One in four teachers takes sick leave due to work pressure

The study of 1,292 school and college staff also found that four out of 10 have visited the doctor suffering from work-related stress during the current academic year.

More than seven out of 10 said their job was having a negative impact on their health. High workload was stated as the main factor in work-based stress and was mentioned by 84 per cent of those surveyed. Long hours were cited by 69 per cent, while pressure from inspections by 47 per cent.

Those working in further education were the most likely to take sick leave due to pressures at work. A third of those working in this sector said they had taken time off due to stress.

Support staff were also disproportionately affected, with half of all support staff having visited their GP due to stress.

Just under half of those working in academies mentioned poor behaviour from pupils as a factor in their stress.

A third of those surveyed said their school or college did not have any policies in place to deal with stress and six out of 10 said they have considered switching careers.

One senior teacher at a primary school said: “After starting work around 8am and rarely leaving before 6.30pm, I go home to continue school work, often into the early hours of the morning.

"The most frustrating part of the job is never feeling I’ve completed my work; there is always more to do. Switching off and relaxation are no longer part of a teacher’s life.”

ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted called on school and colleges to make sure they had proper policies in place to support staff who are suffering from stress.

“The demands and pressures on those working in schools and colleges is escalating. It is not surprising that so many teachers and lecturers are considering leaving the profession,” she said.

“They are having to cope with endless government initiatives, Ofsted inspections, pressure from parents, schools and colleges to get pupils through tests. The 35-hour week simply does not exist for teachers.”