Listening and Responding to Staff
Across England, only a third of school staff say their feedback to leadership actually changes anything, and in secondary schools that drops to just over a quarter. The five schools below are the exception. Each won an Edurio Staff Feedback Award for scoring furthest above the national benchmark on how staff experience being heard. Here they explain, in their own words, how they listen to staff and act on what comes back.
Share 
Share 
Share Overall approaches of listening to staff and changes implemented
Ling Moor Primary Academy
Listening to staff starts with the culture created. We aim to ensure that every member of our staff team’s voice is heard and staff are empowered to ask questions, challenge others and share solutions. The common response to staff voice is to ask a question back: “What do you think we need to do?”
This encourages all members of our team to be vocal in a way that leads to positive change. Capturing staff voice is often not systemised, although we do value the staff voice captured through Edurio. It gives a different experience for staff to be heard.
A key element is the positive relationships between colleagues. They actively demonstrate our values and act as positive examples to all staff. Leaders include themselves in the term colleague and do not seek hierarchy. Leaders also have a deep understanding of who works well together, and the leadership decisions taken when putting teams together are crucial: who works well with whom.
One example of staff change that has had a particular impact has been our continued evolution of the Teaching Assistant Team. From the outset, a clear vision was shared with the staff members about what we wanted to do, but we made sure that it wasn’t just us sharing one way. We worked with a clear sense of capturing voice and continuing the dialogue with impacted staff. We follow a “you said, we did” approach. When evolving our Teaching Assistant team, team members articulated a frustration with the spaces available to effectively support children. This led to every space being carefully considered with the environment and resources being improved. We even built a new intervention space to ensure that they could have a greater impact. Leadership needed to understand the impact of change and to give increased ownership to those who were directly impacted. Without them, change would not have been successful. Valuing our colleagues’ voices has led them to own the change and be solution-focused. They recognised that their ideas would be embraced.
Lipson Co-operative Academy
Over the past five or six years, the team at Lipson have systematically and intentionally set out to create a school that puts the welfare and wellbeing of pupils and staff at the heart of everything we do. That begins with a simple principle: kindness underpins everything.
We deliberately choose to serve our community rather than sit in it, and that mindset shapes how we treat our staff every single day.
We do, of course, use formal surveys, but the real work happens in daily conversations, line management, and visible leadership. We have appointed a staff wellbeing officer who acts as a trusted go-between, surfacing issues before they escalate and supporting clear messaging around wellbeing. As a leadership team, we see it as our collective responsibility to hear staff voices and to act on them. Listening, for us, means proper listening. It does not mean waiting for a pause so you can speak, but genuinely seeking to understand.
We also talk deliberately about being “one staff”. We do not differentiate between teaching and support staff in terms of whose voice matters. The views of a member of the canteen team carry as much weight as those of a head of department. That sense of shared merit and belonging is foundational to our listening culture.
A clear example of a change we’ve implemented based on staff feedback is our approach to meeting time and professional development. We wanted to create a climate where teachers actively want to get better, and staff were clear that time was the biggest barrier. So we challenged ourselves: Does this need to be a meeting? If not, we removed it.
We now operate a coaching model where our strongest teachers serve as expert coaches for colleagues. To make that meaningful, we had to get rid of most after-school meetings and restructure the day. Feedback from coaching is given within 24 hours, and professional growth is not an add-on, but it is built into the system. Something had to give for that to happen, and we were prepared to let go of traditional practices that no longer served our core purpose. The success lies in its coherence. We did not simply introduce coaching; we removed competing demands. That sent a powerful message to staff that we were serious about investing in them.
Marine Academy Plymouth – Primary and Nursery
Listening to staff is a part of our culture, not a standalone initiative. At Marine Academy Primary, we talk about ourselves as “#TeamMarine.” Although the survey question (“How often do you see that your feedback to the leadership has an impact?”) focuses on leadership, what we’re really proud of is that everyone helps everyone.
Yes, leaders support staff where needed, but we also look for ways to help before it reaches that point, and peer support is integral to this approach. Our open-door policy while children are on site is intentional: during those hours, our priority is people, not laptops or offices.
We’ve built predictable systems around that culture. We run “Tea and Talk” sessions where the Head of School and I open our calendars and staff can book non-mandatory time with us to talk about absolutely anything from career aspirations, workload worries, or something that’s been niggling them. Every member of the classroom staff (support and teaching) is coached every two weeks, and at the end of each coaching session, there is an informal, but planned, opportunity to raise anything else. Weekly unit meetings also include a standing agenda item for staff concerns, including health and safety. Those regular, predictable moments mean staff always know when and where they can speak up.
Responsibility for listening sits with every leader, but responsibility for acting sits there too. We explicitly train leaders to follow up. It’s not enough to listen; staff must see that something happens as a result, even if that “something” is a clear explanation about why a change will take time.
Many of the changes that matter most are small and personal. One teacher was experiencing migraines from the newly installed LED lights. It would have been easy to dismiss that, given the investment across the building, but we adapted her working environment to give her the necessities to thrive. That wasn’t about lighting; it was about showing that individual wellbeing matters.
Another example was the introduction of a tea trolley. Staff told us they didn’t always have time to reach the staff room, make a drink and return to class. So we brought refreshments to them. It’s a small thing, but when we labelled it clearly in our bulletin as “You said, so we did”, it reinforced that feedback leads to action.
We also used staff survey feedback to address a perceived disparity in break times between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. In reality, there was no difference, just different timetables. Sharing that clarification openly mattered just as much as implementing change. Acting on feedback isn’t always about fixing; sometimes it’s about explaining.
Marine Academy Secondary
Listening to staff starts with care. We are very explicit that staff loving coming to work matters just as much as pupils loving to come to school. It is written into our mission and talked about constantly. If that is truly at the heart of what you believe, then listening is not an initiative; it is a daily habit.
Most of our listening happens through relationships. We have an open-door culture, senior leaders do not hide away in offices, and we prioritise being present in corridors, workrooms and briefings. Those corridor conversations are often more powerful than any formal system.
That said, we do use more structured tools as well. Trust surveys give staff an anonymous way to share views, particularly for those who may not feel comfortable speaking up in person. I read every comment, and the whole leadership team does the same. Responsibility for hearing and acting on feedback does not sit with me alone. Middle leaders play a key role in surfacing themes from their teams and working with us to shape solutions. But ultimately, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that when staff speak, something happens as a result.
This year, we made a radical shift to a hub model, moving from subject-based corridors to year group corridors, and reducing the day from five lessons to three. It was a significant change, and it only worked because of how much listening sat alongside it. I was clear that the direction of travel was set, but I asked staff to tell me what the problems might be and how we could make it better. I met with middle leaders, then all staff, and then followed up again to work through concerns in detail.
Staff were worried about being physically separated from their departments, so we built in additional department time during CPD and invested in shared spaces with coffee machines and fridges to protect that sense of belonging. During the transition, we created a live “snagging list” that anyone could add to. At first, we reviewed it daily. Issues ranged from room keys to missing whiteboard pens, but acting quickly on those small frustrations sent a powerful message that we were in this together. The success came from honesty, pace and reciprocity. I asked a lot from the staff, and I made a clear commitment about what I would deliver in return.
The Westborough School
We have an open-door policy, so the senior leadership team is accessible to speak with when needed and within reason. This means that issues weighing on staff’s minds are dealt with swiftly and not left to be dealt with later.
Overall, the responsibility lies with our senior leadership team to take action on the feedback. However, as we have proactive staff, some other members of staff have put themselves forward to help with staff wellbeing.
Communicating priorities and progress to staff
Ling Moor Primary Academy
Prioritisation is a key piece of vocabulary in our leadership toolkit. We want to understand what will have the greatest impact, what will be easy to change and how long it will take. Some changes are simple, and we can act quickly; for others, it takes a little longer. We follow a simple “You said, we did” approach.
This is often constructed informally and can happen quite quickly. Where things are more complex, we think strategically and with a much longer-term view to ensure change is the right change.
We make progress visible by including all staff in our feedback loops and making connections. Being open, transparent and clear in communication ensures that staff feel consulted. Our colleagues know that they won’t be judged on their responses. Any feedback given is thought through; we strive to genuinely listen and compile what we see, hear and read to inform our next steps and what we need to communicate back.
In the teaching assistant example, colleagues could see an immediate impact of their reflections and our “you said, we did”. You said you needed improved spaces to work with children. We have improved these spaces, incorporating your thoughts and ideas.
Lipson Co-operative Academy
Our prioritisation is simple: does this improve pupil achievement? Our core purpose is to transform the lives of our young people by securing the best possible outcomes for them. If a suggestion is not likely to impact that, it becomes peripheral.
School leadership can easily become overwhelmed by noise. I often tell younger headteachers that the job is impossible if you try to do everything. You have to cross out the bits that do not matter. We are therefore unapologetically focused and, at times, quite brutal in protecting what truly counts.
We communicate priorities transparently, always linking them back to moral purpose, so when staff understand the “why”, even difficult decisions feel coherent rather than arbitrary.
When it comes to sharing progress, we are very deliberate about closing the loop. Around school, you will see the phrase: “You suggested, we listened.” We can point to specific practices that originated from staff feedback. That visibility builds trust.
When survey results are positive, we share them openly, unpick them with staff and thank them. That may sound obvious, but gratitude matters. We also use set-piece initiatives, such as the introduction of a staff wellbeing day, as a platform to ask, “What next?” Listening is not a one-off; it is iterative.
I often use the analogy of a driving test: you do not just look in the mirror, you make sure the examiner sees you looking in the mirror. In the same way, we are intentional about showing staff how their voice has shaped decisions. That visible follow-through builds momentum.
Marine Academy Plymouth – Primary and Nursery
We look at impact and urgency. If something affects someone’s ability to do their job well, like the lighting example, it moves quickly. We also address “easy wins” promptly, because visible action builds momentum and trust.
Bigger structural issues may take longer. When that’s the case, we are transparent: we explain what is happening in the background and what the likely timescale is. Staff don’t need instant change; they need to know their voice hasn’t disappeared into the wind.
Clarity is key. Even when we can’t act immediately, we communicate honestly about why and what the next steps are. We are very deliberate about closing the loop. After each staff survey, we share themes with the whole team. I’ve had to grow in this area. In the past, I focused too heavily on what needs to improve. Now, I intentionally celebrate positives as well as address concerns.
We use our weekly bulletin to highlight actions under the heading “You said, so we did.” Where feedback relates to a specific unit, we address it in that unit’s meeting rather than amplifying concerns unnecessarily across the whole school. That helps us avoid breeding negativity where it isn’t relevant and working on contextual, targeted improvements.
Understanding meaning is just as important as responding. If someone writes something on a survey, it’s real because they feel it. Even if there’s a misinterpretation, the feeling behind it matters. So we unpack it with care and respect.
Marine Academy Secondary
We work with a strong sense of urgency. If something can be done now, we do not wait. Small practical changes can have a big impact on morale. Quick wins matter because they demonstrate responsiveness, but for more complex issues, we step back and involve the right people.
Sometimes that means discussing with middle leaders first or seeking pupil input if the issue affects them too. We are transparent about what is a priority and why. If something cannot be actioned immediately, we say so and explain the reasoning. That clarity prevents frustration from building and reinforces that feedback has been heard, even if the solution takes time.
We are intentional about narrating progress. In weekly staff meetings, we celebrate what is going well and are equally honest about where we need to improve next. I do not shy away from saying when something is not good enough. That clarity builds trust. When we run surveys, we share headline themes and talk through what they mean. Again, we are proactive in that if something can be fixed immediately, we do it. But, if the feedback is part of a longer-term issue, we explain the steps we’re taking and the timeline.
We also build celebration into our routines. We have celebration briefings, half-term breakfasts on inset days and an online coaching platform where staff send shout-outs to one another. Leaders even have a friendly competition about who can send the most recognition. Making appreciation visible reinforces the sense that feedback leads to action and that effort is noticed. Progress is not just about fixing problems; it is about shining a light on what is working.
The Westborough School
When considering priorities, issues around safeguarding, health and safety must be dealt with immediately as these are the areas we are all responsible for. Then, we prioritise in order of need. Some issues can be left for a while, whereas others need to be dealt with in a timely manner, otherwise they may become bigger issues.
We’ve done the work enough that I feel we have a strength in this area, as it’s very rare for the same issues to raise their heads again.
We are very open with staff and share progress and information wherever possible. We share the survey results with staff so that they are aware of the things we are working on. We give regular updates to targeted individuals or groups when we have actioned something to keep the necessary parties informed.
Key leadership behaviours
Ling Moor Primary Academy
Relationship. Trust. Empathy. Clarity.
We have worked incredibly hard to develop our emotional intelligence so that we can understand our colleagues’ motivators and lived experiences.
This ensures that we understand where concerns come from and ensures we can hear the important messaging. The development of emotional intelligence takes time and thought. It also takes a commitment to professional learning. This is done through coaching, mentoring, leadership development programmes and apprenticeships. There is a culture of staff development at the Academy and throughout our Trust.
Lipson Co-operative Academy
Two things underpin our systems: absolute trust and no ego. If someone wants to take all the praise or shift blame, they will not thrive here. We have worked hard to build a psychologically safe environment where challenge is welcomed and expected.
At leadership level, we are friends, but we challenge each other robustly. That challenge makes us better. We treat people properly, we are not afraid of being liked, and we are explicit about our expectations around kindness and relationships. When staff see consistency between words and actions over time, trust builds.
We have also been intentional about values fit. On occasion, we have had to part ways with people who were technically competent but not aligned with our values. Being a good human being matters more than skill. That clarity protects the culture and reinforces safety for everyone else.
Marine Academy Plymouth – Primary and Nursery
For me personally, as a headteacher, listening and acting has been a learning journey. My instinct is to fix problems immediately. Over time, I’ve realised that good listening sometimes means resisting that urge. I now use a deliberate response: “Thank you for sharing that. I’d like to go away and think about it and come back to you. Is that okay?” That pause helps me reflect properly rather than react. I also calendarise follow-ups. You can get it right nine times out of ten, but staff will remember the one time you forgot to follow up with them. So I treat follow-up as non-negotiable. That reliability builds trust.
Finally, maintaining classroom credibility is crucial. Almost all of our leadership team still work in class-based roles. That means when staff speak about the pressures of wet play, break duty and back-to-back lessons, we genuinely understand. That shared experience strengthens psychological safety.
Marine Academy Secondary
Compassion is central. Teaching in our context is hard, and I never pretend otherwise. If a member of staff raises an issue, I assume positive intent because I know they are working incredibly hard for our pupils. That mindset shapes every conversation.
Vulnerability is equally important. When behaviour was not where it needed to be, I, as principal, stood in front of staff and said clearly that it was not good enough and that it was our problem to solve, not theirs alone. On another occasion, we tried a change that simply did not work. I apologised, and we reversed it. Admitting mistakes creates psychological safety. When leaders are honest about their own fallibility, it permits others to speak openly.
The Westborough School
I feel the leadership behaviour which strengthens a culture is trust. Staff need to feel they are trusted to have a voice and that it will be listened to. A trust culture ensures staff feel like they can bring up concerns.
Advice on embedding staff voice
Ling Moor Primary Academy
Relationship, relationship, relationship – this has been the cornerstone of what we have done from day one. If we invest appropriately in our relationships, we know how to communicate change to our colleagues, and we know how to ensure that they feel listened to.
Throughout our Trust (The Priory Federation of Academies Trust), there is a passion for creating a supportive environment that sets high expectations and challenges its members. This resonates with all staff who are empowered to challenge thinking and positively question how we can provide the best that we can. We challenge each other to be authentic, to be empathetic and to learn together with unconditional positive regard.
Lipson Co-operative Academy
Be intentional and be deliberate. Decide how you want your staff to feel when they drive home at night, and then build systems that make that feeling a lived experience. Kindness, authenticity and clarity are not soft options; they are strategic. When I reflect on my career, the one thing I wish I had done earlier is to lead with kindness.
The more I’ve insisted on kindness as the foundation of our culture, the better the results have been, not just in how people feel, but in tangible outcomes. Pupil achievement has improved. Staff wellbeing has improved. I just wish I’d been brave enough to prioritise kindness 20 years ago.
Surround yourself with excellent people and give them space to challenge you. Create psychological safety, but anchor it with purpose. And test yourself regularly. I have a “car test” and a “mirror test” for myself: a 40-minute commute to reflect on my day, and when I look in my mirror at home, I think: did I make the right decisions today, and am I comfortable with them?
Finally, understand that there is no silver bullet. Culture is the cumulative effect of a hundred aligned actions. When staff see that listening is real and that it leads to meaningful change, trust becomes self-sustaining.
Marine Academy Plymouth – Primary and Nursery
My advice would be to carve out intentional time to listen. If you’re already stretched, it can feel counterintuitive, but dedicated listening time creates safety. Once staff trust that space, the incidental listening improves too.
Secondly, sweat the small stuff. A concern about parking, tea bags or even someone’s cat might seem trivial, but those things affect morale. And morale affects everything.
Finally, follow up. Listening without action erodes trust. You don’t have to solve everything immediately, but you must respond. When people see that their voice makes a difference, however small, culture shifts.
Marine Academy Secondary
My advice would be simple: care deeply and make it visible. If you genuinely believe that staff loving to come to work matters, then you will listen differently.
It cannot be a bolt-on survey or a termly event. It has to be woven into daily behaviours, into how you speak, how you show up and how quickly you respond.
Be clear, be honest and be brave enough to admit when you get it wrong. Listening is not about agreeing with everything. It is about showing respect, acting with integrity and making sure people know that their voice carries weight. When that culture is in place, the systems simply support what is already true.
The Westborough School
The advice I would give is to put the time in at the beginning, and making the staff member feel valued means that issues don’t tend to escalate. I have always had an open-door policy, and this has always worked for me.
Read the full guide
This is the staff section of Listening and Acting in Schools, our 2026 guide featuring 14 school leaders across 11 trusts. The full report also covers how schools listen to pupils and parents, with the national data behind each.