Teacher sickness: sick leave rates reach new high ‘due to stress, overwork and burnout’, says teaching union

Teacher sickness absence in England has risen sharply since the pandemic, with one union warning that staff are “increasingly suffering stress, overwork and burnout”.

More than 3.2 million working days were lost across schools in England in the 2021/22 academic year because of staff sickness, a rise of 61% over five years, according to figures published by the Department for Education.

The average teacher in England took 6.3 days off sick in 2021/22, up from 4.1 days during the 2016/17 academic year. More than two thirds of teachers (68%) were off sick at some point in the academic year, up from 55% five years before.

The government said teacher well-being was “crucial” but the NASUWT (Teacher’s Union) has warned that teachers are under greater pressure than ever before, with staff taking on roles of counsellor, social worker and therapist “to fill gaps left by cuts to children’s services”.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) are currently deciding whether to go on strike later this year. The union has held three regional and five national strike days since February. 

Stress, overwork and burnout

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said that the increase in both the proportion of teachers taking sick leave and the number of days taken “reflects the reality that teachers are increasingly suffering stress, overwork and burnout”.

The chart below shows how the proportion of teachers taking sick leave has soared over the last five years. Can’t see the chart? Click here to view it in a new tab.

He said the figures were likely the “tip of the iceberg” as staffing pressures meant many teachers felt they had little choice but to come to work even when unwell.

Dr Roach added: “The government has expected teachers simply to soldier on throughout the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis whilst more children are presenting with acute learning and support needs. The job of teaching is becoming impossible for teachers who are also finding themselves taking on the roles of counsellor, social worker and therapist to fill gaps left by cuts to children’s services.”

The chart below shows how the average number of sickness days taken by teachers each year, and including those who took no leave, is also at the highest since 2014/15, when current records began. If you can’t see the chart click here to open it in a new tab.

Regions and local areas with the highest sickness rates

Regional figures show a similar trend but with some areas showing greater increases than other areas. The South West saw the greatest increase of teachers taking sickness absence over the last five years. The region has seen a 14.1 percentage point increase in the proportion of teachers taking sick leave between 2016/17 and 2021/22 – it also had the greatest proportion of teachers taking sick leave last year with more than 70% of teaching staff needing time off at some point. 

However, teachers in Yorkshire and the Humber were found to have taken the greatest average number of sick days last year. In 2021/22 teachers took an average of 6.7 sick days, more than any other region. This was followed by the West Midlands and East Midlands, both at 6.6.

The chart below will allow you to see how your region compares. If you can’t see the chart click here to open it in a new tab.

This chart will show you what proportion of teachers took sick leave in your local region last year. Click on a bar to see how many teachers needed sick leave and how many working days were lost as a result. If you can’t see the chart click here to open it in a new tab.

At a local level, Isles of Scilly had the greatest average number of working days lost per teacher due to sickness last year with 8.6, followed by North Yorkshire with 8.5 and Shropshire and Rochdale, both with 8.3.

The chart below shows the local authorities with the greatest average number of days lost to teacher sickness in 2021/22. If you can’t see the chart, click here to view it in a new tab.

‘Teacher well-being is crucial’

In a note accompanying the statistics, the Department for Education said separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics had observed a rise in sickness absence across the UK since 2020, which “broadly aligns” with the picture in the schools workforce. 

The department told NationalWorld that staff well-being was “crucial”.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise the extraordinary service that headteachers, teachers and other school staff provide and are taking action to reduce the pressures on them where we can.

“Staff wellbeing is a crucial element of the commitment to recruit and retain more teachers and support teacher quality. We are committed to taking a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, and to ensuring that staff wellbeing policy is integrated within schools’ culture.”