Findings from the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024

Top takeaway

While there’s been an improvement in organisational culture and support for mental health and wellbeing, Education Support’s Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024 reports that 78% of all staff are stressed. Challenging pupil behaviour is having a negative impact, along with a perceived lack of support from other public bodies. 

More details

Staff mental health

• 77% of staff report experiencing symptoms of poor mental health due to work.
• 35% of staff said they had experienced mental health issues in the past academic year.

Insomnia or difficulty sleeping is the most commonly experienced symptom of poor mental health, followed by irritability or mood swings. 

Signs of burnout and exhaustion are highest amongst senior leaders. 

Pupil and parent relationships

• 63% of staff feel they have experienced more incidents of challenging pupil and student behaviour. 
• 43% of staff feel vexatious complaints from parents and guardians have increased.  

This then has a knock-on effect on mental health. 82% of staff who reported an increase in challenging behaviours by pupils said that their mental health and wellbeing has been negatively affected by this. 

The lack of provision for pupils’ and students’ unmet emotional needs was listed as the main reason for the increase in verbal and physical abuse to staff.

Lack of support from other public services

69% of those who liaise with public bodies in their role feel that they receive little or no support from public bodies for their pupils and students. For those who report this lack of support, it can have a negative impact on their job satisfaction, mental health and ability to switch off. 

Green shoots of good news

27% of education staff feel their institution’s organisational culture has a positive effect on staff mental health and wellbeing – a 5% increase on 2023’s index. 

54% feel that employees who experience problems with their mental health and wellbeing are well supported by their organisation – a 7% increase on last year. 

The number of staff who feel that their institution’s organisational culture has a negative effect on staff mental health and wellbeing is now at 50%, a 5% decrease on last year’s index. 

Report recommendations

Report recommendations for schools and the government include the following.

• Schools and other settings to continue efforts to improve the workplace experience for staff.
• Prioritise staff retention.
• SEND provision to be properly resourced, along with child poverty reduction programmes.
• More high quality, targeted support for school leaders to reduce the symptoms of stress and burnout.
• A focus on improving relationships between staff, parents and carers, with a renewal of the social contract between families and schools.  

Questions for reflection

• Do you feel that the social contract between schools and families has been fractured? What can be done to repair this relationship? 
• Does your setting provide targeted support for school leaders to try and prevent stress and burnout? Do you feel it's needed? 
• What’s working well in your setting to support staff wellbeing and morale? Do you think there’s more that could be done to help staff manage symptoms of poor mental health? 

Reading and resources

• Education Support news: Alarming rise in challenging parent and pupil behaviour amid unsustainable levels of stress and burnout
• Download the report: Teacher Wellbeing Index
• Schools Week: Rise of the wellbeing sick day: Sign of a growing problem or healthier approach?
• Education Support website