44 Wellbeing
Psychological Safety Is Not a Programme. It Is a Daily Practice. Elizabeth Hewitt, Head of Health and Wellness at Rashid Latifa School, brought the discussion back to the lived experience of staff in schools - environments that can carry enormous hierarchical pressure. “Do I feel safe to challenge a decision? Do I feel safe to speak up? These are not small questions, especially in schools where the hierarchy can be significant. How you are communicated with, how you are spoken to - all of this shapes whether someone feels they belong. Wellness is not just an individual’s responsibility. It is structural.” Elizabeth Hewitt, Head of Health and Wellness, Rashid Latifa School Elizabeth also raised the frequently overlooked issue of neurodivergent staff - noting that schools invest considerable energy in inclusion for students, while the same consideration is rarely extended systematically to the adults in the building. Her closing point on practical sustainability was equally direct: protect time and energy. Give people the conditions to switch off. Build belonging. Make trust something people feel in the day-to-day, not just something stated in a policy document.
Elizabeth Hewitt, Head of Health and Wellness, Rashid Latifa School
“Whether people feel safe to speak challenge decisions and belong is by culture. Wellness is structural.”
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