Every school and college has them. The people others naturally turn to.

The member of staff who always seems able to manage one more conversation. The colleague who offers support when someone is struggling. The pastoral lead who remains calm during difficult situations. The SENCO, DSL, teacher, or senior leader who can be relied upon when things become complex.

They are often experienced, capable, and highly respected.

They are also the people we tend to worry about least. After all, they appear to be coping.

They rarely complain. They get on with the job. They find solutions, support others, and carry responsibility with professionalism and care yet behind that reliability can be a hidden risk.

The more capable someone appears, the more likely they are to be given additional responsibility. Over time, they often become a place where concerns accumulate. Staff seek them out. Students seek them out. Families seek them out and because they are good at what they do, the demands continue to grow. What can be missed is the impact of constantly being the person everyone else depends on.

Much of the emotional labour in education sits quietly beneath the surface. It isn’t captured in timetables, job descriptions, or performance measures. It lives in the safeguarding conversation that stays with you after the school day has ended. The difficult meeting that replays in your mind on the drive home. The concern about a student that follows you into the weekend.

The reality is that being dependable does not make someone immune to pressure.

In fact, it can sometimes make them more vulnerable to carrying too much for too long over time, this can become isolating. Not because support isn’t available, but because the people who need it most are often the least likely to ask for it.

There can be a belief that they should know how to handle things. That seeking support might somehow suggest they are less capable than others think so they continue to hold everything themselves. Until the weight becomes difficult to ignore. This is one of the reasons supervision is so important within education.

Not because staff are struggling.

Not because something has gone wrong.

But because the people carrying the greatest responsibility deserve a space where they do not have to carry it alone.

Good supervision provides a professional space for reflection, curiosity, and honest conversation. A place where difficult decisions can be explored, emotional impact can be acknowledged, and the demands of complex roles can be processed safely.

It allows people to step out of the position of being the supporter and into a space where they themselves are supported.

For many, this can be a powerful experience.

To have someone listen without needing answers.

To think out loud without judgement.

To explore uncertainty without feeling they should already know the solution.

Alongside supervision, counselling can offer another valuable layer of support. While supervision focuses on professional reflection, counselling creates space for the personal impact of the work to be explored more deeply.

Together, these services help ensure that those who spend their days supporting others have somewhere to take the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that naturally arise from doing such important work.

As schools and colleges continue to think about wellbeing, retention, and staff support, it may be worth asking a simple question:

Who are the people everyone relies on in your organisation?

And perhaps more importantly:

Who is supporting them because creating an emotionally healthy culture is not only about identifying those who are visibly struggling. Sometimes it is about noticing the people who appear to be coping exceptionally well and ensuring they have somewhere to be heard too.

After all, even the most dependable people need support.

And often, they need it long before anyone realises.