Reducing teacher burnout: A Teacher's Guide

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School Leadership Strategies for Burnout Prevention

Recognise burnout signs early and make structural changes, say school leaders. Involve teachers in decisions to share accountability, not just assign it. Model wellbeing practices instead of only writing policies. Leaders must reduce stress, not just reassign work (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).

Imposter syndrome links to burnout. Teachers doubting their success use energy managing self-doubt (Clance & Imes, 1978). This reduces focus on learners. Unaddressed doubt erodes confidence over time (Chrisman et al., 1995).

As a school leader, how do you take care of yourself and your teachers? Frances Robertson urges you to avoid burn-out for yourself and your teachers by reviewing your structures and practices and making time to reflect and step back from the chaos… See also: Teacher burnout prevention.

As a school leader, you will be committed and dedicated to your school, its staff and students. You are driven to do the very best you can. You will expend energy and put in hours above and beyond the call of duty. Similarly, your teachers will too. For more on this topic, see Teacher well being. The Global Recruitment Agency HAY's says that 70% of  teaching professionals feel drained after work, with 62% feeling stressed at work and 20% of new class teachers leaving the profession within two years. Teacher stress within the teaching profession is certainly increasing. This does not make for pleasant reading nor is it good news for your school and the children within it and neither is it good news for the teaching profession. 

Traditionally, burn-out may not be a term associated with education. However, sadly, this is changing. High workload has become so readily accepted and how little we have slept or how late we have worked sometimes becomes a badge of honour, linked to how successful we are or at least perceived to be.

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Understanding Teacher Burnout and School Impact

Burnout drains teachers due to work stress; around 70% feel exhausted and 20% leave within two years. This hurts schools via weaker teaching, staff losses, and lower learner achievement. High workloads make this condition more common.

Burnout, put simply, is a feeling of total exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. Burnout in teachers occurs when the demands outweigh the resources available to cope with the demands. It impacts on both body and brain causing a crisis in the sense of your professional competency.

It is often not recognised or at least not spotted early enough for any intervention or "time out" to be implemented. When having a bad day becomes a bad week which becomes a bad month or term then you may be approaching "burn-out". The impact of leadership and teaching during Covid may have exacerbated some of the above and indeed created more turbulence in your already busy and stressful lives.

Increased teaching demands are raising mental health concerns. Frequent supply teachers can negatively affect learner outcomes. Burnout impacts teachers, so we need ways to reduce attrition. (Kyriacou, 2001; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2017; Aloe et al., 2014).

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Recognising Teacher Burnout Warning Signs

Research by Maslach and Leiter (1997) and others highlight burnout symptoms. Exhaustion and detachment from learners can indicate trouble. Job satisfaction dips, and teachers feel physical symptoms. Irritability and less lesson creativity also appear (Kyriacou, 2001). Early recognition allows leaders to help before it worsens.

Things to look out for in yourself and your staff include the following:

• Have you or one of your teachers experienced an increase in tiredness; or feeling more drained?
• Are you or one of your teachers feeling that work is more stressful and frustrating than normal?
• Have you or one of your teachers become more cynical about work? Or more detached, including about life outside of work?
• Is it you or one of your instructors? having difficulty concentrating or feeling that you lack that extra push or creative flair?
• Could it be you or one of your educators? increasingly restless and yet keep yourself constantly busy, finding it difficult to switch off, and then waking up at 2am recalling things and thinking of things you need to do?
• Are you or is one of your teachers involved? too busy to lunch?
• Might it be you or one of your lecturers? experiencing any physical effects such as breathlessness or heart palpitations? Do you or one of your teachers have the Sunday night dread?
• Is it you or one of your tutors? thinking of leaving the career you loved?

Then you may be suffering from "burn-out", a term coined by Herbert Freudenberferin his 1974 book Burnout: The high cost of high achievement.

Critically, burn-out is not inevitable. Just because you are in a high-stress role, and this includes all teachers as well as senior leaders, does not mean you will or have to experience burn-out.

Manage stress and feel supported in school. This isn't fixed; change your environment (structures, practices). Develop stress strategies and adjust your views. Examine lesson planning, marking, and classroom management (Kyriacou, 2001). Good behaviour strategies cut daily stress (Emmer & Evertson, 2017). Structured feedback helps assessment. Wellbeing creates a positive learning space. SEN knowledge supports diverse learners (Florian & Rouse, 2009). AI automates tasks (Holmes et al., 2022).

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Practical Strategies for Reducing Teacher Burnout

Workload, communication, and support reduce teacher burnout. Schools should use collaborative planning, says research (Kyriacou, 2001). Reduce admin and offer stress management training (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2009). These changes create a better environment for learners (Maslach et al., 2001).

Workload management is key. Streamline admin tasks and delegate where you can. Collaborative planning and resource sharing help, say researchers (Smith, 2022). Give learners planning time; provide needed support, as Jones (2023) suggests.

Support school culture with open communication. Ask teachers for feedback and include them in decisions. Mentorship programmes can guide and support new teachers. Offer wellbeing activities like mindfulness workshops to reduce stress. Focus on proactive measures that address burnout's causes (Lambert, 2005; Maslach & Leiter, 2016).

Focus on stress management and resilience with professional development. Offer time management, conflict resolution, and self-care training. Encourage learners to seek mental health support when needed. Create safe spaces to discuss challenges. Prioritise wellbeing; give resources to balance work and life.

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Conclusion: Building a Sustainable Future for Teachers

Teacher wellbeing impacts the school's success. Leaders can spot burnout signs and act (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). They should build supportive cultures. This improves teaching, retains staff, and betters learner outcomes (Hattie, 2008; Wiseman, 2010).

Teacher wellbeing matters for education's future. Support educators' needs, not just workload, said Hargreaves (2000). Schools that prioritise staff wellbeing build passionate communities. These teachers make lasting impacts on learners, according to Day (2011).

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Written by the Structural Learning Research Team

Reviewed by Paul Main, Founder & Educational Consultant at Structural Learning

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main warning signs of teacher burnout in the UK?

Chronic exhaustion and detachment from learners are early indicators. Job satisfaction may also decrease (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Teachers may experience headaches or palpitations (Kyriacou, 2001). Spotting these signs quickly allows for early intervention.

How can teachers implement burnout prevention strategies in their daily routine?

Teachers can start by setting clear boundaries around working hours and avoiding the habit of checking emails late at night. Schools should encourage staff to practise reflection to help manage the daily pressures of the classroom. Taking short breaks and seeking support from colleagues are also effective ways to maintain wellbeing.

What are common mistakes when addressing teacher burnout in schools?

Wellbeing policies often shift workload, not lessen it. Leaders risk creating heavy compliance checklists which add to pressure. They must note early stress signs before staff become exhausted (Maslach, 1993; Leiter & Maslach, 2016).

What are the benefits of a burnout prevention strategy for school culture?

Structural changes improve staff retention and teaching quality, research shows. Supported, autonomous learners stay in teaching longer (over two years). This stability fosters a positive atmosphere. Consequently, learning outcomes improve (Darling-Hammond, 2017).

What does the research say about teacher burnout and student learning?

Teacher stress can lower lesson creativity and raise absence rates. Research shows 70% of teachers feel drained after work. This impacts classroom performance (Kyriacou, 2001). Stable staffing helps every learner progress consistently (Hattie, 2009; Wiseman, 2010).

Why is teacher autonomy important for preventing burnout in education?

Giving teachers autonomy can change accountability to shared ownership. When teachers influence decisions, they feel valued and face less workplace stress. This supports sustainability for teachers and the school (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Darling-Hammond, 2017; Fullan, 2021).

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Further Reading

1. Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher stress: Directions for future research. *Educational Review, 53*(1), 21-28.
2. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. *Annual review of psychology, 52*(1), 397-422.
3. Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2017). Teacher stress and teacher self-efficacy as predictors of motivation for teacher. *International Journal of Educational Research, 82*, 33-43.
4. Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2012). School climate and social-emotional learning: Predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. *Journal of Educational Psychology, 104*(4), 1189.
5. Herman, K. C., Hickmon-Haley, B., & Wechsler, R. K. (2018). Effective mental health interventions in schools. Springer.

Researchers suggest social-emotional learning improves outcomes (Durlak et al., 2011). Effective programmes boost learners' attainment and well-being (Humphrey et al., 2021). SEL helps learners manage emotions and build relationships (CASEL, 2024). Consider resources from EEF and the Anna Freud Centre.