A study of teachers who retired through ill-health has shown that failure to support them adequately could be costing authorities dear.
The survey of 400 teachers across Scotland was conducted by Ewan Macdonald, senior lecturer in occupational health at Glasgow University.
Dr Macdonald is also leading the team which is carrying out research on behalf of Teacher Support Scotland (see above). This is due to report in June.
His investigation into ill-health retirements found that most teachers did not have any occupational support systems at all in their authorities.
“They were offered no rehabilitation or redeployment whatsoever,” he said.
But two years later, half of the 400 were feeling better and half of those were in other work.
“So with better care and support systems, some of these people could have been retained within the education system doing a constructive job,” Dr Macdonald commented.
“This would have been far better than being forced to retire on grounds of ill-health or being made ill by their job.”