Take 1) We’re Living Through a Trust Recession – And Schools Are Feeling It There’s a phrase I keep coming back to: ‘the trust recession’. It describes something we’re all navigating but rarely name outright. Parents trust schools less than they used to. Staff trust leadership less (there is data around this from Education Support and their Teacher Wellbeing Index). Young people trust institutions less and with the transient nature of International schools, this can add a layer in the importance of building trust. And the rise of AI is accelerating this – not because AI is inherently bad, I’m certainly not against it – but because it’s changing how people access information, support and even connection. So the question isn’t how do we compete with disconnection?
Take 2) Relational Culture Needs Strategic Leadership, Not left to chance In many schools, wellbeing is something that happens as reactive result to issues which arise. A planned relational culture and shared language which develops a shared ownership of mental health and wellbeing becomes a collective endeavour rather than one person’s job.
Take 3) Measure What Matters – And Use Data as a Conversation Many schools care deeply about wellbeing but struggle to understand the scale of need across their student body. When schools use validated wellbeing tools and listen carefully to student voice and staff voice, patterns begin to emerge. Leaders can see which groups of students are struggling, where support is working and where additional intervention may be needed. Used well, wellbeing data doesn’t replace professional judgement. It strengthens it.
Take 4) Staff Wellbeing not as a Perk – It’s the Foundation The relational opportunity here is about modelling and the dynamics we can play out as we are in a relationship based profession. Staff who feel trusted, cared for and supported they extend trust. In a world where AI can deliver content and answer questions, what makes a school irreplaceable is the quality of its human relationships. A key factor of that is how you support your staff and connection as a feature of that.
Take 5) You Cannot Do This Alone – And You Shouldn’t Have To What I’ve noticed is that many leaders responsible for wellbeing are doing excellent work, but they’re often doing it without a professional reference point beyond their own school. The difference a network makes is that you’re no longer designing strategy alone. In Jan 2026 I started a network for Senior Mental Health Leads. I’d love you to join us and if there’s enough interest I will start an International focused one.
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