The health of teachers in England over the past 25 years

This project aims to provide a comprehensive and robust assessment of teachers’ health in England, drawing on numerous national survey datasets, including the UK Biobank, as well as the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).

Analyses focus on six key research questions:

• How prevalent among the teaching workforce are a range of mental and physical health conditions, including those known to be related to workplace stress?
• How does teachers’ health vary between regions of England, across the UK, and internationally?
• Has teachers’ health improved or declined over the past 25 years?
• Does teachers’ health vary over the course of the school year, e.g. between term-time and holidays?
• Which working conditions are most strongly associated with teachers’ sickness absence?
• Do those who leave teaching experience better health outcomes than those who stay?

Differences according to age, experience, gender, full-time/part-time, and primary/secondary will be explored throughout. Teaching will also be compared to other professions and the whole adult population.