L6. Leaders Eat Last toolkit
Toolkit
Leaders eat last is about visibly putting the needs of staff and students ahead of your own. It is a principle rooted in servant leadership and reinforced by research on trust, reciprocity, and psychological safety. By making deliberate choices to prioritise staff well-being and empowerment, leaders create the conditions for resilience, collaboration, and ultimately student success. This sheet guides leaders in turning this principle into action by identifying specific wellbeing enablers, recording their impact, and refining approaches over time.
| Why This Matters Now |
| What is happening in your school context that makes this action urgent? It might be a period of heavy workload, a new initiative that risks overwhelming staff, or feedback that morale is slipping. Identifying the “now” helps ensure actions are both timely and relevant, rather than generic or tokenistic. |
| Wellbeing Action |
| What specific step are you taking to prioritise staff wellbeing? Examples could include removing an unnecessary task, protecting planning time, adjusting meeting structures, or introducing flexibility. Be explicit about the choice you are making and how it connects to wider leadership priorities. |
| Staff Feedback |
| How did staff experience the action? Capture their responses, whether through conversations, surveys, or informal feedback. Note whether the action genuinely made work more sustainable or positive, and what staff suggested could be refined. |
| Equity Check |
| Who benefitted from this change? Was it accessible to all, or only a small group? Reflect on whether the action could be scaled or adapted so the benefits are distributed more fairly across staff. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| Where does a small action remove a big frustration? Am I acting at the right moment to prevent small stresses from becoming big problems? Do staff see and feel the priority I place on their well-being? How can I ensure that servant leadership is balanced with maintaining my own sustainability? |
L6. Leaders Eat Last: example toolkit
Role: Deputy Headteacher
| Why This Matters Now |
| It is the final half term of the academic year, and workload pressure is high as staff manage exams, reports, and transition planning. In recent staff feedback, several colleagues mentioned feeling stretched and tired. Acting now is crucial to show that we listen and care, and that leadership is about service and support, not simply setting expectations. |
| Wellbeing Action |
| This week, I cancelled a non-essential meeting and replaced it with protected team planning time. I also reviewed the duty rota to ensure fairness and reduced the number of lunch duties for staff teaching exam classes. These actions were designed to make workloads more manageable and to signal that leadership decisions must remove friction, not add to it. |
| Staff Feedback |
| Feedback from staff was immediate and positive. Several mentioned that having the extra hour of uninterrupted planning made a tangible difference to their week. Others appreciated that adjustments were made to the duty rota, especially during the most intense part of term. A few staff suggested maintaining this approach into the next academic year, making it a regular fixture rather than a one-off act of kindness. |
| Equity Check |
| The main beneficiaries were classroom teachers and pastoral leads who have been managing heavy workloads. I recognised that support staff were less impacted, so I have planned to extend similar wellbeing adjustments for them during the next data cycle, such as dedicated admin catch-up time. The goal is for all groups to experience the benefits of wellbeing-driven leadership. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| This has reminded me how visible small acts of consideration can be. People notice when leaders make changes that genuinely make their lives easier. I need to continue finding ways to remove unnecessary tasks, protect time, and show that our words about valuing staff well-being translate into daily decisions. The challenge is to balance serving others with maintaining my own energy and boundaries. |