AoC responds to publication of Teacher Wellbeing Index

Responding to the publication of Education Supports Teacher Wellbeing Index, Jen Hope, AoC’s senior policy lead for mental health said: “Pressure and stress within the workplace is clearly intertwined with employee’s mental health, so it is important that this report shines a spotlight on how staff in education are faring. Stress, depression and anxiety have all remained at an unsustainably high level and over the lifetime of the Teacher Wellbeing Index, these figures have not meaningfully improved. This has concerning implications for our workforce’s long-term mental health.”

“Working in education across all provision type is hugely rewarding but can be very high-pressured. These findings show that staff in education have worse levels of mental wellbeing than the general population, with wellbeing rated lower now than in 2019 (pre-pandemic). And funding really matters - for the first time, ‘lack of resources’ has become one of the top five reasons that staff consider leaving the profession.”

“We welcome the report’s findings and focus on challenging poor mental health and wellbeing in education and support recommendations for “ambitious, fully-funded initiatives that address the systemic drivers of stress and poor mental health in the education sector, including funding, intensification of workload, and the status and autonomy of the profession“.