Research update

Many of you expressed an interest in hearing more about our research and policy work via the survey that went out with the last issue. We thought it would be helpful to give you some information about one of our key pieces of work, the Teacher Wellbeing Index.

Background

Education Support, in conjunction with YouGov, has run an online survey at the end of each academic year, for the past three years, to investigate the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals working in the UK. Staff from all job roles take part.

The survey has expanded over time, from having 1,250 participants in 2017 to 1,502 in 2018 and 3,019 in 2019. At the present time, when mental health and wellbeing are at the forefront of people’s minds, this makes our evidence base an important tool to deliver meaningful and sustainable change.

Impact of the Index

As with any piece of research, it is important to consider its impact. The 2019 Index had an audience reach of over 14 million people. Specifically it was mentioned 86 times in the media, with exclusive stories published in the Guardian/ Observer online and in print, by the Times Education Supplement (tes) and Schools Week. It also featured in the Sun, Star, Express, Metro and The Scotsman, the latter after a mention in the Scottish Parliament. The Index has also been useful in helping to secure the appointment of Sinéad Mc Brearty, our CEO, to a 26-member Expert Advisory Group, set up in July 2019, to advise the Department for Education, Multi-Academy Trusts and Local Authorities on the wellbeing of school and college leaders and teachers.

This year’s Index (2020)

On 20 March 2020, all schools/colleges in the UK closed in order to try to combat the spread of the coronavirus whilst the country went into lockdown. However, during this period, many institutions did remain open in a limited way to look after vulnerable children and children of key workers. Thus, the working practices of staff could be very different to previous years. Therefore, for 2020 we are planning two publications. The first addresses the impact of the coronavirus on the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals, and this will be published in mid-September. The second, will contain the key benchmarking data (a slightly smaller publication than in previous years) and will be published in midNovember. We are currently working hard to analyse all the data for both these reports!

A sample of key findings

One benefit of conducting an annual survey is that trends over time can be analysed, and yearly differences identified. Some key findings from the 2019 Index were:

Levels of stress felt in the education profession are increasing

In 2019, 72% of all education professionals described themselves as stressed (84% of senior leaders), whereas in 2018 this was 67%

The number of education professionals experiencing a mental health issue is increasing

In 2019, 34% of all education professionals had experienced a mental health issue in the past year, which is an increase from

31% in 2018 The numbers of education professionals considering leaving the profession are high

In 2019 and 2018, 57% of staff had considered leaving the sector over the previous two years due to pressures on their health and wellbeing. In both years, the main reason was the high volume of workload and seeking a better work/life balance.

Should you have any questions relating to the Index, please email research@edsupport.org.uk.

The Index reports are available from our website at:

Teacher Wellbeing Index (2019) – educationsupport.org.uk/Twix19 Teacher Wellbeing Index (2018) – educationsupport.org.uk/Twix18 Health Survey (2017) - educationsupport.org.uk/Twix 17