Mental Health and Wellbeing of Ethnic Minority Teachers

This report shines a light on the lived experience of ethnic minority teachers in English primary and secondary schools.

Research / 2 mins read

This report – made possible with the generous support of Wesleyan – set out to understand how the wellbeing of ethnic minority educators compared with the wider population.

The research comprised of three focus groups, which were conducted by YouGov using its panel of education professionals. These included 26 teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders

Developed with insights from the BAMEed Network and Black Teachers Connect, the report explores the main drivers of stress among ethnic minority teachers, their experiences in the workplace and what needs to happen for real cultural change to take place.

The results confirm that many of the drivers of stress in the teaching profession are the same irrespective of race: they include volume of workload, workplace culture and Ofsted pressures.

On top of this, Black, Brown and other ethnic minority teachers and leaders face specific challenges due to their race such as, barriers to progression, tokenism and microaggressions.

One of my AHT colleagues often tells me I need to think more carefully how I portray myself ... as a Brown man. Sometimes I feel I have to work harder than colleagues to prove myself .... and actually similarly other ethnic minorities.
Senior leader

We found that the quality of line management was reportedly variable, but getting this right can make a meaningful impact on stress levels. The teachers we heard from also called for much wider – and proactive – equality, diversity and inclusion training to create more inclusive cultures in schools.

Thanks to Wesleyan for its generous support of this report, funding from which made the focus group activity possible.

Education Support and the Chartered College of Teaching are holding a roundtable event to discuss the issues raised in the report on 2 March at 4.30pm. Book your place.