CW: Discussion of mental health and suicide.
Tragically, it has taken the death of a colleague and fellow NEU member to ignite a debate about the impact of the current school accountability system on the mental health of teachers, particularly leaders, of the schools they inspect. It is right that this debate is being had. I'm in support of radical reform to the way schools are held to account and the replacement of the current inspectorate, Ofsted, who preside over a process of school inspection which results in often damaging and unreliable single word judgements. The system is inadequate. The teaching profession deserves a supportive system of school accountability that helps us to achieve our collective aim: improving educational outcomes for our children.
That being said, when having this debate there is a risk passion for change can cause well intentioned colleagues to put others at risk of harm. When discussing and debating issues involving suicide and poor mental health more generally it can be tempting to recount in detail experiences of those we know or even ourselves to make arguments more effective. However, this can put those we're talking to at risk of harm, particularly due to the significant number of education professionals we know are or have in the past suffered from poor mental health.
This week, I was listening to a debate on a related issue in which one well intentioned speaker described in detail the exact method and sequence of events involved in an education professional tragically dying by suicide. Although I have experienced suicidal thoughts in the past, I'm fortunately now in a place where I could just take a brief break from listening to it and I was fine. However, I needed to take that break because hearing that description brought to the forefront of my mind the experiences I've had in the past. It could've had a much more adverse effect for someone more vulnerable at the time of hearing it.
As the Samaritans media guidelines note:
"Providing details of suicide methods has been linked to increases in suicide rates and shown to influence vulnerable people to imitate suicidal behaviour. Placing information about a method in a report ... can reinforce awareness of specific methods, and increase perceptions of its effectiveness, especially if prominently featured."
Samaritans guidelines, such as their top 10 tips for reporting suicide safely, are really helpful and I'd encourage you to consult them if you're writing an article, speech or other campaigning material which is related to suicide or poor mental health. I'm more than happy to admit that I'm not perfect on this and have made mistakes in this area before. Whilst passionately campaigning on issues such as workload and Ofsted, we would all do well to take an extra pause before publishing and sharing to make sure we're making our arguments in the safest way possible.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.