It’s the time of year for coughs and colds that spread like wildfire in crowded classrooms and school corridors.

And being on the frontline, teachers are at risk.

The cruel irony is that they, more than any other profession, “always” feel compelled to go to work, even when feeling unwell, according to a new study.

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That’s 48 per cent of teachers compared with an average of 26 per cent of workers in all other industries.

And the reason is guilt and shame of potentially letting down pupils and colleagues.

Teachers not taking sick days

As a former secondary teacher who has been responsible for GCSE and A-level classes, I know these feelings well.

You’re lying in bed having decided you’re not going in for the day. Sitting up makes the headache worse, you have fever, you feel weak, and it hurts to look at things.

But then the guilt takes over.

There won’t be time to organise proper cover. Colleagues are going to have to give up their free periods or else it will cost the school money for a supply teacher.

The head of department won’t be too pleased. She’s the one who’ll have to set the work. Pupils will lose their routine, misbehave, lag behind. 

At the last minute, you’re chasing down paracetamols with a lemon and honey drink while packing your bag and mopping the sweat off your brow as you walk out of the door.

But you’re only making the situation worse. You’ll be a pathetic shadow of your real self as you stand up in front of those classes. And you’ll spread the germs so your colleagues will be off work too (or, more likely, coming into work when they’re ill).

Sinéad Mc Brearty, chief executive of the Education Support Partnership charity, which commissioned the research from YouGov, seems to have got the message right when she urged teachers to practise “self-care”, and called on schools to remove the stigma around sickness absence.

She said: “We know that presenteeism is a very real issue in our schools. If we don’t tackle this as a priority, we can expect the pressing issue of long-term sickness rates amongst teachers to rise over the coming years.

“In order to facilitate this self-care, it is imperative that schools have the culture and resources to break down outdated perceptions and to remove the stigma that currently exists.”

So for your pupils’, your colleagues’ and your school’s sake - stay in bed! And if anyone says you’re wrong, tell them to read this week’s Tes.