Ministers, employers and inspectorates are failing in their duty
of care to teachers, with a lack of action to address workload
and the impact of the pandemic driving up stress and poor mental
health to unprecedented levels.
A survey by NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, into
teacher wellbeing has found that nine in ten teachers have
experienced more work-related stress in the last 12 months, with
91% reporting that their job has adversely impacted their mental
health in the last year.
The impact of the pandemic has driven up teachers’ workloads that
were already excessive still further, yet there is overwhelming
evidence that schools, governments and employers are failing to
take all reasonable steps to mitigate the impact on teachers and
to put in place steps to support their physical and mental
wellbeing.
More than three-quarters (78%) say that their school does not
provide staff with workspaces that promote wellbeing and two
thirds of teachers say that their school does not have measures
in place to monitor and manage stress and burnout.
At national level the picture is even more damning, with more
than four in five teachers (81%) saying they do not believe
Government policies support schools to respond to the mental
health and wellbeing of teachers.
Nearly all respondents (98%) said they did not believe the
inspection system takes teachers’ mental health and wellbeing
into account when assessing schools.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary,
said:
“While the pandemic has been tough for everyone, teachers have
been right in the eye of the storm. Even before Covid-19 teachers
were already caught in a spiral of increasing workload and stress
and the events of the last two years have turbo-charged the
pressure they are under.
“This was not inevitable. Excessive workloads and working hours
should not be accepted as an intrinsic part of the job of
teaching. There are a multitude of practical steps which
employers, governments and inspectorates can take, and which we
have been pressing for, which would reduce the pressures on
teachers without sacrificing educational standards or rigour in
our schools.
“Cutting out unnecessary bureaucracy, trusting teachers to teach
and giving them greater freedom and autonomy to help pupils learn
and progress - this is the model followed by the best employers
and the most successful education systems globally.
“Establishing working conditions which support the health and
wellbeing of teachers will deliver a win-win in schools’ efforts
to ensure the best outcomes for pupils.
“Instead, employers and governments are fixated on heaping ever
more pressure on teachers on the damaging assumption that
teachers’ dedication to their pupils is unbreakable. The damaging
toll on teachers’ health and wellbeing cannot continue to be
written off as collateral damage.
“This is no way to run a world-class education service.
“If the Government is truly committed to the educational success
of children and young people, Ministers must deliver a better
deal for teachers.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The survey received 11,857 responses from NASUWT members across
the UK between mid-December 2021 and early January 2022.
A copy of the full teacher wellbeing survey report is attached.
