Education Support has published the 2024 Teacher Wellbeing Index, drawing insights from over 3,000 UK education professionals including senior leaders, teachers, and support staff. The findings highlight the significant impact of the past year on staff wellbeing, with the results serving as another reminder that the education sector is dealing with a mental health crisis.
Below we explore some of the key findings from the report, and highlight an effective strategy that can help schools improve support for staff and foster a positive wellbeing culture.
"Disturbingly high rates of stress, anxiety, and burnout continue to affect education staff." - Sinéad Mc Brearty, Education Support CEO
Staff stress levels have not improved since last year, with 78% of professionals continuing to report feeling stressed. “Challenging behaviours by pupils and students” appears to be a significant factor impacting staff wellbeing, with 63% of all staff reporting that such incidents have increased this academic year. Of this group, 82% confirm that it has negatively affected their mental health.
Another factor impacting wellbeing is the behaviour of some parents and guardians towards education staff. Over half (56%) of senior leaders and 43% of all staff report an increase in vexatious complaints from parents and guardians compared to last year. This refers to complaints which are “pursued without sufficient grounds, to cause annoyance, embarrassment or harassment.”
In the face of such challenges, staff wellbeing is further undermined by a lack of support. 40% of teachers feel that their organisations could do more to effectively support employees facing mental health and wellbeing issues. Additionally, 69% of staff who liaise with public bodies report receiving “little or no support” from these external agencies for their students.
The 2024 report does contain some encouraging signs, at least in comparison to results from the previous academic year. While still high, the number of staff experiencing poor mental health due to work is down 3% since 2023, now standing at 77%.
When it comes to workplace culture, 50% of staff feel it has a negative impact on their wellbeing - a slight improvement from 55% in 2023. Furthermore, 54% of staff feel that employees dealing with mental health and wellbeing issues are “well supported” by their organisation. In 2023, only 47% of staff agreed with this sentiment.
The numbers are slowly heading in the right direction, but there’s clearly much room for improvement when it comes to establishing supportive workplace cultures for education staff.
Each setting is different, and in order to effectively support staff wellbeing, organisations should take the time to assess their current workplace culture. An essential step in this process is listening to staff feedback on the specific issues impacting their mental health.
In the Teacher Wellbeing Index, the 50% of staff who said their organisational culture has a negative effect on their mental health were asked to highlight the most important aspects contributing to this experience. The two factors rated most highly by school teachers and support staff were:
Not feeling appreciated
Not feeling supported
While it paints a concerning picture, these responses suggest that staff wellbeing could be improved with some straightforward but key improvements in communication and support.
Smoothwall Pulse is a wellbeing platform designed specifically for use in education. In addition to enabling school leaders to gain instant visibility of student wellbeing, it also supports the mental health and wellbeing of staff, helping to develop a supportive workplace culture.
A brief, weekly check-in, on their digital device, gives staff the opportunity to discreetly answer a few questions on their current wellbeing and access various forms of support, should they need it. Each session also allows staff to share gratitude for another member of the school community. These simple acknowledgements help to create a workplace environment in which people feel appreciated and part of a team.
Abigail Gilton, Assistant Headteacher and DSL at Boston High School, where Pulse is used by both staff and students, is a strong advocate of this strategy:
“What’s been the most valuable, I think, is for support staff. I know that it’s made them feel more valued, that they have a voice. What’s absolutely brilliant, and we’ve just hit it this week, is that 100% of staff feel supported at work.”
To learn more about Smoothwall Pulse, or to arrange a walkthrough of how it could work in your setting, contact us at enquiries@smoothwall.com.
Read the full report from Education Support: Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024.