What schools can teach employers about workplace wellbeing
A wellbeing survey is only useful if someone does something with the answers. And a support service can only help if people feel able to use it. Two schools recognised by the mentl awards offer practical lessons for workplace wellbeing far beyond the classroom.
Safa Community School, the 2025 Education winner, and Aspen Heights British School, the 2024 Education winner, feature in the Moving the Needle playbook. Their experiences explore two questions every employer can ask: where is pressure building, and what stops people taking the first step towards help?
Safa: listen for the pressures behind the headline score
Safa Community School looked at specific aspects of school life, including sleep, digital habits, anxiety, belonging and access to support. Its approach combined Komodo analytics, surveys, safeguarding information and staff observations. People who knew the students helped interpret the findings.
The school also looked beneath whole-school averages, including the experiences of new students, different year groups and students with special educational needs and disabilities. A reassuring average can otherwise hide the people who need more support.
In the student wellbeing data shown in the playbook, sleep scored 72 and digital wellbeing 71, below areas such as social wellbeing at 95. These were signals about where to focus attention, rather than simply numbers to include in a report.
Turn what you hear into everyday support
Safa responded with digital safety lessons, parent webinars, student Digital Leaders, phone pouches, sleep guidance, counselling and specialist SEND support. The point was to connect an identified pressure with something students and families could actually access.
The case study also reports 94 per cent staff satisfaction and 2.8 per cent staff attrition. Those figures describe the school’s reported experience; they should not be read as proof that one particular intervention caused the results.
For employers, the lesson is to ask questions that lead to action. If teams describe digital overload, look at expectations around messages and availability. If workload is the issue, examine how work is organised. If people cannot find support, make the route clearer.
Then close the conversation properly. Tell people what you heard, what changed and when you will return to it. A survey followed by silence gives employees little reason to trust the next one.
Listen. Act. Make the first conversation easier.
Aspen Heights: make the first conversation easier
Aspen Heights British School already had counselling support. Its referral data revealed a different challenge: among students who self-referred, 81 per cent had not previously shared their concerns with an adult.
That finding pointed to the difficulty of starting a conversation. The school created a peer route into support, with student ambassadors helping other pupils take a first step towards the wider support system.
The pilot began with four students selected for emotional resilience, maturity and their ability to hold the role safely. They received Teen-to-Teen Mental Health First Aid training. Six Adult Mental Health First Aiders provided mentoring, check-ins and clear role boundaries.
In the student feedback reported in the case study, 75 per cent said the ambassadors made talking easier. The ambassadors helped open a door; trained adults and referral routes provided the support behind it.
Trusted people need support too
An employer might use a trained peer, wellbeing champion, manager or confidential service as a first point of contact. The appropriate route will depend on the people and the workplace.
What matters is whether employees trust it. Do they understand confidentiality? Are they worried about consequences? Is the process confusing? Making a benefit available does not answer those questions.
Anyone asked to support others needs training, boundaries, supervision and a clear route for escalating concerns. A willing colleague should never be left carrying responsibility they have not been prepared to handle.
Four questions for your next team conversation
Where is pressure building? Ask about workload, recovery, digital overload and belonging. Give people room to identify what is making work harder.
What gets in the way of help? Check whether people know where to go and would feel safe taking that first step.
What can we change? Agree one practical response, name an owner and tell the team what will happen.
When will we check back? Set a date to ask whether the change helped and what still needs attention.
Could your organisation be next?
The common lesson from both schools is to keep listening connected to action. Good workplace wellbeing becomes visible in the way people experience the day and the ease with which they can find support.
Explore the full case studies in Moving the Needle. If your school or organisation is making a difference, discover the mentl awards 2026 and visit mentlawards.com for entry details.
Case-study figures and programme details are drawn from the mentl awards Moving the Needle playbook, Safa Community School (page 10) and Aspen Heights British School (page 12), as presented in the education guide. They reflect the evidence reported in those cases.
What can education teach industry?
Download the illustrated guide to lessons from Safa Community School and Aspen Heights British School. Bring the practical questions into your next wellbeing conversation.
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