Perimenopause and menopause are out there! They're affecting a significant proportion of your colleagues. Whether it's brain fog or freaky bleeding, there's a lot that burdens them, slows them down and makes their jobs really hard to do. Many end up leaving. We need them in school doing their jobs to the best of their ability.

You may not even know they're there. They may not realise there is support available to them. They may not even realise they're in perimenopause. There are important conversations that aren't happening - and a Menopause Champion can have them.

What does a menopause champion do?

They're the first port of call for anyone struggling with perimenopause. They can signpost those people to reliable information and support. They can advocate for those people in discussions with school leadership and help find reasonable accommodations. They also raise awareness of menopause school wide - which not only allows those in menopause to understand what's going on, it encourages other people to be sympathetic and supportive.

Who makes a good menopause champion?

Honestly, educators are usually pretty good at this stuff! It's useful to have more than one menopause champion so that people can have a choice about who they speak to. It also means that they are able to support each other.

You need to have someone who has a good relationship with senior leaders - but is also trusted by the staff. Sometimes it's useful to have someone with a little seniority so that they can have more influence. It may come under the purview of someone who is already responsible for staff wellbeing - or often union leaders like to take on the role.

They are likely to be experiencing peri/menopause themselves, which means you also need to consider how they are supported and how you can help them create capacity.

What do they need?

They need to understand perimenopause and menopause and the variety of ways it shows up. They'll need to be prepared for conversations that can be difficult, emotional and intimate. They'll need to be able to see things from both sides - understanding the needs of the member of staff going through peri/menopause, but also balance that against the big picture of keeping a whole school thriving. They'll need to be able to get their hands on all the good reliable information (because there's a lot out there that isn't!)

And of course they'll need to be great communicators of all this great information and ideas. That's the bit I don't need to help them with! The rest I can and do!