Questions on Teacher Wellbeing: Creating a Happy and Sustainable School Life as an Early Career Teacher

What are the early signs to look for that you’ll be happy in a school? How can you be your ‘whole self’ in the classroom, corridors and halls? How can you build healthy habits into your daily routines?

As an Early Career Teacher (ECT), you are likely brimming with questions about how to look after your own wellbeing while navigating a busy and challenging school environment. With answers from a diverse panel of ten expert contributors, this dip-in-and-out guide shares practice-based perspectives to help you manage the demands of teaching and foster a sense of balance and fulfilment.

Each accessible chapter is framed around the questions that matter most to ECTs, covering key topics from finding the right school culture, growing your identity as a teacher and balancing professional and personal commitments, to prioritising wellbeing when you are ‘too busy’. Contributors draw from extensive first-hand experience, as well as research-based strategies, to answer common concerns and offer relatable, easy-to-implement ideas and tools that will help you to prioritise self-care and embrace sustainable working practices. Throughout, reflective questions from the Editors encourage you to consider your own journey and take ownership of your growth and wellbeing.

Your wellbeing is not a luxury – it’s a necessity and the bedrock of functioning well in your personal and professional life. This rich range of perspectives will offer you honest practical insights and approaches to ensure you not just survive but flourish in your teaching career. It is essential reading for ECTs and a useful staffroom resource for all education settings.

Adrian Bethune is a part-time primary school teacher, associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, Deputy Chair of the Well Schools strategic board and the founder of Teachappy. In 2012, he was awarded a ‘Happy Hero’ medal by Lord Layard at the House of Lords for his work on developing wellbeing in schools. In 2015, he was invited to speak at the Action for Happiness event, Creating A Happier World, sharing the stage with the Dalai Lama. Adrian is author of the award-winning Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom – A Practical Guide to Teaching Happiness (Bloomsbury, 2018 and 2nd Ed. 2023), co-author with Dr Emma Kell of A Little Guide for Teachers: Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Care (Sage, 2020) and lead author for the Oxford International Curriculum for Wellbeing (Oxford University Press, 2021). In 2024, he contributed to the OECD’s Global Forum on the Future of Education and Skills 2030, writing a paper on teacher wellbeing. He has two boys and a cockapoo that keep him busy.

Emma Kell is Director of Those That Can Ltd. She has 26 years of experience as a teacher and leader in UK secondary schools and currently teaches in alternative provision. She is a qualified performance coach and speaks regularly on teacher wellbeing and school culture and communication. Emma has written for a variety of publications including TES and BBC Teach. She has completed a doctorate on teacher wellbeing and parenting at Middlesex University, and is author of How to Survive in Teaching (Bloomsbury, 2018) and A Little Guide For Teachers: Wellbeing and Self-Care and A Little Guide for Teachers: Engaging Parents and Carers. Her fourth book, Real Lives of Teachers, was published by Sage Education in January 2026. She can be found at www.those-that-can.com. She wrote a paper ‘Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Care During Times of Crisis’ for the OECD in 2024. Emma is also mum to two teenagers and a golden retriever.