Teacher well-being platform hits 10,000 milestone
More than 10,000 teachers have now accessed a well-being platform created by the National Literacy Trust with support from The Wesleyan Foundation - the charitable arm of Birmingham-based financial mutual Wesleyan.
The well-being platform features a range of resources and advice from experts for educational professionals, including mindfulness films, support networks, and a wellbeing writing course.
The milestone follows the ongoing success of the partnership which has seen £74,000 awarded to date by the Wesleyan Foundation to the National Literacy Trust. Donations have been used to develop and implement a range of initiatives that support teachers, school staff and pupils ' wellbeing and help improve literacy.
Wesleyan has also been a headline sponsor of the National Literacy Trust 's #Take10ToRead campaign.
Research by the National Literacy Trust found that children who are the most engaged with reading and writing are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing.
The campaign highlights the mental health and wellbeing benefits and encourages long-term reading habits by asking schools, communities, and businesses across the UK to stop what they 're doing and take 10 minutes to read.
The latest #Take10ToRead challenge - held in May - saw TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and illustrator Katie Abey host a digital nationwide event, introducing more than 55,000 participating schoolchildren to their new book Propa Happy (Farshore Books) and their #PassthePositivity campaign, which encourages children to nurture their wellbeing every day.
Meanwhile, in Birmingham, a team of National Literacy Trust Literacy Champions took ten minutes to read in the City Centre Gardens Park, while participating schools received resources to help encourage continued reading in the classroom.
Nathan Wallis (pictured), chief of staff at Wesleyan said: “The Wesleyan Foundation is committed to supporting good causes that make a real difference to the local and professional communities we serve - including teachers.
“Our partnership with the National Literacy Trust is a great example of this - supporting initiatives in schools in Birmingham and across the UK, and extending our support for education professionals ' mental health. This is vital given the huge strain and disruption caused by the pandemic.
“We 're incredibly proud of the results we have achieved with the National Literacy Trust so far. ”
Kyle Turakhia, Birmingham hub manager for the National Literacy Trust, said: “The support of a partner like Wesleyan is critical to our mission of helping establish literacy projects in the communities that need them most. In just the 12 months, our partnership has supported the wellbeing of thousands of teachers and brought the joy of reading to schools across Birmingham and the UK.
“This partnership is key to our work in Birmingham where 50% of wards rank in the top 10% of literacy need in England, and we are looking forward to working with them to do even more next year. ”
The Wesleyan Foundation supports grassroots, volunteer and community-led projects that make a real difference across the UK and align with four key themes of health and wellbeing, education, innovation and social development.
Since 2017, it has awarded more than £3.5 million to good causes.