UK teachers becoming overwhelmed by additional tasks and unnecessary stress

Educational Review has recently published findings that highlight problems facing many teachers within the UK today. The in-depth research with 39 teachers from England and Wales found widespread  mental health issues were being experienced amongst the cohort. Demanding workloads, considerable paperwork, reaching academic targets and rapid policy changes were discussed. Many felt that these issues were getting in the way of their primary focus – the children they teach – by making them devote more time to mentally exhausting issues. Gerry Leavey, who led the study, explains that “[teachers] express a tension between the old view of what it means to be a teacher…and the new managerialist view – accountability, performativity and meeting standards in a new, corporate world.” He goes on to say that high numbers of educators are leaving the profession due to these issues, as the stress encroaches on their personal lives.