Created on: 03 May 2023
A major survey of Scotland’s teaching professionals, carried out by the EIS – has laid bare the health and wellbeing implications of current severe levels of teacher workload, chronic system underfunding and the impact of the current cost of living crisis on teachers and schools.
Almost 16,500 teachers took part in the national survey, and the results should provide a stark warning to the Scottish Government and Scottish local authorities on the need to provide better support to teachers and schools.
The survey covered four key themes: Workload, Additional Support for Learning, Health and Wellbeing, and the Cost of Living. The full survey report has been published, along with the first in a series of themed briefing papers, focusing on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on teachers and on Education.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "This major survey of Scotland's teachers provides a stark warning of the current situation in Scottish Education. Teachers are facing significant stress from both their soaring levels of workload and, also, from the cost-of-living crisis which has impacted on teachers personally, especially as they awaited a much-needed pay rise, and on our schools and the young people in our classrooms.
"The scarcity of support for pupils with additional support needs is compounding the stress on school staff, in addition to damaging the educational experiences of the young people concerned, including with regards to behaviour."
Ms Bradley added, "In addition to publishing our full survey data today, the EIS is also publishing the first in a series of themed briefings on the findings. This briefing highlights the extent to which teachers are underwriting the education system in Scotland, giving up their own time and money from their own pockets to support young people in our schools."
Ms Bradley added, "With the number of children living in poverty continuing to rise, it is once again falling on schools, with dwindling resources to plug the gaps in many young people’s lives. However, it is simply not sustainable for teachers to continue to subsidise the Scottish Education system."
"Whether it is physically subsidising the resources for the classroom or supplies for individual pupils, or indeed by working so many additional unpaid hours that the system does not support itself without them, it is simply unsustainable."
Referring to the recent International Summit on the Teaching Profession in Washington, Ms Bradley said, "The recent ISTP brought together teacher trade unions and governments from around the world, to explore joint working practices to better support the delivery of education, including in relation to the workload and wellbeing of teachers and the criticality of additional support needs provision.
"The EIS was glad to be at this important international event to hear how the 22 participating countries plan to tackle such issues, with government and trade unions working together to do so.
"It is, however, a source of deep regret that the Scottish Government did not attend this international education summit, having previously sent Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries to work with other government representatives and teacher trade unions colleagues from around the world, and even hosting the event in Edinburgh in 2017.
"At a time of growing pressure on our schools, teachers and pupils, the Scottish Government must not miss any opportunity to explore and collaborate on how best to support education in the interests of children and young people, and the education staff who work with them each day in our classrooms."
Some of the key findings of the report include: