Sample Staff Wellbeing Survey

HALCYON EDUCATION

Strategic Education Consultancy

Staff Wellbeing Survey

A sample instrument for use by trusts, schools and other education settings

This sample staff wellbeing survey has been utilised across multiple schools for a number of years. It is offered as a starting point for trusts, schools and other education settings wishing to gather honest feedback from staff on their wellbeing at work. The document has been developed and refined through repeated use across multi-academy trust settings, where it sits alongside professional supervision, pastoral support structures and leadership development as part of a broader approach to staff wellbeing.

The questions are written so that they can be adapted to suit any organisational context. Where placeholders appear in square brackets, the name of the trust, school or wider organisation can be inserted as appropriate. Items can be added or removed depending on local priorities, and the wording amended to reflect the language used within the setting.

About this survey

The survey uses a five-point Likert scale on the wellbeing items, with two open-response questions inviting suggestions for improvement and a short demographic section that respondents can choose to complete.

Responses are intended to be anonymous, with demographic items kept optional so that small subgroups cannot be identified through cross-tabulation. The survey takes around five minutes to complete and is typically administered twice each academic year, once in the autumn and once in the spring or summer.

The response scale used on Sections A and B:

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

Section A: Your trust or wider organisation

These items invite reflection on the wider organisation within which staff work. For single-school settings without a trust structure, this section can be omitted or adapted to refer to the overall organisation.

A1. I would recommend [your organisation] as a great place to work.

A2. Across [your organisation], I have access to high quality professional development that supports my role.

A3. [Your organisation] has a supportive culture and ethos in which I can flourish.

A4. I understand how my role contributes to [your organisation]’s strategic plan.

A5. I feel part of the wider staff community across [your organisation].

Section B: Your school or immediate workplace

These items invite reflection on the immediate setting in which staff work day to day. For central or shared service teams, the wording can be adjusted to refer to the team or department rather than the school.

B1. I feel supported in my role at [your school or workplace].

B2. I feel that people at [your school or workplace] care about me.

B3. I have accomplished a lot in my role.

B4. Leaders are considerate of my work-life balance.

B5. I am treated with respect at work.

B6. I receive information which helps me to look after my wellbeing at work.

B7. I know where to access support if I feel anxious or stressed at work.

Section C: Open response

The open responses tend to be the most useful part of the survey for leadership teams. They surface the specific, practical changes that staff would value, and often point to themes that the closed items have only partially captured.

C1. If there was a way [your organisation] could improve your wellbeing, what would it be?

C2. If there was a way [your school or workplace] could improve your wellbeing, what would it be?

Section D: About you (optional)

These items are optional and respondents should feel free to skip any they prefer not to answer. Items D2 and D3 warrant a particular note. In a survey that is intended to be anonymous, some staff will choose not to disclose gender or age, especially in smaller settings where the combination of demographic responses could in principle make an individual identifiable. Non-response on these items should be expected and respected, and a “prefer not to say” option is included on both for that reason.

D1. What best describes your current role?

For example: teacher, teaching assistant, senior leader, support staff, premises staff, central team. The categories can be adjusted to reflect the staffing structure of the setting.

D2. What is your gender? (Optional)

Suggested options: female, male, non-binary, prefer to self-describe, prefer not to say.

D3. What age bracket would you describe yourself as being within? (Optional)

Suggested brackets: under 25, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, 65 and over, prefer not to say.

Final question

Please feel free to add anything you have not had the opportunity to say.

Notes on adaptation

When adapting the survey, three considerations tend to make the difference between a survey that yields useful data and one that does not. First, the wording of items should match the language used inside the organisation, so that staff recognise the world the questions are describing. Second, the number of items should be kept short enough that completion remains realistic at the busiest points of the school year. Third, where the same items can be used at successive points in time, the value of the data increases substantially, because change can be tracked rather than only the position at a single moment.

The survey is not intended to be the only mechanism through which staff voice is gathered. It works best alongside professional supervision, regular line management conversations, and informal channels for staff to raise concerns. The survey data points to areas worth exploring, with the depth of understanding coming from the wider relational picture.

About Halcyon Education

Halcyon Education is a strategic education consultancy working with multi-academy trusts, local authorities, education-based organisations and education providers. The consultancy supports leaders to improve their schools and organisations through designing and analysing staff and pupil wellbeing, inclusion and pastoral strategy across whole organisations. Documents such as the one in this sample have been developed through direct consultancy delivery and refined in use.