School leaders don't need convincing that staff wellbeing matters. Research shows that most Principals choose the job because they care deeply about the people around them, and that instinct certainly doesn't disappear once the title changes. If anything, it becomes stronger.

What often gets lost is the time to act on it, amid the relentless demands of budgets, compliance and community expectations that consume a Principal's day.

Steve Francis knows this tension better than most. Having led schools from a one-teacher classroom to a large metropolitan campus, and later an international school in Hong Kong, Francis has spent his career searching for practical ways to protect the people who protect everyone else.

Turning good intentions into action

In 2008, Francis launched Happy Schools, an initiative designed to give teachers and leaders practical tools to protect their wellbeing. What began as a simple offering of weekly articles has since grown into something far more comprehensive.

Nearly two decades on, Happy School now supports hundreds of schools across Australia and New Zealand through initiatives aimed at tackling the burnout and staff shortages still plaguing the profession.

“There is no shortage of evidence that teacher wellbeing matters,” Francis tells The Educator. “When teachers feel supported and valued, schools benefit through stronger relationships, improved collaboration, higher morale and a more positive learning environment for students.”

Francis says the challenge for school leaders isn’t recognising the importance of staff wellbeing—it’s finding the time to do something meaningful about it.

“Staff wellbeing is important, but it can easily become another item on an already overflowing to-do list,” he says. “There are so many demands on school leaders today.”

Francis says that while it’s not the Principal’s job to “fix staff wellbeing, school leaders do have a massive impact on staff morale and building a great school culture.

“The good news is that supporting staff doesn’t always require major programs, expensive consultants or extra meetings,” he says. “In fact, it’s often the small, consistent actions that have the greatest impact.”

Rather than adding another program to manage, Happy School provides leaders with a “complete, ready-to-use staff wellbeing resource that fits into what schools are already doing”, Francis explains.

“Each week, member schools receive a practical, engaging wellbeing article written specifically for people working in schools,” he says. “These short articles are ready to include in staff newsletters, emails, staff meetings or professional conversations, making it easy to keep wellbeing on the agenda throughout the year.”

A simple gesture with an outsized impact

Heartened by the success that the Happy School initiative was enjoying, Francis expanded the program in 2012 with the aim of bringing back something schools had quietly lost – the simple, handwritten thank you that lands in a teacher's letterbox instead of their inbox.

The Happy School World Teachers’ Day postcards see school leaders handwrite personal notes of gratitude and mail them directly to teachers' homes to remind them of how valued they are. The program has grown from reaching 9,550 teachers in its first year to more than 30,000 annually, with member schools receiving up to 96 cards for free each year.

“We always have a huge response to the World Teachers’ Day postcards. A simple handwritten note of appreciation on a postcard is far more impactful than we think, especially if it is received at home through the post,” he says. “Last year over 32,000 teachers across Australia and New Zealand received appreciation postcards from leaders in their school.”

Francis says the staffroom wellbeing posters provided through the Happy School program highlight the importance of the work of staff.

“The beauty of this approach is its simplicity,” he says. There are no lengthy implementation plans or complicated frameworks. Instead, leaders receive practical resources that help create small moments of encouragement every week.”

Where to begin when time is tight

For Principals wondering where to start when time is scarce, Francis says the answer isn't complicated.

“Schools are people places. Use your time well to connect with your staff. Spend time with them to find opportunities to genuinely praise them for the great work they are doing and provide practical support,” he says.

“Research consistently tells us that feeling valued, connected and supported are among the strongest contributors to workplace wellbeing.”

Those feelings aren’t created by one-off events—they grow through regular acts of appreciation, positive conversations and a culture where people know they matter, says Francis.

“Perhaps that’s the most important lesson of all. Teacher wellbeing isn’t another initiative to squeeze into an already busy calendar. It’s the way we treat one another every day,” he says.

“The best staff wellbeing programs aren’t always the biggest—they’re the ones that consistently remind people they are valued, supported and appreciated.”