02 April 2023 , 23:01
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Stressed teachers are buckling under the pressures of the job, with nearly half saying their workloads are unmanageable.
A survey of more than 17,800 National Education Union (NEU) members in England and Wales found 48% of teachers struggled with the amount of work they have to do most or all of the time.
Some 37% of teachers and 21% of support staff said they feel stressed in school 80% or more of the time.
Most backed increased funding (88%), a reformed inspection system (79%), and smaller class sizes (73%) to ease pressures on staff.
Union members reported taking antidepressants to cope with stress as well as struggling to sleep and losing weight.
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It comes after leaked government research found almost a quarter of teachers in England are working 12-hour days - with 22% reporting they do a 60-hour week.
Teaching unions have been locked in a bitter pay dispute with the Government, with members of the NEU taking part in regional and national strikes in February and March.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)The union will decide whether to accept the Government's latest pay offer today as members gather in Harrogate for its annual conference.
Further strikes could be held on April 27 and May 2 if members reject the offer of a £1,000 cash payment this school year and an average 4.5% rise for most staff next school year.
Most teachers were handed a 5% pay rise last year but analysis by the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies found staff will actually suffer real terms pay cuts of 5% this year due to inflation - on top of more than a decade of squeezed wages.
NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted said: “We have known for a number of years that workload is the number one reason teachers decide to leave the profession, and it remains a major concern for support staff also.
NEU Joint General Secretary Mary Bousted (Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)"It is a key driver of the recruitment and retention crisis, where talented graduates suffer burnout within just a few years of qualifying.
“Looked at year on year, there is no discernible improvement in the situation. The strength of feeling from our members is just as intense as last year, sometimes more so, and indicates a failure on the part of Government to tackle a problem which a growing list of former education secretaries has admitted exists."
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We recognise how hard teachers work to transform children’s lives up and down the country. We are listening to teachers about the issues that affect them most. That is why, as part of our offer to the unions, we committed to forming a joint taskforce to reduce workload by five hours per week for every teacher.
“To improve teachers’ access to mental health support we are also investing £760,000 in a scheme that provides one to one supervision, and counselling to school leaders, and have launched the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter.
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“The core schools budget will reach £58.8 billion in 2024-25, following the significant £2bn additional investment announced in the Autumn Statement, taking school funding to its highest levels in history. The independent IFS estimates that school funding is still growing faster than school costs.”
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