Episode 7

This One Activity Got 80% of School Staff Engaging in Their Own Wellbeing

What happens when the digital world turns on teachers? 

From anonymous trolling to AI-powered deepfakes, schools worldwide are confronting a troubling trend: students, and sometimes even parents, using tech to target staff.

At ACS International School Egham, Head of School Mark Wilson recognised early that when digital harm targets staff, early intervention and a culture of help-seeking are essential. Instead of waiting for issues to erupt, he focused on strengthening trust, connection, and everyday well-being, laying the groundwork for a staff culture built on psychological safety and mutual support.

In this deeply human episode, Mark shares how his team transformed fear into resilience by using check-ins, gratitude rituals, and courageous conversations to drive over 80% staff engagement.

Learn how psychological safety became their greatest defence, and how vulnerable leadership is now reshaping their entire school community’s digital wellbeing, from the staff room to the student experience.

Episode details

Transcript download
Run time:
47
Host: Yasmin London
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Episode takeaways

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How weekly digital check-ins helped ACS Egham achieve 80%+ staff engagement—and why that matters for early intervention and trust.

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Simple strategies to start small: from “human library” sessions to gratitude tools that spark school-wide ripple effects.

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Practical, ready-to-use strategies for rolling out new digital monitoring tools, including tips on stakeholder engagement, training, and measuring real impact.

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"The data [from checkins] has allowed us to stay focused on staff wellbeing and more importantly, helped us to react quickly, providing support when needed."

Mark Wilson

ACS International School

Spotlight : Episode 7

Our Guests - Meet Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson has been teaching and leading schools for over 30 years. He started his career in the UK before moving into International Education by joining Nord Anglia Education in 2009 at The British International School Shanghai as a Headteacher. Mark then moved to the US and was Head of School at The British International School of Houston.

Mark trained as a Drama teacher and has taught a range of subjects over the years at GCSE, A Level, BTEC and IBDP. He still teaches Theory of Knowledge on the IB Programme.

Inspiring others to learn and grow is one of Marks passions and throughout his career he has been privileged to be involved in teacher training, working with a variety of universities and providers including, Middlesex, Nottingham and Sunderland Universities as well as the Royal Academy of Dance. Mark was fortunate to have worked for the UK Department of Education Innovations Unit on Leadership projects. Within Nord Anglia Education he taught or coached on the NAE Middle Leaders and the NEA Senior Leaders courses and wrote and facilitated the Americas Aspiring Leaders programme.

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