Thousands of teachers off sick in ‘stress epidemic

Growing numbers of teachers are on long-term sick leave, adding to pressure on a profession already struggling with recruitment and retention.

Freedom of information requests show that 3,750 teachers were signed off because of pressure of work, anxiety or mental illness in the last academic year, a 5 per cent increase on the year before.

This suggests that one in 83 teachers spent more than a month off work in 2016/17, up from one in 90 the year before and one in 95 three years ago. Altogether, teachers have taken 1.3 million days off for stress and mental health reasons in the past four years, according to figures compiled by the Liberal Democrats.