The education sector in England is facing an unprecedented crisis in teacher wellbeing. With 14,000 teachers calling in sick every day, resulting in 2.5 million lost school days in 2022-23 alone, it’s clear to see that these statistics aren’t merely about physical illness. Rather, they are part of the ongoing crisis of teachers’ mental health and burnout, which must be addressed.
For countless educators, teaching is more than just a job – it's a passion, and a purpose. It’s highly rewarding and engaging as a profession. However, it also comes with huge responsibility and challenge. These hold a lot of weight and can take a toll on mental health without the right support in place.
The scale of the crisis
The 2024 Teacher Wellbeing Index (TWI) release has highlighted that 78% of education staff are stressed, a figure which remains unchanged since 2023. According to the November 2023 study by TWI, teacher wellbeing has hit a five-year low, with stress, insomnia and burnout all increasing. Adding to concerns, a recent poll by the NASUWT teaching union indicates that 86% of teachers believe their job has adversely affected their mental health in the past year.
Moreover, the TES School Wellbeing Report which surveyed 5,858 teachers revealed that 68% of them found their workloads unmanageable. From finding effective ways to engage with students on difficult subject matters to preparation ahead of exams and managing behavioural challenges, it's a lot to juggle. This burden is combined with increasing challenges in the classroom. Schools face higher levels of special educational needs among students, while simultaneously dealing with reduced support, often due to budget constraints.
The education sector has long operated under the mandate to 'do more with less'. While this is improving with new budgets for schools, the impact of these pressures extends far beyond individual educators. The rising absence rates of teachers are bound to have implications for both current students and the future of education.