Teacher stress increases for a third year

Work-related stress in the teaching profession has increased for a third consecutive year, according to the annual Teacher Wellbeing Index – conducted by the charity Education Support in partnership with YouGov.

It shows that over one third of education professionals (34 per cent) experienced a mental health issue in the past academic year (31 per cent in 2018) with 78 per cent of all education professionals experiencing either behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work (76 per cent in 2018).

Senior leaders reported the highest levels of stress in 2019 (84 per cent), up from 80 per cent in 2018 and 75 per cent in 2017.

Rises in the stress levels of school teachers also occurred, with 73 per cent reporting being stressed in 2019, compared with 64 per cent in 2018 and 67 per cent in 2017.

Education professionals working in the West Midlands and North West England reported the highest levels of work-related stress (77 per cent and 75 per cent respectively) and the lowest Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale scores (43.6 and 43.4 respectively).

What's more, more than half of education professionals (57 per cent) have considered leaving the sector in the past two years due to health and wellbeing pressures, with the volume of workload (71 per cent) and not feeling valued (65 per cent) cited as the two major reasons given. There was also an increase in pupil/student behaviour given as a factor, rising from 33 per cent in 2017 to 42 per cent in 2019.

74 per cent of education professionals consider the inability to switch off and relax to be the major contributing factor to a negative work-life balance.

The report recommends that educational reforms should promote increased levels of trust and autonomy for educators, demonstrating that staff are valued. This will improve self-esteem and wellbeing across the sector, with a positive impact on recruitment, retention and pupil outcomes.
It also suggests that accountability systems need to continue to evolve in a way that builds teacher efficacy and development, as opposed to unproductive tension and anxiety.
The report says that overwork has become normalised across education. Healthy working practices and boundaries need to become the new, celebrated norm. With improved levels of health, teachers will be more physically and emotionally present to learners.

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