Mental health of teachers is a concern

Mental Health Nursing,  May 2006  

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A report stating the importance of linking up the disparate services that tackle teacher stress has been launched recently by the Teacher Support Network.

Unveiled at the teacher union conferences in April, The School Wellbeing Report highlights the need to prioritise teacher wellbeing and for support services to work together to boost the physical and mental health of teachers, thereby improving their effectiveness in the classroom.

Patrick Nash, chief executive of the Teacher Support Network, said: 'We know that teaching is an increasingly challenging profession, with pupil behaviour, malicious allegations and government pressure to increase standards all making a serious impact on the wellbeing of teachers.

'Healthy, resilient and motivated teachers have positive implications for society as a whole, because their wellbeing undoubtedly impacts on pupil wellbeing, student attainment and overall school performance.

'By producing this report, we have started a dialogue between teachers, occupational health practitioners, unions and other sources of support for teachers. Now is the time to share what we have learnt, to improve communication and to work together to increase support for, and make improvements in the wellbeing of teachers.'

The report adds that only 10 per cent of teachers who retire due to ill health accessed occupational health services prior to retirement, in comparison to 90 per cent of healthcare workers.

Writing in the report, Mr Nash adds: 'There is still a stigma attached to the idea of seeking support, including counselling and occupational health. Many people, and not just teachers, still shy away from seeking help and from talking about how they feel, to the detriment of their mental wellbeing. This goes some way to explain the high levels of weekend and holiday sickness among teachers.

'Our concern is also that teachers and lecturers tend to shy away from approaching and offering support to colleagues who they perceive as facing mental health problems or challenges. Not only is there this stigma, but also the lack of resources to deal with mental health across the board, including in the NHS and local authorities, mean that many occupational problems in education simply never get dealt with.'

Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association May 2006
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