The new report shows that the first lockdown in March 2020 led to a decrease in the well-being of teachers, with a rise in distress and anxiety and lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction, compared to pre-pandemic levels. But the data highlights that the lower level of well-being among teachers was also experienced by similar individuals in other professions, suggesting that these changes were not specific to the teaching profession. The report also highlights how the perceived stability of the profession has led to a surge of people applying to become teachers.
The National Foundation for Educational Research produces the Teacher Labour Market in England Report each year, allowing them to track trends in the teaching profession over time. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the report tracks key indicators and trends in teacher supply and working conditions. Understanding Society data is used to measure teacher well-being and perceived job security.
Key findings:
- The Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 led to a lower level of teacher well-being in England, with teachers experiencing a rise in anxiety and lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction. However, there appears to be no evidence that being a teacher during the Covid-19 pandemic was specifically associated with lower levels of well-being, over and above the widespread negative effects on the well-being of the population.
- Teachers’ working hours dropped to a more manageable level during 2020, but returned to the pre-2020 level in the autumn term. Before the pandemic, teachers were working longer hours in term time than similar professionals were in a usual week. However, during the spring 2020 lockdown, when teachers were mostly working at home while schools were only open to keyworker and vulnerable children, full-time teachers’ working hours fell to around 40 hours, similar to the hours worked by similar professionals.
- Covid-19 is likely to have led to lower teacher turnover and higher retention. The number of teachers leaving the profession is likely to remain lower than previous years in 2021, further bolstering short-term teacher supply.
- Covid-19 led to a squeeze on teaching staff capacity throughout 2020, placing additional strain on the teachers who could work. For a range of reasons, the pandemic led to an increase in staff absence during 2020. This included teaching staff being required to self-isolate due to contracting Covid-19 or being in contact with an infected person and also teachers shielding due to an underlying health condition that could put them at risk of serious complications should they contract Covid-19.
- The pandemic has led to a reduction in capacity for school-based training placements, just as more trainees enter ITT. There are more trainees in the ITT system in 2020/21 compared to 2019/20, which means that more school-based placements are required for them to complete their training. However, Covid-19 has caused schools to reduce the number of ITT placements offered in 2020/21.
Jack Worth, co-author of the report, said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a higher level of anxiety and lower levels of well-being and happiness in the population, and this has been no different for teachers in England. Being supported and feeling valued are key for retaining teachers in the profession. Although the impact of the pandemic has eased the teacher supply challenge in the short term, there remains a real need to continue to improve teachers’ pay and working conditions to make it a rewarding graduate career choice even when the wider labour market recovers.”
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