Alexandra L Smith
Monday February 19, 2007
www.EducationGuardian.co.uk
Half of teachers in England have considered quitting the profession because of the stress of working with disrespectful pupils, a new survey has found.
Two-thirds of the 823 teachers polled by the channel Teachers' TV said they felt stressed by teaching - half of them during lessons - and one of the biggest causes was the behaviour of pupils.
More than 60% said they felt stressed as a result of teaching, even when not in school, and there were many complaints of long working hours. One in 10 told researchers for Teachers' TV they worked longer hours than EU rules permit - and 60% blamed the amount of paperwork required.
Nearly half of the secondary school teachers said stress was caused by verbal abuse from pupils and 14% said it was due to physical abuse from pupils during lessons. When asked specifically about what caused stress, 71% of teachers cited a lack of respect from pupils and three-quarters said they felt inadequately supported by their headteacher or senior management.
Only four out of 10 blamed stress on poor resources in the classroom and 44% said they were stressed because of large class sizes.
Andrew Bethell, the chief executive of Teachers' TV, said: "Teaching is one of the most demanding professions and it is clear that our teachers are feeling the pressure.
"We need to ensure that there are systems in place to help those teachers who experience stress to access available resources and support networks."
Teachers' TV's Stress Week begins today with an experiment to measures the stress in one school over a week, as well as programmes airing to help teachers tackle stress and workload.
A Department for Education and Skills (DfES) spokesman said the government had worked hard to reduce teachers' workload.
The spokesman said: "No government has done more to create good working environments in schools. We want teachers to be confident and supported in what they are best at - teaching.
"We have cut bureaucracy in schools and improved teacher workloads. We have introduced an afternoon per week out of the classroom for all teachers to plan and prepare their lessons and have freed them up further by doubling the amount of support staff, who can take on administrative tasks. Moreover, we have put a low limit on the number of hours teachers should cover for colleagues.
"Schools must be safe places to work and that is why poor behaviour will not be tolerated. We have given tough new powers to teachers and heads to ensure that they can discipline pupils, remove them from class, confiscate knives and other items and exclude where necessary."
Patrick Nash, the chief executive of the Teacher Support Network, said: "Nearly 25% of teachers who called or emailed Teacher Support Network in 2006 said they felt stressed by the issue they were facing. Stress is the main emotional state teachers report they feel, higher than anxiety and depression, loss of confidence and motivation.
"We urge teachers who are facing a stressful situation at work or at home to contact us before it escalates. Just to talk through a seemingly insignificant event or concern can really help teachers to put their situation into perspective, and to take steps to resolve problems before they get out of hand."