The number of teachers taking time off sick because of poor wellbeing and mental health has doubled over the past three years, with a huge spike at the end of each term as stress and burnout peaks. Despite absence recorded as sickness falling, wellbeing absences are now far more prevalent and particularly so at secondary, data from thousands of schools collated by management information system provider reveals. It also follows an annual pattern, peaking towards the end of each term before falling after school holidays. The biggest peak each year is in June and July. James Weatherill, Arbor鈥檚 chief executive, said the increase 鈥渋s at least in part down to the normalisation of citing wellbeing as a reason for illness鈥. 鈥淏ut even if you strip out this effect, it shows a steady upward trend that wellbeing issues are taking its toll on staff.鈥 This summer, the wellbeing absence rate 鈥 the number of absences per 100 qualified teachers 鈥 hit almost 1.4 in secondary schools and almost 0.8 in primary. In June 2021, both sat at around 0.2. Healthier workforce practices? The rise in recent years is echoed in Teacher Tapp data. The daily pollster of thousands of teachers found those reporting having taken absence because of mental health rose from 10 per cent in 2018, to 13 per cent in 2023 and 2024. The government鈥檚 working lives of teachers survey also found that the proportion reporting their job negatively affected their mental health rose from 56 per cent in 2022 to 63 per cent in 2023. In the wider workforce, though, mental health has become less of a factor in sickness absence. According to the Office for National Statistics, the proportion of sickness absence due to mental health conditions has been falling since 2020. However, current data only goes up to 2022. Sin茅ad Mc Brearty The annual teacher wellbeing index report from charity Education Support found 鈥渄isturbingly high rates of stress, anxiety, and burnout continue to affect education staff, exacerbated by pupil and parent behaviour, and a lack of support outside school for children and young people鈥. But its chief executive, Sin茅ad Mc Brearty, said she would 鈥渟trongly caution against seeing the increase in wellbeing days as a problem when we know there remains so many systemic and cultural drivers of chronic stress in education鈥. Wellbeing days 鈥渃an take an important preventative role, as staff who are struggling would ideally take time off to stop it getting worse鈥. She said a preventative approach 鈥渉elps staff manage their wellbeing and ultimately will cost the system and schools a lot less. For me, these numbers represent a shift to healthier workplace practices.鈥 鈥楲eaders are not ok鈥 However, Education Support found 78 per cent of teachers and 84 per cent of leaders reported being stressed. The data from leaders 鈥渋s deeply troubling: they are not ok,鈥 the report said. 鈥淭hey are most likely to work unsustainably long hours, be unable to switch off, and experience symptoms of burnout.鈥 Leader stress ‘chronic and acute’ as pupil behaviour worsens That happened to Sean Maher, headteacher of Richard Challoner school in Kingston, around five years ago. His school was under 鈥渆gregious financial pressure鈥 due to budget cuts and unfunded pay rises, forcing redundancies. Ofsted was 鈥渏ust around the corner鈥. Maher was working 鈥渞idiculous hours鈥. 鈥淚t just got to a point where I was pretty exhausted. It was over Christmas, and I started to get pains in my arms and really sweating. I went to the doctors, and they said 鈥榶ou鈥檙e stressed, you’re burnt out鈥. And basically, I went to bed for a week.鈥 Maher has 鈥渉ad three periods now where I鈥檝e had to take time off work because I鈥檝e just been so run down, so stressed, so exhausted鈥. 鈥淚t’s got to a point where I think running the school to the standard that I want to run it to is almost an impossible job. And a lot of that is pressure that we put on ourselves as leaders. But a lot of that, it feels like the system is working against you.鈥 鈥楾here鈥檚 only so much you can do鈥 Emily Jones left primary headship in August after 10 years in the role. She had been forced to take wellbeing leave 鈥渇or the first time in my career鈥 last spring. Staff absences following the Covid pandemic and a lack of supply cover meant Jones and other leaders were forced to step in, sidelining other duties. 鈥淭hese things become untenable. There is only so much you can do. Only so many hours in a day. But the tasks just seem to keep piling up. And for me it had an impact. I was a single mum looking after two kids鈥nd I wasn鈥檛 spending any time with them. 鈥淚鈥檓 just over 40. I鈥檇 got 20 years left before I retired. And I don鈥檛 think I would have reached pensionable age had I continued in the profession. Only now, coming out of the profession and doing something different, do I realise the impacts of everything that is piled on a head teacher.鈥 Simon Kidwell, head of Hartford Manor Primary School and Nursery in Cheshire and a former president of the NAHT, was hospitalised three years ago after 鈥渨orking flat out during Covid鈥. He had also been suffering from insomnia and had symptoms of workplace anxiety. Kidwell was signed off for two weeks, which was 鈥渞eally helpful in terms of evaluating鈥nd I did stop doing some things after that, because I was doing too much. I stopped doing school improvement work鈥. 鈥楨verything is firefighting鈥 Nick Oswald, head of Great Ouseburn Community Primary School in Yorkshire, said he felt the role 鈥渉as just really dramatically increased鈥 in recent years. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a really good place, the school is thriving, but there鈥檚 just so much pressure, all the time. Everything is firefighting.鈥 Ofsted came up as a factor for many leaders who spoke to Schools Week. One told of how stress built around high staff absences and an impending inspection, but now inspectors have been and gone 鈥淚 feel so much better.鈥 Another said their recent Ofsted inspection was 鈥渙ne of the worst professional experiences that I鈥檝e had鈥. 鈥淚’m conscious of all of the things that I should be doing to manage my wellbeing, but I think the ferocity of the job is like nothing I’ve known in 30 odd years.鈥 The Education Support report did bring some more positive news too, though. The proportion of staff who said they considered their organisation鈥檚 culture had a negative effect on their wellbeing fell from 55 to 50 per cent. And 27 per cent of staff now experience the culture of their organisation as 鈥減ositive for their wellbeing鈥, up from 22 per cent last year. Schools seek to ease pressure School leaders spoke about how they were seeking to ease pressure on their staff. Some allow 鈥渄uvet days鈥 or for non-contact time to be completed at home. At Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester, no-one teaches longer than an early career teacher timetable, and staff are offered three wellbeing days a year that can be taken for any reason. Head Karl Harrison said any increase in wellbeing absence was 鈥減robably what traditionally you would have recorded as a sickness absence you would now view as a wellbeing absence, because people are a little bit more mindful of it.鈥 He said leaders needed to be 鈥渙pen and honest鈥 with staff when they themselves struggle. 鈥淚f I’m tired and grumpy, my team will know about it. I’m quite happy to show my weaknesses.鈥 Maher also openly discussed his struggles with staff and pupils because 鈥淚 don’t want mental health to be taboo鈥. Another leader who had had their own issues said this helped them 鈥渃ome from a place of compassion鈥 when dealing with wellbeing issues among staff. 鈥淪taff need to see vulnerabilities. If you鈥檙e ill, it鈥檚 ok to be ill.鈥 Richard Uffendell, head of Ashton Park School in Bristol, said his school had 鈥渄eveloped a culture where staff can ask for things鈥. He said he couldn鈥檛 say if wellbeing issues had increased but 鈥淚 certainly think people talk about it more鈥. But schools can only do so much on their own. Mc Brearty said: 鈥淭hese issues point to societal challenges beyond education that require deep thinking and creativity to address.鈥
Julie 23 November 2024 Diet and lack of sunshine and vitamins has a lot to do with poor mental health. There’s many things an employer could do to help their employees and that is provide sunshine lamps and provide food such as eggs or fish for dinner to give people the nutrients and choline they need for good brain function.