Seven in 10 parents (69 per cent) think that more should be done in schools to support the wellbeing of teachers, according to a new survey.

Nearly a third (31 per cent) of respondents to a YouGov poll “strongly” agreed that more should be done in schools to support the wellbeing of teachers.

The poll, of 4,523 adults, including 1,069 parents of children 18 and under, also found that 68 per cent of parents believed that increasing the focus on wellbeing in schools would help raise the happiness levels of pupils and teachers.

And close to half (44 per cent) believe the focus on wellbeing in schools would reduce the stress level of teachers.

The Youth Sport Trust, which commissioned the survey alongside the Well Schools Movement, said it was “encouraging” to see parents aware of the importance of wellbeing.

Chris Wright, head of health and wellbeing at the organisation, said: “Our strong belief is that happy teachers teach better and happy pupils learn better. So, it is vital to consider teacher and pupil wellbeing if we want our schools to create an environment in which pupils reach their full potential in education and life.

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“This opinion has been strengthened during the pandemic when wellbeing has a been a greater focus for all of us - and schools and teachers have had to work so hard to cope with new challenges.”

Ben Levinson, headteacher at Kensington Primary School in London - which was awarded Tes Mental Health and Wellbeing School of the Year in 2020 - said investing in wellbeing was the best way to achieve good Ofsted grades and great Sats results, or other things schools wanted to achieve.

“There are reams of research which show that, if children are happy and love being at school, they are going to learn more effectively - and it’s the same for teachers,” he said.

The results of the latest survey come after the stark state of teacher wellbeing was revealed as part of the 2022 Tes Wellbeing Report earlier this year.

Research conducted for the report found that 67 per cent of UK teachers said their workload was not manageable - much higher than the international average of 36 per cent across the survey.

While self-belief among school staff had taken a major blow, with only 38 per cent of UK respondents saying they felt confident performing their role, compared with 79 per cent in a 2020 survey.

And earlier this week, it was revealed that more than nine in 10 teachers feel their job has adversely affected their mental health, according to a new survey by the NASUWT teaching union.