The state of teacher wellbeing in schools in 2026

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The state of teacher wellbeing in schools in 2026

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Our 2026 Teacher Wellbeing Report indicates that teachers are nearing breaking point. Learn more about the factors influencing wellbeing in schools.

Staff wellbeing in schools has long been a concern. From workload to student behaviour and a lack of support, teachers have been nearing burnout for years.

In late 2025, we conducted a teacher wellbeing survey for our 2026 Wellbeing Report – and our findings indicated that teachers are reaching breaking point. In this blog, we’re exploring the key factors influencing teacher wellbeing in 2026.

The state of staff wellbeing in schools

Wellbeing is an ever-present concern for teachers. There is no doubt that their incredible work makes a huge difference in the world, but this often comes at a cost. Our latest survey findings indicate that teachers are struggling to manage their wellbeing at work, with 57% of respondents reporting a moderate to negative overall wellbeing.

This is seemingly having a knock-on effect on how staff feel about the work they are doing – one respondent said that the job is “impossible to do well”. However, it isn’t all doom and gloom. We found that many teachers rate their overall job satisfaction moderately to favourably, suggesting that whilst teachers are facing incredibly burdens on their wellbeing, many still do view their role as being meaningful.

Workload

Unsurprisingly, workload came out on top as the main contributor to wellbeing concerns. This has long been the case in teaching, however our latest survey highlights growing concern for teacher workload.

71% of respondents described their workload as being unmanageable, with 45% regularly working at least nine additional hours per week, and only 3% managing to keep work within their contracted hours.

This is largely due to the sheer amount of work that teachers are expected to complete beyond simply teaching – from lesson planning and marking to creating personalised learning and support plans and engaging with parents, teachers simply don’t have enough hours in the day.

One respondent highlighted this: “the workload is so heavy that I am unable to finish everything during my working hours, so I often have to continue working at home after school and even on weekends".

Behaviour

Behaviour is another common source of stress for teachers, despite the majority of respondents telling us that they are usually able to maintain control in their classrooms.

87% told us that talking and other low-level disruptions are their most common behaviour challenges, but others also report disrespect and defiance as major behaviour issues.

But teachers are now also facing new challenges. One respondent told us of the difficulties of being a young woman in a climate where "many young men are interested in Andrew Tate", suggesting that external societal influences are significantly impacting student behaviour and teachers’ abilities to manage these new influences.

Inclusion and safeguarding

On the whole, teachers look positively upon inclusion and safeguarding policies, with the majority telling us that they feel supported by leadership in these areas and have the right tools and resources to support their responsibilities.

However, when we took a deeper dive into inclusion, we found a noticeable difference between the ideal of inclusion policies and the reality of acting on them. For many, inclusion is important, but they feel “to provide ‘reasonable adjustments for half a class is no longer reasonable”.

A large number of respondents echoed this, with others telling us of funding issues, a lack of support staff, and unrealistic expectations from parents of SEND students.

Flexible and hybrid working

To many, the idea of flexible and hybrid working seems impossible for teachers and school staff, although many schools do offer such working patterns, where possible, and a rising number of teachers are now voicing their desire for such options.

74% of respondents in our recent survey said that they consider flexible and hybrid working to be important, yet only 27% have access to such options, citing leadership mindset and complexity of delivery as key barriers.

Additionally, some respondents also told us of a perceived lack of equality in this area, noting that senior leadership teams often enjoy a level of flexibility that teachers are denied.

This is reflected in the data from our survey, where lack of support from leadership was one of the top factors impacting teachers’ stress at work.

Jobs and career progression

While the teacher retention crisis has been a significant concern in the industry for a while, our recent survey revealed sobering statistics, with 61% of respondents telling us that they don’t plan to stay in teaching long-term. What’s more, 54% of those said that they are planning to leave within the next five years.

This, naturally, poses a risk for the future of teaching, particularly as: