South Wales headteacher says 'harrowing' pressure of the job forced him off work

A headteacher from South Wales has said he is considering quitting the profession due to unprecedented pressures that have taken over "every moment" of his life.

Rhydian, not his real name, has been a teacher for 20 years. He told ITV News it is "staggering to see" how many other head teachers are having problems with their mental health, and that if budget cuts continue, "it won't be safe to open our schools."

Recovery from the pandemic, a new curriculum, inspections and budget cuts which left teachers forced to cut staff in an attempt to balance the books, have exacerbated an already stressful job, Rhydian said.

He said: "As a head teacher, there is really no off-switch at any time. Yes you have your working day and you have time at home, but you're always on call. That role has become more and more pressurised to the point that it literally takes over every moment of every day of your life."

ITV Cymru Wales understands that at least more than 150 head teachers have sought professional help because of the pressures they are currently experiencing. 

It comes after union the National Education Union in Wales voted to accept a new 8% pay offer from the Welsh Government following a series of strikes over pay and conditions.

At the time, the union said the Welsh Government had committed to working with them on tackling workload in the classroom adding it was "vital" to combat the recruitment and retention crisis in the industry.

Rhydian also recalled the impact stresses at work have had on his mental and physical health.

"Shortness of breath, chest pains, headaches, waking up at various times of the night.

"Almost with a panic-stricken view of 'Have I done this? I must remember to do this, I must remember to do that.' Never then being able to get back to sleep. Obviously then you wake up and you're tired and the whole day starts again."

Rhydian, along with teaching unions, say he is not alone in the way he is feeling.

"It is staggering to see how many are struggling with their own mental health, their own sleep, their own general wellbeing", he said. "And how it's almost becoming the norm that we're having these issues. It's quite harrowing the effect it's having on some colleagues, and that can't continue."

Laura Doel from union NAHT said: "We are having more and more members who come to us with deep concerns around school funding and the wellbeing aspect.

"Headteachers are being asked to do more and more with less and less. We've got the new curriculum for Wales and new ALN legislation which although are great pieces of legislation, they come with their challenges and when schools are facing unprecedented budget cuts, it's putting an incredible toll on the work force."

The Welsh Government said it is listening to concerns and working to reduce teachers' workloads.

Rhydian said budget cuts has left him fearing about safety in schools.

"It's got to the point where if we continue to cut back it won't be safe to open", he said.

"It won't be safe to open our schools because the level of support and the level of staff is barely sufficient to run a school.

"And if we're doing 'barely sufficient' and thinking that's ok, then that isn't the profession for me and it isn't the profession for every educationalist that I know."

"There has to come a point when you have to say 'perhaps this isn't good for me, and that would crush me, it would devastate me. But I don't want to find myself in a situation where it gets the better of me and I become unwell. And I wouldn't be able then to fulfil my role and do what I enjoy doing."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said:

“The well-being of the education workforce is a priority for us and we are listening to concerns. We’re working to reduce workload and we continue to invest in workforce mental health support.

“Despite our budget this year being up to £900m lower in real terms than expected , we ensured local authorities, who fund schools, received an increase of 7.9% to their budgets compared to the previous year. We understand the impacts of the pandemic are still being felt so we have maintained funding to support our Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards Programme for this year at £37.5m.”