More than two-thirds of school staff (68 per cent) think their workload is unmanageable, according to an annual survey conducted by Tes.
In the Tes Schools Wellbeing Report survey of 5,858 UK-based school staff, the proportion who disagreed that their workload was manageable increased from 65 per cent last year.
And more than two-fifths of school staff (43 per cent) said they lacked the resources to do their job at the moment, up from 41 per cent who said the same last year.
More than three-fifths of respondents (61 per cent) said their school was not well funded.
Just over a third of school staff (35 per cent) said they felt valued at work, while 44 per cent said they did not.
The proportion of staff who said they did not have a voice about how things went in their school sat at 51 per cent - up from 49 per cent a year ago - and the figure was as high as 62 per cent for teachers and 61 per cent for teaching assistants.
Workload and school staff wellbeing
However, the survey also shows that schools were using better processes to help cut workload, with nearly half of respondents (49 per cent) saying their school had reduced marking to help alleviate workload, and over a third (34 per cent) reporting a streamlining of staff meetings.
And around three-fifths of staff (58 per cent) said they felt confident performing their role - up by four percentage points from last year.
Education leaders have said the report shows that “the systemic drivers of stress must be addressed”.
Sinéad Mc Brearty, chief executive officer of the charity Education Support, which aims to help school staff wellbeing, said that staff were working “tirelessly” to keep children learning.
She warned that if these stress drivers were not addressed, the sector risks “losing talented and dedicated teachers and leaders who can help young people to reach their full potential”.
Richard Tutt, director of secondary education at Astrea Academy Trust, said the school sector was facing a recruitment and retention “crisis” and that teacher burnout was a “real challenge”.
“It is something that we must prioritise and tackle head-on if we are to keep our best colleagues and successfully fill vacancies,” he added.
“And it goes without saying that improved teacher wellbeing undoubtedly has a positive effect on pupil wellbeing, and, in turn, pupil outcomes.”
Meanwhile, Helen Osgood, national officer for education and early years at the union Community, said: “The report’s findings come as no surprise to us. We know from the work of our officers and representatives that teachers and teaching assistants are suffering from increased workloads and work-related stress, and this results in mental health issues for many education professionals.”
A Department for Education Spokesperson said: “We are incredibly grateful for the continued efforts of teachers and school leaders. We have taken action to support schools to manage workload and wellbeing, including through our workload reduction toolkit and commitments in the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, of which over 2,500 have already signed up to.
“In the Autumn Statement, we announced we are investing an extra £2 billion into our schools next year and the year after. This will mean the highest real terms per pupil spending on schools in history, totalling £58.8 billion by 2024-25.”
