The majority of teachers say stress is now affecting the quality of education in classrooms, according to new research, raising concerns about the impact on pupils as pressure across the profession intensifies.
A survey of 1,000 secondary teachers of 11–18-year-olds across state and independent schools found that over the past academic year, seven in ten (70%) say workplace stress has affected their teaching, with more than a third (34%) reporting that the impact has been significant or severe.
The most common consequences reported include feeling less patient with pupils (20%), delivering lessons that were not their best (18%), and worrying they might lose their temper or snap at a pupil (15%).
Teachers also report significant moral distress. Nearly two thirds (63%) say they feel guilty that stress has affected the quality of teaching they provide, while just under 1 in 2 (45%) say they have described themselves as a “bad teacher” during periods of severe burnout.
In a profession already shaped by high accountability and constant scrutiny, this creates a vicious cycle where a difficult lesson adds to feelings of guilt, damages relationships with pupils and further accelerates burnout. At a time when SEND and SEMH needs are rising, the kind, calm and consistent teaching many pupils rely on is becoming harder for exhausted teachers to sustain.
In addition, a striking 78% report experiencing trauma or traumatic incidents over the past 12 months, with 17% saying this happens very often or all of the time.
Many teachers say they increasingly find themselves responding to complex safeguarding issues, mental health crises and serious behavioural incidents -responsibilities that go far beyond traditional teaching roles and for which many feel unprepared.
“The best teaching happens when teachers can be calm, patient and fully present for their pupils. But when you’re burnt out, that becomes incredibly difficult to sustain” says Dominique Low, Assistant Vice Principal, Minerva Virtual Academy [MVA]. “What makes the biggest difference is having the right structures in place, whether that’s dedicated mentoring for pupils, reduced administrative burden or the ability to adapt teaching more easily within lessons. When those pressures are removed, teachers can focus on what they’re actually trained to do.”
The majority (64%) of teachers either agree or strongly agree that teacher burnout is negatively affecting pupil outcomes in their school and over half (51%) agree that their pupils deserve better teaching than they are currently able to give.
Hugh Viney, founder and CEO of MVA, said tackling burnout requires structural solutions rather than asking teachers to absorb ever-increasing pressure.
“If we want teachers to stay in the profession, we need to redesign the job rather than expect them to absorb ever-increasing pressure,” he said. “We need to stop asking them to be one-person factories.”
Nearly half of teachers (44%) say asking for support would be seen as a weakness in their school, leaving many to cope with growing pressure alone. As a result, over half (51%) say they are no longer teaching to the standard they expect of themselves, while 44% report feeling emotionally detached from their role.
The findings, based on teachers’ self-reported evidence, come as schools across the UK continue to face recruitment and retention challenges, with headteachers warning that staff wellbeing is increasingly affecting day-to-day operations.
Nearly a third (31%) also admit attending work despite feeling mentally unwell. Over the past academic year, roughly one in six teachers (16%) say they have taken time off due to stress, while 30% say they have considered calling in sick because of it. For those who have taken time off, nearly a quarter (24%) report being absent for between 11 and 20 days, highlighting the knock-on impact of teacher burnout on classroom stability and pupils’ learning experience.
Against this backdrop, almost three quarters of teachers (74%) say they have considered leaving the profession due to stress or burnout. Of those, nearly half (48%) say they considered leaving within their first 12 months after qualifying, citing stress as the main driver.
The research identifies several key drivers of stress, including excessive workload, additional responsibilities, behaviour management, large class sizes and administrative burden.
When asked what changes would help reduce stress and burnout, the most commonly cited solutions were smaller class sizes, more classroom support staff, more protected time for lesson preparation, marking and pupil support, greater training and support for SEND provision, and reduced marking, administration and paperwork.