical code
• understanding that what you say and do in your private life shapes the way that people think about you and your profession
• demonstrating positive behaviours and attitudes towards equality, diversity, and inclusion
• supporting colleagues, learners, and young people
• celebrating personal success and that of others, and treating others with respect
• providing meaningful and constructive feedback to others
• having humility and a willingness to admit mistakes
• developing others and supporting those in senior roles
• reporting concerns in a professional manner if you think that things are not right
• being understanding and patient with those who are new to your profession or those who are learning new skills

Being a reflective practitioner means:

• having a personal commitment to develop and improve your skills as a practitioner and the specialised knowledge needed to succeed in your role
• keeping your knowledge and training up-to-date, so that you can continue to deliver the best possible learning experiences
• sharing and disseminating evidence-informed practice
• your professionalism is your personal responsibility and you should never stop:
  • learning
  • reflecting
  • trying to improve

Being confident and competent in your professionalism means:

• despite there being tough times in all professions, and times when your confidence might waver, remembering that you are part of a trusted profession that supports you
• being reliable and delivering what is expected of you
• managing expectations, not making excuses, and focusing on finding solutions if things go wrong

Breaches of the Code

The examples below are illustrative of cases where registrants (from all the registrant categories), have significantly failed to demonstrate professionalism in practice when required, and were subject to EWC disciplinary proceedings as a result.

In all cases, there has been a clear breach of the Code and the registrants received a range of disciplinary sanctions including, in some cases, being prohibited from practising in the education workforce in the future.

A registrant:

• bullied and harassed a colleague by making sexualised comments in front of other colleagues and learners, justified as “only banter”
• behaved in an unprofessional way towards colleagues which included losing their temper, shouting, and swearing at staff, making derogatory and sexist remarks
• bullied and intimidated staff in relation to the school’s performance against the national literacy and numeracy tests
• committed fraudulent acts with learners’ work and sought to blame and implicate other colleagues
• failed to follow management instructions, sought to mislead colleagues, and provided inaccurate information about learners. They also failed to participate in planning, record keeping, learner progress and acted dishonestly with regards to learners’ work
• bombarded a learner with personal texts, calls and picture messages which included sexualised and inappropriate comments
• acted as a confidant to a learner aged under 16 and, once emotional dependency was established, they began a sexual relationship
• sent an abusive email to a prospective employer after they were unsuccessful at a job interview
• shared personal information with a learner and discussed other learners as well as colleagues whilst conducting a sexual relationship, often in the registrant’s own home
• purchased alcohol for learners and exchanged a large number of inappropriate messages with them via a range of social media applications, telling them always to delete them
• visited a learner and their parents at their home on a number of occasions without any legitimate reason or authority. This was in order to gain their trust and a way of being able to develop a relationship with the learner
• socialised with learners (in a learner’s bedroom), and drank alcohol with them during an educational trip

Further support

We offer presentations which focus on fitness to practise and the Code. If you or your employer would like to arrange one in the workplace, please contact us.

Download Good practice guide: Being open and honest as an education professional

Introduction

The character traits of honesty and integrity are likely to be amongst the highest on the list of those expected of professionals. They are basic principles simply because each act of honesty and openness builds an impression of someone who can be trusted, respected, and set a positive example.

When you became a practitioner, you committed to behaving with openness and honesty in your profession, and where appropriate, personal life. That said, it is not always easy to get this right every time, and to sometimes accept you have made mistakes and take responsibility. But a professional should be driven by wanting to do the right thing, even in difficult circumstances, and learn from any mistakes.

This guide aims to help raise your awareness and understanding of key areas of your professional and personal life where openness and honesty is expected.

This is not regulatory or mandatory guidance. Scenarios have been included to help you think about and explore some of the issues which might arise, and how our advice might apply. We have also included examples of unacceptable practices where professional boundaries have clearly been crossed.

The Code

All Education Workforce Council (EWC) registrants are subject to the Code of Professional Conduct and Practice (the Code) which sets out the key principles of good conduct and practice for registrants. This guide should be read in conjunction with the Code.

The principles and expectations in the Code are all relevant to honesty an openness. In this guide, however, we particularly highlight:

2. Professional Integrity

Registrants:

2.1 are accountable for their conduct and professional competence
2.2 behave honestly, and with integrity, particularly with regard to:

• finances and funds in the workplace
• personal credentials, experience, and qualifications
• references, declarations made, and signing documents
• assessment and examination related tasks
• use of property and facilities provided by their employer
• communications with the EWC, informing it of any recordable criminal conviction or caution, or restriction placed on their practice by any other body
• their employer, and report any matter which is required by their terms and conditions of employment

2.3 handle information and data appropriately, applying the necessary protocols to matters relating to confidentiality, sensitivity, and disclosure
2.4 adhere to lawful standards of behaviour, in a manner in keeping with their position as a member of the education profession

Professional integrity is a key principle of the Code. The Code as an important point of reference. Think about the five key principles and the expectations they place upon you. The Code will help you make the right decisions when faced with the challenges covered in this guide.

The Code is available on our website.

Fitness to Practise Committees appointed to decide whether a registrant has breached the Code will consider more positively those who admit their mistakes, show insight, and a motivation to put things right for the future.

Accountability

There are a number of different areas of life where your honesty and openness as a professional is expected.

Ethically

The public expects you to have a moral code that guides your behaviour, and to understand what is right and wrong with regards to your conduct.

Contractually

Your contract of employment sets out your employer’s expectations of you, including your responsibility to adhere to workplace policies and procedures.

Professionally

Your colleagues, learners, young people, parents, carers, and the public expect you to behave professionally and be accountable for your conduct.

Legally

Not only are you expected to be law-abiding, but also to comply with legislation and national guidance which may be relevant to your work. For example, the Wales Safeguarding/Child Protection Procedures, GDPR, Health and Safety.

Mistakes are a normal part of everyday life and are important for personal and professional growth. Admitting them is not always easy, especially if you are a professional and public expectation of you is already high. A mistake might feel like a failing, one which is hard to admit to anyone, and particularly to an employer or someone to whom you are answerable.

Intentional mistakes, on the other hand, often require forethought and planning, and can demonstrate wilful and deceitful behaviour.

Whatever the circumstances, hiding a mistake which reflects on you professionally can cause far more problems than the error itself, not least because trust and respect in you may be lost if someone else finds out. It is better to be honest, and admit a mistake quickly.

Here’s our advice:

• before doing anything, keep calm and assess what’s happened
• accept responsibility
• think about how you can rectify the problem, and put things right if it’s appropriate
• explain what has happened to the person who will need to know, what you have done to resolve it, or how you will
• if you need to apologise, do so as soon as possible
• try and learn from what has happened, and change something for the future

Fear that being honest might put your job at risk, or make a difficult situation at work worse could stop you from being open and honest. Maybe you left admitting to a mistake for too long, or you simply did not know how to deal with it at the time. You may have panicked and tried to hide it and now it is even harder to come forward and take responsibility.

If something has happened which, if it were found out, could compromise the trust placed in you as a professional, telling someone at the earliest possible stage should not be underestimated. Ask for help to make sense of what has happened from someone you trust, and find a way to be honest with the person who needs to know. Your union may also be able to offer you the support you need to do so.

Remember, as a professional, your learners and young people, and those involved in their education and training will look to you for the example of how to behave. The Code expects you to be accountable for your conduct, and there is no area more important than your honesty.

Breaches of the Code

The examples below are illustrative of cases where registrants (from all the registrant categories), have significantly failed to be open and honest when required, and were subject to EWC disciplinary proceedings as a result.

In all cases, there has been a clear breach of the Code and the registrants received a range of disciplinary sanctions including, in some cases, being prohibited from practicing in the education workforce in the future.

Each registrant was found to be dishonest and lacking integrity. They failed to admit their mistakes, even to the EWC.

A registrant:

• spent £500,000 from school funds on online gambling whilst a headteacher resulting in a criminal conviction and a prison term
• failed to declare their criminal record, including offences which carried periods of suspended imprisonment, when applying for EWC registration
• denied having a sexual relationship with a pupil aged under 16, when in a position of trust as a teacher and a youth leader in a voluntary organisation
• impersonated a child online, and made serious allegations of sexual abuse against their line manager to a children’s charity
• lied about holding qualifications and grades which were a pre-requisite for a post when applying for the position of head of department
• failed to disclose their relationship with a sex offender which prevented their employer from carrying out a risk assessment
• corrected and added to GCSE Mathematics coursework in order to raise pupils’ marks and reflect better on the teacher
• falsified learners’ review forms and their signatures as well as falsified timesheets submitted to their employer
• provided a falsified Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate to a supply agency so as to suggest they had no criminal record, when that was not the case
• was dishonest about the reasons for their absences from work, and falsified NHS Trust hospital letters to suggest they were receiving treatment for a fabricated illness
• inflated learner numbers
• redacted a solicitor’s letter to enable their attendance at court as a character witness

Further support

We offer presentations which focus on fitness to practise and the Code. If you or your employer would like to arrange one in the workplace, please contact us.