Staff wellbeing across the education sector drops to its lowest since 2019  

The charity issues an urgent call for Government action to deliver a retention strategy with staff wellbeing at its heart. Without this, more teachers will leave the profession, and more children and young people’s education will suffer. They warn that teacher wellbeing and pupil outcomes are inseparable. While educators are unwell, the quality of learning and the stability of the entire system remain at risk.

Key findings from TWIX 2025

• Education staff report poorer wellbeing than the general population  
• Their overall wellbeing score is the lowest since they began recording it in 2019[1]
• 76% of education staff report feeling stressed 
• One third (36%) are at risk of probable clinical depression[2] 
• 77% experience symptoms of poor mental health due to work 

Schools and college leaders most at risk

School and college leaders remain the cohort with the highest levels of reported stress. They also report suffering from time poverty[3], working at very high speed and to tight deadlines, for three-quarters or more of the time:

• 86% of senior leaders feel stressed, with many reporting signs of burnout and exhaustion 
• 81% feel they have too many things to do without enough time to do them in their job
• 62% say they work at very high speed, and 71% they work to tight deadlines, for three-quarters or more of the time

Lack of public services and funding

The report also sheds light on the emotional toll of additional, often unseen responsibilities, placed on teachers and education staff.  This includes providing emotional support to pupils and students (87% help them at least monthly), to providing food (57% help them at least monthly) and providing supplies for school or college (49% buy them at least monthly) in 2024-2025. The report recommends better-resourced public services are needed so education staff aren’t left filling gaps in social, emotional and practical support for young people.

Sean, a teacher and head of faculty said:

“I’ve arranged for donated football boots, organised lift-shares and even contacted local companies for support. Still, I carry a lot of guilt. I worry that my pupils won’t achieve the grades they could, simply because they can’t afford things like books. It’s a helpless feeling, knowing there’s only so much I can do. The weight of disclosures and the realities of poverty come home with you.”

Jessica*, a SEND college educator said:

“There's been a noticeable shift with more responsibilities and much more emotional support needed for students. I often feel more like a social worker than an educator. The pastoral side of the job has grown, but support for staff hasn't kept pace. If I could ask for one change, it would be more investment in emotional support, both for students and staff.”

Workplace culture negatively affects staff

Nearly half (49%) of education staff continue to report that their organisation’s culture negatively affects their mental health. This persistent trend suggests that, for many, moving to a new role in the sector carries a 50/50 chance of entering a workplace that could harm their wellbeing.

Sara*, a community learning coordinator said:

“Some departments are supportive of support staff, others not so much. That culture can trickle down and affects learners. If I could ask for one key change, it would be to treat support staff as equals, not second-class citizens. We receive less pay, less annual leave and fewer professional development opportunities. But the work we do is crucial to the success of the education system.”

Call to action 

Education Support warns that their findings should serve as a wake-up call to Government; the charity is calling for urgent, coordinated action to improve staff wellbeing with a retention strategy that protects the long-term sustainability of the education system. 

Sinéad Mc Brearty, Chief Executive of Education Support commented: 

“Our ninth index reveals that the people who educate our children are operating under intolerable pressure. Our findings should serve as a wake-up call to Government. We urgently need a national retention strategy that puts staff wellbeing at its core. Without this, more teachers will leave the profession, and more children and young people’s education will suffer.”

“While we know that many school and college leaders are working hard to make improvements, those efforts are often isolated, under-supported and lacking consistency across the sector. A retention strategy that prioritises the wellbeing of teachers and education staff, will safeguard the future of our children and young people.”

Education Support makes the following recommendations to UK education departments (full details are in the Conclusions and Recommendations on page 73 of the report):

1. Develop dedicated teacher and education staff retention strategies: Governments should adopt comprehensive retention strategies that prioritise staff wellbeing to improve outcomes and retain talented educators.
2. Adopt a whole-system strategy to strengthen public services: Better-resourced public services are needed so education staff aren’t left filling gaps in social, emotional and practical support for young people.
3. Reduce stress and workload intensity for school and college leaders: Targeted interventions such as professional supervision and reflective practice should be provided to reduce burnout and improve leader wellbeing.
4. Support and scale improvements to workplace culture: Government must build on existing efforts in schools and colleges to create positive workplace cultures and ensure consistent national progress.
5. Launch a national debate on accountability and inspection systems: A full review of the education accountability system, including inspections, is needed to reduce stress and promote fair, constructive accountability.
6. Prioritise suicide awareness and prevention in education: Suicide should be formally recognised in workplace safety frameworks, with greater awareness and promotion of confidential mental health support for staff. 

Sign-posting to support 

Teachers or education staff feeling emotionally distressed can call the Education Support helpline: . The number is free, open 24/7 and offers immediate support.  You do not have to be in crisis to speak to a qualified counsellor.

Notes to editors

The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025 is the ninth large-scale survey benchmarking the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals in the UK. Find the full report via this link on publication.  

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3,082 education staff working in the UK. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6 June and 14 July 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted by education phase and are representative of the education workforce. 

1. The governments of the four UK countries publish WEMWBS scores for their adult populations. When the scores for education staff are compared, the wellbeing of education sector was found to be much lower. 
2. The WEMWBS is a self-administered questionnaire of subjective wellbeing and psychological functioning. There are 14 questions, each with five response options. The scores are summed together to provide a single score that ranges from 14-70, which are then aggregated to form a total score. Using the benchmarking approach, we found that 36% of staff have a score of less than 41 which suggests probable clinical depression. University of Warwick (2025). “Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)”. How it works, Analysis. Updated 24 April 2025. 
3. Time poverty is the feeling of having too many things to do without enough time to do them. 

*Pseudonym used to protect identity  

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Our CEO Sinéad Mc Brearty is available for interview on request.

Contact: emily.kenneally@edsupport.org.uk or  gemma.scotcher@edsupport.org.uk