Are any of your colleagues acting strangely? Have they begun to eat lunch alone? Have they stopped making their usual jokes, or suddenly flared up at the first staff meeting of term? If so, they could be heading for burnout.

With the ink barely dry on the PricewaterhouseCoopers review of teachers’ workload, and with the School Teachers’ Review Body preparing its own report, stress is firmly on the agenda for 2002. And for many it’s not before time.

When the Teachers’ Benevolent Fund launched the Teacherline counselling service in 1999, it anticipated that the severity of calls received would mirror that of similar professions, with most falling in the moderate to mild categories. In fact, many callers were experiencing more serious adverse effects on their mental and emotional health, with significant repercussions on their physical health and their ability to work.

Professor Cary Cooper was not surprised. A fellow of the British Psychological Association, he carried out a study of stress for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers which found almost a decade ago that teachers suffered greater levels of stress-induced problems than doctors, dentists or nurses. Since then, he says, “things have gotten a lot worse”.

Part of the reason, he says, is “initiative fatigue”. While most of the initiatives are in themselves laudable, “human beings can only cope with a certain amount of change”.

Burnout, he says, can result from a range of low-level stressors - factors causing stress - of which frequent, niggling changes are an example. It can also be caused by a series of major events. “You go for head of department and don’t get it, you have a real problem child in your classroom and your marriage is in difficulty. Then boom!” Early symptoms, says Professor Cooper, are usually behavioural, and he cites difficulty concentrating or making decisions, sense of humour loss and becoming more aggressive or socially withdrawn as typical indicators that an individual “has crossed the dividing line between ordinary pressure and the stress zone”.

In the second phase, he says, stress begins to affect health. “You may smoke or drink more. You may not sleep well or have more frequent colds and flu.

In cases of burnout, you may suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, depression or anxiety attacks. And if you are predisposed to it, you may get a heart condition. As an antidote to stress, he suggests that teachers prioritise their work and protect their outside lives. “It’s important that they get through work as soon as they can, then engage in something that stops them thinking about it.” At the same time, he says, heads must be taught about change management.

“They should be trained to recognise stress symptoms, to help people manage change and to prioritise the initiatives that come in. You can’t do everything, and it’s up to management to decide what they are capable of delivering.”

Carole Clayson agrees. As head of Wellesley first school in Norwich, she tries to absorb as much outside pressure as possible so that her staff can concentrate on the children. “The biggest thing that brings teachers to their knees is the fact that they are trying to create a stable, secure, stimulating learning environment while having to deal with all the social problems that children bring to school,” she says. “It is emotionally exhausting, and if you whip teachers out to retrain them every five minutes, it works against you.”

Ms Clayson recently wrote to the Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, suggesting that primary teachers work four days a week in the classroom and reserve one day for planning and training, “because we’re getting to the point where some teachers have no life outside school”. At Wellesley, she now only calls staff to meetings that are essential, and ring-fences one evening each week for planning.

Brenda Bigland, head of Lent Rise county combined school in Slough, believes staff are less stressed if they have systems to work to. But she also takes time to listen to their worries, and even has a couch in her office where they can unburden themselves. “People just throw themselves on my settee, and their problems aren’t always to do with school. It’s a case of giving them some time, of hearing what their worries are and working through strategies with them.”

Cakes and lavender oil also feature in Lent Rise stress management. “It’s a standing joke. We say Friday is a cake day, Tuesday is a cake dayI and when Ofsted are coming, I put a few drops of lavender in tissue boxes for people.” Heads must themselves avoid stress, she says, and that’s where time management comes in. “I arrive early and give myself an hour to get my day organised. Then, when everybody else comes in, I’m here for them. If you’ve built the right culture, I promise you that someone will always be there for you.”

At weekends, she runs away with her partner. “Not every weekend, but we set a weekend aside every now and again. We went to Cumbria a while ago, and only our son knew where we were.”

Carole Clayson also knows the importance of escape, if only into a good book. “I like Dick Francis best,” she says. “You learn a lot from his books. The last one I read taught me all about diamonds.”

Now that’s escaping.

Stress factors

* Learn to recognise stress. Don’t wait until you’re in crisis before seeking help.

* Identify what stresses you. Change what you can and work realistically with what you can’t.

* Identify achievable goals and then take a “small steps” approach to achieve them.

* Teachers tend to say “Yes”. Don’t say “Yes” if you really mean “No”.

* Teaching demands a lot of you. Every now and then, put yourself first.

* Caffeine, alcohol and self-prescribed drugs don’t always help. Be aware and take control.

* Healthy environments are important.

* Take active responsibility for your school.

* Protect your own time. Relaxation and leisure are not treats - they are essential.

* Perspective: remember your achievements and the positive impact you have in your school.

Source: Teacherline 08000 562 561