Back in 2019 at the Bett Show, Education Secretary Damian Hinds's opening speech laid down a challenge.
He called on the tech industry to use their skills to cut the time teachers were spending on burdensome administrative tasks. He said: ' EdTech sometimes gets a bit of a bad name because this is one of the few sectors where technology has been associated, for some people, not with a decrease in their work but an increase.'
The hours spent on marking and report writing were cited as key factors that were damaging the mental health and well-being of teachers. There were calls to reduce teachers' workloads and talk of restoring work life balance. It would seem that neither politician nor technology companies have delivered on their promise and with the extra stress of lockdown, there is an exodus of teachers in all sectors.
The loss to the sector
The 2021 Teacher Wellbeing Index revealed that teachers' mental health was worse when they returned to the classroom than at the height of the pandemic. Senior leaders were affected too with 84% reporting high levels of stress. Teachers reported psychological or physical symptoms – including panic attacks, anxiety, depression, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, forgetfulness, overeating and tearfulness – as a result of pressures they face at work.
Just over half of staff are considering leaving the education profession, with excessive workload and poor work-life balance being the main drivers. Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said: 'The Government has a real opportunity to build back better after the pandemic by taking decisive action to tackle the root causes of excessive teacher workload and support the mental and physical wellbeing of the profession.'