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Burn-out, stress, exhaustion, insomnia: Stark warning from Teacher Wellbeing Index

A third of teachers are experiencing burn-out, more than half have difficulty sleeping, and almost four in five say they are stressed – and the problems are even worse for senior leaders.
Image: Adobe Stock

This year’s Teacher Wellbeing Index reports notable increases in stress levels among teachers and school leaders in both primary and secondary schools over the last 12 months.

Furthermore, more teachers and school leaders have experienced mental health problems, symptoms of anxiety, burn-out and exhaustion.

The report, which is published annually by the education wellbeing charity Education Support, concludes that teacher wellbeing has “declined significantly over the past year” and even raises concerns about “specific cohorts at risk of suicide”.

The research comes after the death earlier this year of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life ahead of the publication of an Ofsted inspection report that was due to downgrade her outstanding school to inadequate.

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