Health and well-being hub

The article discusses some of the results of the State of Education 2024 survey where over 8,000 National Education Union members participated. The survey asked teachers and support staff about their personal experience of workload and the forces affecting their wellbeing. The survey reveals that the majority of teachers and support staff in England and Wales are struggling with unmanageable workloads, leading to significant stress and poor work-life balance. Key factors related to stress include government-driven factors such as inspections, insufficient staffing levels, and lack of resources.

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Publisher: National Education Union (NEU)
Country: United Kingdom
Year of publication: 2024

Region: Europe
Topics: Mental health Salaries and remuneration Working conditions Workload
Available in: English
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel
Resource type: Web page

The page outlines five key principles for workforce policy and practice in schools to address the challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. It emphasizes the need for schools to allow teachers and school leaders to focus on their core responsibilities, support them amidst unprecedented pressures, and prioritize their wellbeing and mental health. The page also highlights the importance of tackling excessive workload drivers, such as unnecessary administrative tasks, and ensuring that teachers' and school leaders' contractual and statutory entitlements are respected to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

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Publisher: NASUWT - The Teachers' Union
Country: United Kingdom
Year of publication: 2024

Region: Europe
Topics: Mental health Pandemics and epidemics Workload
Available in: English
Categories of staff: Teachers
Resource type: Web page

The interview with Sinead McBrearty, CEO of Education Support, a teacher welfare charity, discusses the findings of the 2024 Teacher Wellbeing Index, highlighting the rise in verbal and physical abuse from pupils, pressure from parents, and lack of support from external services as key stressors for teachers. McBrearty emphasizes the need for fresh thinking and new mental models to improve teacher wellbeing, advocating for increased funding, better support from public services, and effective workload management. The interview underscores the importance of creating a supportive work environment and offers insights into how Education Support is helping teachers navigate these challenges.

Open resource in English

Publisher: NASUWT - The Teachers' Union
Country: United Kingdom
Year of publication: 2024

Region: Europe
Topics: Cross-cutting resource Job satisfaction Mental health Recognition Respect
Available in: English
Categories of staff: Teachers
Resource type: Web page

The course provides an introduction to social protection, covering different issues including the human right to social security, the need for social protection over the life cycle, the process of building universal social protection systems and the key role of social protection in confronting the major challenges that the world is facing.

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Publisher: International Labour Organization (ILO) l’Ecole nationale supérieure de Sécurité sociale (EN3S)
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Social protection
Available in: English French
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders Researchers
Resource type: Video

This report draws on a survey of over 3,000 UK education professionals to reveal persistently high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout across the sector, with 77% of staff reporting mental health symptoms linked to their work. It highlights a worrying increase in challenging behavior from pupils (82%) and difficult interactions with parents (70%), both of which significantly impact staff wellbeing, and underscores the negative effects of inadequate support from public services on morale and work-life balance. While there are slight improvements in perceptions of workplace culture, concerns such as insomnia (46%), irritability, and concentration difficulties remain widespread.

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Publisher: Education Support
Country: United Kingdom
Year of publication: 2024

Region: Europe
Topics: Cross-cutting resource Leadership Mental health Peer relationships Physical health Respect Violence and harassment Workload
Available in: English
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders
Level of education: Early childhood education Primary education Secondary education
Resource type: Downloadable file

This briefing captures the recommendations of United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession that are focused on teacher well-being. Key recommendations include improving working conditions, ensuring mental health support, and promoting professional autonomy and development. The Panel calls for comprehensive national policies and multi-stakeholder commissions to enhance teacher well-being and support, particularly in crisis-affected regions.

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Publisher: Education International (EI)
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Cross-cutting resource
Available in: English French Spanish, Castilian
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders
Resource type: Downloadable file

This policy brief outlines the importance of teacher and education support personnel (ESP) wellbeing to high quality education. It sets out a road map for education unions and their members on how to ensure that educational jurisdictions put in place practical strategies for enhancing the wellbeing of all teachers and ESP. All the evidence shows that student achievement is dependent on teachers and ESP who are positive about themselves and their ability to teach.

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Publisher: Education International (EI)
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Cross-cutting resource
Available in: English French Spanish, Castilian
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders Researchers
Specific communities: Ethnic minorities Indigenous Peoples LGBTIQA+ Women
Resource type: Downloadable file

Resolution on wellbeing for quality education, adopted in 2024 by the 10th EI World Congress. The resolution highlights the lack of robust global research on this topic, the impact of poor wellbeing on education quality, and called for comprehensive policies and practices to support teacher and ESP mental health and wellbeing, especially in crisis and conflict settings.

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Publisher: Education International (EI)
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Cross-cutting resource
Available in: English French Spanish, Castilian
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders Researchers
Resource type: Web page

This report verses about the urgent need to address teacher well-being globally. It emphasizes the importance of improving teachers' mental and physical health, job satisfaction, and resilience through systemic changes. The report identifies key factors affecting teacher well-being, such as workload, stress, and burnout, and advocates for collaborative efforts among governments, educational institutions, and international organizations to implement effective policies. It also explores the potential for a global index to measure teacher well-being, considering cultural and contextual differences.

Open resource in English

Publisher: Education International (EI) Education Support
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Cross-cutting resource
Available in: English
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders
Level of education: Early childhood education Primary education Secondary education
Specific communities: Early-stage career Ethnic minorities Women
Resource type: Downloadable file

This document presents the Recommendations of the The High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession that was convened by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. It emphasizes the urgent need to address the global shortage of teachers and improve their working conditions, salaries, and professional development. It advocates for investing in teachers through competitive salaries, quality training, and continuous professional development, while promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion to attract and retain marginalized groups. The document also highlights the importance of enhancing the status and dignity of the teaching profession, encouraging innovation and leadership among teachers, and integrating education for sustainable development, peace, and democracy into teaching practices. Collaborative efforts among governments, educational institutions, and international organizations are deemed essential for effective implementation of these recommendations.

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Publisher: International Labour Organization (ILO) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Year of publication: 2024

Topics: Cross-cutting resource
Available in: English French Spanish, Castilian Arabic
Categories of staff: Teachers Education support personnel School leaders
Specific communities: Women
Resource type: Downloadable file

Ei-iE

Health and well-being hub Education International’s resource center

Showing 40 Resources Filtered by:

State of education 2024: Workload and wellbeing

Workload, wellbeing and Covid-19

Fresh thinking and new mental models needed to improve teacher wellbeing

Making universal social protection a reality

Teacher wellbeing index - 2024

Activating the recommendations on teacher well-being

Teacher and education support personnel well-being : Vital for education

Teacher and ESP wellbeing and mental health: vital for quality education - Resolution from the 10th World Congress

Teacher well-being: A global understanding

Recommendations and summary of deliberations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession (2024)