What do we think?

This is a great book, it has so much information in, it's one of those books that you will go back to time and time again!

Packed full of suggestions and ideas that unpick wellbeing in a practical and helpful way, starting from mapping the issues, to leading for wellbeing, to getting and (importantly), keeping, a happy workforce.

This is a book that we talk about a lot, and has featured in many of our discussions with leaders.

What is it about?

Many teachers, support staff and school leaders are tired, stressed and overstretched. Mark Solomons and Fran Abrams argue that staff wellbeing has to be built into a school's culture rather than treated as a separate issue.

Their roadmap offers practical strategies for improving morale, managing workload and looking after mental health, with real-life examples and links to research.

The publisher lists six sections:

  1. Mapping the issues (including knowing your numbers and having a clear plan)
  2. Leading for wellbeing
  3. Getting and keeping a happy workforce (recruitment and retention, making staff feel valued, managing workload, support staff and the senior leadership team)
  4. School culture
  5. Overseeing change (including the role of governors and trustees)
  6. Rethinking education for wellbeing (including the policy picture)

Who it is for

Headteachers, senior leaders, and governors and trustees who oversee staff wellbeing. It is written for leaders rather than for classroom teachers. In England, the DfE's education staff wellbeing charter sets out related commitments schools can sign up to.

About the book

  • Authors: Mark Solomons, a school governor and trustee for over 20 years and founder of Welbee, an edtech company that helps schools measure and improve staff wellbeing; and Fran Abrams, an education journalist who reported for BBC Radio 4's File on 4.
  • Full title: What Makes Teachers Unhappy, and What Can You Do About It? Building a Culture of Staff Wellbeing.
  • Publisher: Routledge, 1st edition, copyright 2024, 260 pages; also available as an ebook.

Source: publisher's page at Routledge, checked 13 October 2026.