Burnout and bad behaviour biggest challenges for staff

Forty-six per cent of school staff who took part in a poll feel exhausted to the point of burnout, while 38 per cent said bad student behaviour was wearing them down.

The Reddit poll from Access Education had just under 1,150 respondents. Many highlighted that their biggest headaches were poor leadership, difficult parents and too much paperwork.

Access Education also looked at the top 10 stressors facing teachers today. Once again, workload and mental health are both major concerns, accounting for four out of 10 threads.

But top of the list was the PGCE – known for being a gruelling year for trainee teachers who have to combine study with the demands of working in a real classroom. While some concerns seem relatively minor, such as what to wear for placements, someone asked whether consecutive 15-hour days were the norm.

Emma Slater, Head of Publishing at Access Education, said: “The past few years have been extremely challenging for teachers – first with Covid, and now the cost of living crisis and industrial action. This is on top of the usual stress factors, like disruptive behaviour and heavy workloads. Teachers are leaving the profession, sometimes just a few years after qualifying, and the government is struggling to recruit new ones.”

She added that while there will always be challenges outside schools’ control, there are steps they can take to reduce stress: “When the senior leadership team, support staff and teachers have the right technology in place, they can start to make positive changes. Technology can help to reduce unnecessary admin, improve communication with parents to encourage better behaviour and enable HR managers to proactively identify and address burnout.”