Inspections deemed ‘not fit for purpose’ by teachers and education staff as they battle loneliness, stress and burnout
Education Support, a leading UK charity who advocate for the mental health of teachers and education staff, has released its seventh Teacher Wellbeing Index.
News 15 November 2023 / 4 mins read
The overall picture of wellbeing is poor in the sector, with senior leaders remaining at risk, and classroom teachers seeing a significant decline in overall wellbeing.
The report shows significant feelings of loneliness and isolation experienced by staff in the sector. The report found that teachers and education staff feel twice as lonely at work (14%) compared to the national population of England (7%).
The report also highlights the breakdown in trust between the teaching profession and its regulatory bodies across the UK, especially Ofsted in England. The findings raise serious questions about the effectiveness of inspections, the impact on school leader and staff wellbeing and implications for learner outcomes.
Using data from a survey of over 3,000 education staff the report found that:
73%
of staff thought inspections were not fit for purpose
60%
of staff thought inspections do not provide a comprehensive picture of strengths and weaknesses of schools or colleges
71%
of staff thought inspections negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing
Stress levels have increased across the sector when compared to 2022. The highest increase has been seen among school teachers, and insomnia is also on the rise across the workforce:
78%
of all education staff are stressed (3% increase on 2022)
89%
of all senior leaders (rising to 95% among headteachers) and 78% of school teachers reported feeling stressed
78%
of school teachers are stressed (6% increase on 2022 and the highest of all job roles))
36%
of school teachers reported experiencing burn-out (9% increase on 2022)
51%
of staff experience insomnia or difficulty sleeping (6% increase on 2022)
This is a particularly concerning population of teachers and education staff who experience acute stress or burnout together with feelings of isolation at work (31% and 23% respectively). These combined factors point to elevated mental health risk (up to and including an elevated suicide risk[1]) among this small but vulnerable group. At least 6% of senior leaders and 5% of all staff experience acute stress and/or burnout and loneliness together. The report calls for the Government to do more to protect this cohort of education staff.
Professor Julia Waters, sister of Headteacher Ruth Perry said:
“It should not have taken the death of my sister, the headteacher Ruth Perry, to make government finally take notice and, I hope, urgent action to address the mental health crisis in education. Ruth was not the first headteacher or teacher to take her own life following an Ofsted inspection. I am determined that she will be the last.
That 82% of senior leaders state that inspections have a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing is a shocking indictment of long-standing government inaction to address this important concern. That 65% of teachers and education staff in England believe Ofsted inspections to be unreliable, and 75% of all staff said that they are not fit for purpose, starkly demonstrate that Ofsted has lost the trust and confidence of the teaching profession.
The time is long overdue for a radical reform of Ofsted’s punitive, unreliable and fatally-flawed school inspection system. It is my family’s hope that the Education Select Committee’s parliamentary inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools will finally bring about a fully reformed schools inspection system, which prioritises the wellbeing of teaching staff as well as of schoolchildren.”
John Smith*, Primary Headteacher said:
“My personal wellbeing has been affected by inspections. There is stress, anxiety and a lot of sleepless nights. Inspection day itself puts huge amounts of pressure on staff (to the point of dread). Often on the day staff are having to do things for the benefit of inspectors – not pupils.”
“Knowing an Ofsted inspection could be around the corner leaves you feeling constantly on edge. You second guess yourself. You ask yourself, what is best for the children versus what would Ofsted say?”
“Staff have needed to take sick leave following an inspection due to the stress of the day. And there is no respite for staff. The inspection day is over and then it’s straight on to the next challenge. You can feel tearful and emotional following an inspection – the stress can take a long time to come down from.”
Sinéad Mc Brearty, Chief Executive of Education Support commented:
“These are not findings that anyone wants to see. Our education workforce is stressed and unhappy at work. Such high levels of burnout, overwork and loneliness will not lead to a world class education system.
Working in schools and colleges is unsustainably demanding and not improved by the level of mistrust the profession has in the inspection process.
Children and young people need to be surrounded by energised and committed teachers to give them the best chances in life. Instead, the reality of working life in education is causing talented educators to leave the profession in their droves. We can and must do better.”
Working in schools and colleges is unsustainably demanding and not improved by the level of mistrust the profession has in the inspection process.Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO Education Support
Education Support makes the following recommendations to UK education departments (full details on in the Conclusions and Recommendations on page 54 of report):
- All education departments must develop a coherent strategy to improve the wellbeing of the education workforce
- Suicide prevention must be prioritised
- It’s time to overhaul the inspection system
- We must invest in soft leadership skills
- We need a funding settlement that matches current levels of demand on schools and colleges
- The wider ecosystem of public services must also be properly funded
- A review of training frameworks to reflect the current reality of educators’ lives and embed mental health and wellbeing
Sign-posting to support
Teachers or education staff feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call the Education Support helpline: 08000 562 561. The number is free, open 24/7 and offers immediate support. You do not have to be in crisis to speak to a qualified councillor. If you’re worried you cannot keep yourself safe right now, please call 999 or go to A&E.
Notes on the research
The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2023 is the seventh large-scale survey benchmarking the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals in the UK. To download a full copy of the report, including conclusions and recommendations visit the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2023.
Please share the report on social media. Download template social media messaging and images.
Contact: gemma.scotcher@edsupport.org.uk
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3004 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21 June - 29 July 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted by education phase and are representative of the education workforce.
The full reference for the study by Howard et al (2021) is:
Howard, M C, Follmer, K B, Smith, M B., Tucker, R P and Van Zandt, E C (2021). Work and suicide: An interdisciplinary systematic literature review. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 10 April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2519
*Pseudonym used to protect head teacher’s identity
[1] These indicative suicide factors are informed by the work of Howard et al (2021) and calculated using the percentages of staff who told us they were always, or often lonely, and who also suffered from burnout/acute stress - n = 241 for senior leaders; n = 3,004 for all staff (NB it is not a direct finding from the data).
