This Isn't a Headline, It's a Wake-Up Call: Why We Need to Talk About Staff Wellbeing
- Louise Abslom
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
According to the Education Support Wellbeing Report 2025, 76% of all education staff are stressed. Staggering? Maybe. Familiar? Absolutely. When the BBC leads with a headline about a "staff wellbeing crisis" forcing teachers out, I don't see sensationalism, I see a reality check. Honestly, it isn't rocket science to realise that stressed adults are not best placed to work with children, the research carried out by YoungMinds (2024) shows why.
The education system is the problem (and we're all feeling it)
The report makes it painfully clear: what impacts your wellbeing isn't your specific role, but simply being in the system itself. Overall life satisfaction for us in education is shockingly low compared to the rest of the UK. And let’s spare a thought for our support staff. A recent client who is also a support member of staff described themselves as feeling perpetually exhausted from being stuck between the demands made by teachers, special needs students and demanding parents, all while battling poor pay.
But don't think it gets easier at the top. While senior leaders might report the "highest" life satisfaction (which, let's be real, is still not very high), an alarming 86% of them feel stressed. And here’s my take: if the leaders are stressed, everyone is stressed. The whole school feels that ripple effect, right down to the children. When we, as leaders, are overwhelmed, we can't create the calm, safe culture our schools desperately need.
The silent burden: our emotional load
This brings us to the "hidden workload." We know the cuts to social services have offloaded huge responsibilities onto schools, and I don't see the DfE reversing that any time soon. The emotional load we carry is up 31% since 2019 with seven out of ten staff supporting students with mental health issues weekly.
Until you’ve done it day in, day out, you can't understand the emotional weight. If you're a primary teacher, you see those children more than your own family. If you work in safeguarding, the weight is considerable. I recently worked with a primary deputy head who was in charge of safeguarding. The load, the fear of dropping one ball, of making one mistake that could lead to disaster because she didn’t trust outside agencies had the resources - it was incredible. We step in to support students because we care deeply, but we are not trained counsellors, and we do not have clinical supervision to offload these heavy stories. That silent burden is a burnout accelerator.
So what can I actually do?
Many schools are trying their best to build a culture of wellbeing, but this takes time (I read once, it takes around 3 years to change a culture - a fact that I remind myself of when introducing something new at my school!). Dr. Helen Kelly’s work on how to do this successfully is a must read for all school and trust leaders, but as we can see from this report - we don’t have time to wait! Ultimately, if we want thriving students, we must start with thriving staff. We cannot expect excellence from a workforce running on empty. Stressed adults cannot create calm classrooms.
So, here are three evidence based strategies you can implement, while the culture is building around you:
The Quick Win: Micro-Breaks: Research shows that just 10 minutes or less of stepping away boosts performance and wellbeing. Yes, I know getting to the toilet is a challenge, but you must be purposeful about taking time to reset.
Consider these mindfulness options:
The Attitude Shift: Stepping Back (The Brain Dump): In cognitive behavioural therapy this is called cognitive distancing, and it’s critical for stopping those spiralling night time thoughts. You know the feeling: replaying the parent conversation, the behaviour issue, the endless to-do list. Your brain is trying to problem-solve, but it’s the wrong time! Keep a notebook by your bed. Dump the thoughts. Remind yourself you can deal with it tomorrow. You can also swap 10 minutes of scrolling Instagram for 10 minutes of journaling - I guarantee your sleep will improve.
The Big Change: Work Recovery and Mastery: You cannot recover from work if you are constantly thinking about work. My clients always tell me they don't have enough time to get everything done. So I ask them: "Is what you are doing now working?" The answer is always "no." So what have you got to lose? Plan time to completely switch off such as doing yoga, going walking or meeting friends. Even better? Take up a hobby that focuses on mastery. Research shows that learning a new skill forces your brain to adapt and think in different ways, improving cognitive flexibility and helping you find solutions faster back at work.
Using one or two of these strategies as regularly as you can will make a difference in how you think and feel about your job and even yourself. As a result, you will see a difference in how you behave towards yourself and others.
The probability is you came into education with a moral purpose, which does still exists, even if sometimes it feels hard to find it. So, stop. Step back and ask yourself : “Is what I am doing working for me?” If the answer is "no," try one of these strategies and let me know how it goes.
Louise Abslom is an assistant headteacher and a qualified cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, working online with individuals to manage anxiety, stress, sleep issues, phobias and a range of other issues. She works with schools, universities and trainee teachers to deliver stress reduction, resilience building and relaxation workshops both online and in person.
References:
Education Support: Teacher Wellbeing Index: mental health & wellbeing research
Kelly, H (2023) School Leaders Matter (drhelenkelly.com)
YoungMinds: Poor mental health support is impacting learning