Reimagining the Staffroom: A Quiet Invitation to Shift School Culture

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

Dear Headteachers,
I’m offering to reimagine the purpose of the staffroom – your staffroom. Not to change the furniture. Not to put anything special into place. Simply to be open to creating a different kind of culture. One that makes a tangible difference to the wellbeing of your staff, your students, and everyone connected to the ecosystem of your school.

The Coaching Staffroom, as I envisage it, is a space where dialogue and coaching sit quietly at the heart of the school and gently ripple outwards. A reinvention of the staffroom – perhaps from something that feels like a busy airport lounge into a place where meaningful ideas and care are naturally embedded into daily school life.

This might look like regular drop-in coaching during lunch or after school. Light-touch CPD for teaching and support staff on becoming more coach-like in everyday conversations. Or simply a listening ear when something goes wrong and a member of staff needs space to think something through. These are small, intentional moments woven into the natural rhythm of the week. No pressure. No performance. Just real conversations that help staff reflect, breathe, and carry on – with a little more clarity and a little less weight.

What if we saw the staffroom as more than a place to grab a quick cuppa or offload the day’s stress? What if it became a space for intentional dialogue – where being listened to helps people feel more grounded, more hopeful, and more connected to what really matters?

This isn’t a programme. It’s not another initiative. It’s a way of being together that gently shifts how we feel at work. Over time, these small, human moments change culture. They remind us that reflection is part of the work – and that care isn’t a luxury, but a quiet necessity.

If this feels like a valuable idea, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re already doing something like this – wonderful, please share. If you’ve got a completely different take on what a staffroom should be, I’d welcome that conversation too.
A chance to shift from “us and them,” from “done to,” towards something more connected. A staffroom culture where everyone has ownership in creating a workplace we genuinely want to return to each day.

In short: if you’re a headteacher with any thoughts at all on the purpose of the staffroom – let’s connect.