Wellbeing of school staff continues to be impacted by the Pandemic
Education Support, the charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff, have published their annual Teacher Wellbeing Index. It shows that the pandemic is continuing to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of school staff.
The ongoing demands of dealing with COVID-related issues in schools has seen 62% of school staff surveyed citing it as a contributing factor to their poor mental health, which is up from 33% in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
Other key findings:
- 77% of staff experienced symptoms of poor health linked to their work
- 38% of staff experienced mental health issues in the past academic year (up 7% on 2020)
- The highest percentage of staff who had experienced mental health issues was the North West of England (47%)
- Early career staff experienced the highest levels of symptoms of poor mental health
- 44% of staff expressed feelings of anxiety which is 7% higher than the figure for the general population
- 32% of senior leaders expressed that they were experiencing burnout
- The overall wellbeing score of the education workforce in England was 16% lower than in the general population
There are many resources available on the Education Support website for individuals and for organisations to access to support around mental health and wellbeing.
If you feel you are feeling anxious and stressed, Education Support run a free helpline for school staff to get confidential help on 08000 562 561. They also operate a grants scheme if you are facing financial difficulties.
