Results from New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa’s 2020 Health and Wellbeing Survey show that workload related stress for both principals and teachers is at a level far exceeding the general population.

The survey, conducted by members of Research for Educational Impact (REDI), based at Deakin University, Melbourne, gathered data from 2415 primary school teachers and 473 principals across Aotearoa. 

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Liam Rutherford says the results are unsurprising and reiterates the urgent need for more staffing resources in the sector.

Almost half of the teachers surveyed work more than 50 hours a week. Seventy percent of principals work more than 50 hours a week and one in five work more than 60. 

These workloads puts both groups at high risk of experiencing adverse psychological and physical health outcomes.  

“Not only are teachers responsible for ensuring that the learning needs of our students are met but more so than ever we support their social and emotional needs as well,” Liam says.

“Extra staffing in our schools would mean we’d have more time to plan lessons, complete assessments and research how best to support the wide range of abilities within our classes. 

“With more support we would have more time to focus on each of our students, giving them the education they deserve.

“When teachers and principals are overworked this ultimately impacts on tamariki and their learning environment. 

“Our independent staffing review, Pūaotanga is released next month and will detail the true extent of the staffing issues in our education system and will inform our steps moving forward.”

Speaking personally to his own thoughts, Cromwell teacher Kieran Philip says teacher burnout is a problem that many face in the profession. 

“There are issues around workload that we deal with which can be a major contributing factor, things such as the changes to NCEA and the rewrite of our senior courses and assessments, the increasing needs of students, including mental health and wellbeing, and a lack of resourcing for services in schools.

“The PPTA Te Wehengarua supports teachers through their campaigns and programmes, such as wellbeing workshops, and The Promise to new Teachers which is a campaign around getting schools to show their commitment to new teachers and give them a position to thrive in the profession, as teacher burnout is a contributing factor to 40% of new teachers leaving in the first four years.

Kieran says many teachers deal with a wide variety of issues throughout a school day - both behavioural and academic. 

“As a teacher the need to deliver a teaching programme to dozens of students with wide ranging abilities, it often requires a large amount of time planning multiple versions of the same lesson. 

“If you then consider the wider picture for the student, there are many aspects in their life which may bring complications to the classroom which need to be addressed as well.

“One of the key things that could be done to support teachers is better resourcing of schools. More funding to schools allows for an improved system in place to help ensure student wellbeing and achievement.

“The government has worked alongside the PPTA Te Wehengarua to help support teachers, with teacher only days over the next few years to focus on NCEA changes, Mana Ōrite, and Literacy and Numeracy.

“What I have heard through conversations with teachers from other areas is that we all face similar problems, I think our senior leaders often do as much as they can in terms of support and focus on wellbeing, but they are confined within the resourcing they get from the government. 

“Work/life balance can be a tricky problem for teachers as first and foremost we care about our students and it's not something that is easily turned off at 5pm, many teachers spend their non-work time still thinking about work.”

The report found primary school teachers reported various types of student related issues as a significant source of stress. 

Student behaviour and learning issues and a lack of support to deal with students’ additional needs caused teachers’ stress. 

Principals reported that resourcing needs and teacher shortages were significant sources of stress. They were also concerned for the mental health of their staff.  

“While a lack of access to resources such as learning support was a source of stress for teachers and principals alike, both groups reported receiving support from professional relationships with their colleagues, suggesting that this is a major factor helping teachers and principals' cope,” the report states. 

“However, this is not enough as the evidence shows that high job demands, and low job resources may cause job strain and eventually result in burnout.”

“Too many teachers and principals are under significant stress and working hours that place them at high risk of experiencing adverse psychological and physical health outcomes,” the report states. 

“This result has serious implications for the long-term future of school personnel as their work is creating significant work-life stress. 

“These findings should cause considerable concern for policy makers. We need to increase teacher supply and decrease teacher workloads to enable teachers and principals to do their work in a sustainable way. 

“We also need to increase the provision of, and access to, learning support to ensure that our tamariki are best equipped to reach their potential.” 

You can read the report by clicking here.