Half of the UK’s teachers have considered leaving teaching to escape intolerable levels of stress, research has revealed.
The online poll of 823 teachers showed that two-thirds felt that their jobs were “very stressful”, with inadequate support from the headteacher or senior management cited as the biggest cause of stress.
Seven out of 10 respondents to the survey by Teachers’ TV also cited pupils’ behaviour among the most stressful aspects of the job, and 60% blamed the high volume of administration.
Andrew Bethell, chief executive of Teachers’ TV, said: “Teaching is one of the most demanding professions and it is clear that our teachers are feeling the pressure.
“We need to ensure there are systems in place to help those teachers who experience stress to access available resources and support networks.”
A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said: “We have introduced an afternoon per week out of the classroom for all teachers to plan and prepare their lessons, doubled the number of support staff who take administrative tasks away from teachers, slashed the bureaucratic burden on schools and ensured that a low limit has been put on the number of hours a teacher can be expected to cover for colleagues.
“In addition, we have given powers to teachers and heads to ensure they can discipline pupils, remove them from class, confiscate items and exclude where necessary. Poor behaviour should not be tolerated.”
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