Uncertainty about safety

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In April 2021, a survey by the NASUWT teachers’ union found that eight in 10 (79%) teachers felt their job had adversely affected their mental health in the previous 12 months, and of those, almost half (48%) said uncertainty about safety in their school was a factor. Over 80% of teachers responding to the survey said they had experienced an increase in workplace stress over the past year. Nearly a quarter (23%) said they took medication to help them cope, 12% underwent counselling to give them extra support, and 9% used or increased their reliance on antidepressant drugs.

The survey also found that in the last 12 months, as a result of their job:

• 87% experienced anxiety;

• 79% suffered from loss of sleep;

• 30% increased their use of alcohol;

• seven per cent suffered a relationship breakdown; and

• two per cent self-harmed.

NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach said the figures were “truly shocking and starkly illustrate the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and school staff”. He pointed to the huge increase in workload as one of the causes (see page 20).