Nearly three-fifths of teachers say cliques at school have affected staff wellbeing over the past year, survey results reveal.
The Teacher Tapp survey of over 9,100 teachers last week also found that two-thirds of teachers say they have ever worked in a “toxic environment”, with many citing interpersonal relationships as a concern.
When asked whether they felt there had been cliques forming in their school over the past year undermining confidence, excluding staff socially or impacting wellbeing in other ways, 59 per cent of respondents said yes.
The figures were similar for primary and secondary schools - and were similar at all levels of seniority.
However, there were differences when looking at the demographic of school. The richer the intake, the less likely teachers were to see cliques forming.
Teacher Tapp says it will be carrying out follow-up surveys to examine whether unstable staffing or the additional demands of teaching in a poorer area are putting staff and their relationships under stress.
The survey also revealed that 67 per cent of primary teachers and 63 per cent of secondary teachers said they had ever worked in a school that they thought had a toxic environment.
The survey revealed little difference in responses between state-funded and private schools. However, women were more likely than men to say they had worked in a toxic environment by 6 percentage points.
Of the teachers who said they had worked in a toxic environment, in a follow-up question, two-thirds mentioned school leadership in their responses.
Complaints about leadership often focus on workload or expectations - but in the survey, only 10 per cent of respondents mentioned this.
The greater concern was interpersonal relationships, with 15 per cent of teachers mentioning the word bullying, and 20 per cent mentioning favourites or cliques.
Education Support, a charity that supports school staff wellbeing, said that its own findings had revealed that 42 per cent of all staff, rising to 45 per cent for leaders, felt their school culture had a negative effect on their mental health. It also showed that poor culture was linked to stress and presenteeism as well.
A spokesperson from the charity said “good quality colleague relationships and psychological safety” were “vital ingredients for good school cultures”.
They added: “Positive school cultures are vital for building the protective resilience needed to get staff through challenging times, and quality leadership is integral for creating them.
“But it’s important to recognise that school leaders are human beings under pressure, too. They consistently report the highest levels of stress among school staff in our Teacher Wellbeing Index.”
The Department for Education, says all schools, including trusts, have a duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.
“No teacher should have to suffer from workplace bullying or harassment, which is why we expect all school employers to take action to protect the safety and welfare of their employees.
“We are taking whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing and have published a range of resources to ensure that staff wellbeing is integrated within schools’ culture,” a spokesperson said.
