Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to teaching professionals affected by work-related stress.

Supporting the teaching profession and reducing unnecessary workload which can lead to stress is an absolute priority for the Department for Education. Our response to the Workload Challenge[1] set out a comprehensive programme of action to be taken at every level in the school system, and the department will continue to do everything it can to relieve unnecessary burdens on teaching professionals.

School employers are responsible for the health of their workforce. It is vital that they have systems in place that identify and tackle the cause of stress in their staff and provide appropriate support for them. Headteachers also have a duty to promote the safety and wellbeing of staff and to lead and manage staff with a proper regard for their wellbeing. This includes the expectation of a healthy balance between work and other commitments outside the school.

[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/workload-challenge-for-schools-government-response