Standard compliance training alone isn’t enough. Many education providers – including schools, FE colleges and universities – should be providing a wider range of learning and development (L&D) programmes to their teaching and admin staff; expanding their existing offering to include some less traditional courses, such as mental health and online safeguarding. Why? So they can equip staff with the necessary skills to thrive in a modern, inclusive, high-pressure education environment.
Professional development: an increasingly important complement to traditional compliance courses
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a growing pressure on education providers to meet minimum L&D compliance requirements. But so too has recognition that compliance training for UK-based education staff is only one piece of the puzzle.
Ofsted inspections aren’t just about checking your team has completed the basic training requirements – in areas such as safeguarding and fire safety awareness. They’re also taking into consideration signs that institutions are actively investing in the ongoing professional development of all staff, from classroom assistants and lecturers to support staff and invigilators.
Professional development is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a key player in improving educational outcomes, reducing staff turnover and building resilience within your team. And in today’s climate – where recruitment is tough and retention is tougher – those benefits are impossible to ignore.
Why mental health, inclusion and safeguarding are important pillars of education industry L&D
The following stats highlight the need for this shift in priorities:
- The Teacher Wellbeing Index shows a high rate of stress, anxiety and burnout across the industry, with 78% of school teachers and 84% of senior leaders reporting being stressed.
- The NASUWT Wellbeing Survey revealed teachers’ jobs have negatively impacted their stress levels and mental and physical health. While this statistic appears to have come down over the past year, it’s still very high with 86% of teachers reporting increased work-related stress, due to a combination of: workload, pupil behaviour and academic performance, monitoring and accountability measures, and financial concerns.
- And around 74% of school staff have thought about leaving the profession completely.
- Yet, as a recent survey by the Association of Colleges (AOC) showed, 72% of colleges reported that students aged 16-18 years old were experiencing serious mental health concerns. Staff wellbeing is also taking a hit with, “85% of colleges reporting that poor mental health contributes to sickness and absence rates, while half note negative impacts on morale, retention and student experience”.
If students are struggling, they need to be able to rely on staff and educators for support – which is why forward-thinking HR managers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and senior leadership teams are now adding relevant courses (such as mental health awareness, online safety, SEND and behaviour management) into their core training requirements.
The risks of falling short – and the benefits of going beyond
Failing to expand your scope of staff training can create real risks, such as:
- Safeguarding concerns missed due to untrained staff
- Higher absenteeism and burnout due to unmanaged stress
- Lack of consistency across staff training leading to incidents or failed inspections
- Staff feeling unsupported or out of their depth, impacting their performance at work
On the flip side, institutions investing in a wider L&D programme can see real impact:
- Stronger inspection results and reputation
- Increased staff confidence and competence
- Greater student wellbeing and behavioural improvements
- Reduced recruitment costs due to higher retention
Put simply: training in areas such as mental health, inclusion and safeguarding doesn’t just tick boxes, it helps everyone thrive.
How to design a more holistic L&D training programme: your 2025 checklist
To help you embed this broader L&D approach into your educational institution, here’s a practical checklist:
1. Focus on your foundation: mandatory compliance training
Refer to the latest regulations and requirements to ensure you’re protecting students, cultivating safe learning environments, and observing all necessary health and safety and safeguarding protocols.
2. Boost your L&D programme with additional professional development courses
You might want to consider offering training in areas such as mental health awareness, stress management, online safety and SEND support. This ensures staff are able to improve their own wellbeing – and will also be aware of some key issues affecting students as well.
3. Tailor training to specific staff roles
Assign relevant courses to exam invigilators, teaching assistants, teachers and admin teams – as required.
4. Choose bite-sized, online compliance courses for education teams
The pressures of today’s workloads mean time is always at a premium – which is where e-learning comes into its own. Short, engaging courses can fit more neatly into busy schedules. And if you’re able to do them on any device (mobile or desktop) then it gives staff the freedom to take the training whenever and wherever suits them best – likely resulting in higher completion rates.
5. Work with a provider offering a platform that tracks all the above
To prevent this from being an admin-heavy endeavour, make sure you choose an LMS that lets you assign, monitor and report on completions across teams – and sends out automatic reminders to individuals as necessary.
Is your training fit for purpose?
If you’re looking for an L&D strategy that reflects the challenges faced by your staff while ticking the relevant compliance boxes – we’d love to talk to you.
At Staff Skills academy+, our digital training platform is designed to support education providers across secondary, tertiary and vocational settings. Our range of 700+ CPD-certified courses complement the type of training Ofsted encourages schools and colleges to offer – particularly in areas such as mental health and safeguarding.
Our easy-to-use LMS for education providers in the UK helps you assign, automate and track staff learning across departments – reducing admin, boosting completion rates and giving you peace of mind.
We’d love to discuss your needs and see how we can work together. Please book a call with one of our team today.
