There has been a sharp rise in sick days taken by teachers in the South West, with new figures showing the worst-affected schools in the Bristol region.
Teacher sickness led to the loss of 3.2 million working days across schools in England in the 2021/22 academic year, a rise of 61% over five years, with one union blaming “stress, overwork and burnout”.
The average teacher in England took 6.3 days off sick in 2021/22, up from 4.1 days five years before, Department for Education figures show. More than two thirds of teachers (68%) were off sick at some point in the academic year, up from 55% five years before.
In the South West, teachers took an average 6.5 days off sick in the last academic year, up from 4 in 2016/17.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT (the Teacher’s Union), said the figures were likely the “tip of the iceberg” as staffing pressures meant many teachers felt they had little choice but to come to work even when unwell.
The Department for Education was approached for comment. In a note accompanying the figures, it said the Office for National Statistics had observed a rise in sickness absence across the UK since 2020, which “broadly aligns” with the picture in the schools workforce.
Here we reveal which primary and secondary schools in the Bristol region had the greatest average number of days taken in sickness absence by teachers, including those who were not off sick. We have omitted schools where fewer than five teachers took sick leave.
1.
The 15 schools with the highest rates of teacher sickness absence end with the highest below:
2. May Park Primary School, Eastville
At the school, a total of 455.5 days were lost to illness in 2021/22, an average of 12.8 days per teacher. 29 teachers took sick absence, representing 81% of the workforce
3. Christ Church of England Primary School, Clifton
At the school, a total of 326 days were lost to illness in 2021/22, an average of 13 days per teacher. 22 teachers took sick absence, representing 88% of the workforce
4. Christ Church of England Infant School, Downend
At the school, a total of 158 days were lost to illness in 2021/22, an average of 13.2 days per teacher. 9 teachers took sick absence, representing 75% of the workforce Photo: David Jones