The state of teacher wellbeing in schools in 2026

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 wellbeing survey of teachers around the world for our 2026 Global 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 almost half 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 reported moderate to favourable job satisfaction, suggesting that many still view their role as 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. 

Less than a quarter of respondents said their workload is manageable. This is reflected by the fact that 38% of respondents said they regularly work at least nine additional hours per week – and only 4% manage 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 or always able to maintain control in their classrooms.  

82% told us that low-level disruptions are their most common behaviour challenges, but others also reported disrespect (51%) and defiance (41%) 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 etc", 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 between the ideal of inclusion policies and the reality of acting on them.

For many, inclusion is important, but the issue is with the number of students who need support: “The sheer number of students with SEND etc now in mainstream – I can't remember all their plans (or med needs), can't cope with 10+ ADHD/ASD/HI students etc in a class of 30 – which is now the norm”. 

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 students with additional needs.

Flexible and hybrid working 

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

76% of respondents said they consider flexible and hybrid working to be important, yet 68% do not have access to these options, citing complexity of delivery and leadership mindset 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 sources of teachers’ stress at work. 

Jobs and career progression 

While teacher retention issues have been a concern for a while, our recent survey revealed sobering statistics, with half of respondents telling us that they don’t plan to stay in teaching long-term. 

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

• Less than half of respondents expressed interest in progressing to leadership roles 

• Only 28% believe progression opportunities are actually attainable 

Get more insight into the state of teacher wellbeing 

We’ve given you a flavour of teacher wellbeing in 2026 in this article, but there's much more in our free Global Teacher Wellbeing Report. Download the report today to learn more about the factors influencing teacher wellbeing, as well as what leaders can do to support their staff. 

Read the report

This blog article is based on data from a global teacher wellbeing survey Tes conducted in December 2025.