Stress: The Education Industry’s Hidden Horror

Stress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”. Its effects come in many different forms, from headaches and insomnia to panic attacks and depression, and it is fair to say that many of us know first-hand the impact stress can have.

One group of people who understand more than most is teachers. Figures released in 2017 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that there were 2,460 cases of work-related stress per 100,000 workers in the teaching profession — exactly double the average of all other industries. This problem is further evidenced by figures that show 3,750 teachers in England spent more than one month off work in 2016–17 due to stress and mental health issues.

As today is National Stress Awareness Day, we want to highlight some of the factors that have caused a stress epidemic in the industry.

Teaching is one of the most rewarding and valuable professions, but with ever-increasing workloads, extreme performance-related pressures, and a lack of resources, it is also a challenging one.

Over the years, the role of a teacher has changed. No longer are they expected to solely plan and deliver lessons and take care of their pupils. Instead, they are required to contribute significantly towards their school’s communications and marketing activities and help them achieve their community engagement goals.

This increased workload creates a lot of pressure. A teacher’s time available for planning lessons and helping pupils individually is minimised, while they must juggle between attaining their personal performance targets and being responsible for the school achieving theirs.

At Eduprise, we believe that teachers are heroes. The amount of hard work and effort that they put into the many facets of their job is astounding. However, as the statistics show, such heroic efforts come at a cost, and stress is an issue that the education industry must address. Reducing the ever-growing workload teachers face is a good place to start.

Eduprise works closely with multi-academy trusts and schools, taking on their internal and external communication requirements, as well as delivering marketing materials that help them achieve their goals. With our expert team handling each trust or school’s communication and marketing requirements, teachers are relieved of the additional pressure and responsibility that they currently endure.