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docAmended Jun 2011/Mar 2012

Instructions: For each of the following questions, enter the number matching the
description which most closely represents how you feel.
1 = Not at all

2 = Not much

3 = Sometimes

4 = Mostly

5 = Very much so

Do you feel able to concentrate on what you are doing at school?

1. 2.

Do you feel that you are playing a useful part in school life?

3. 4.

Do you feel capable of making decisions at school?

5. 6.

Do you feel generally relaxed in your home and school life?

7. 8.

Do you feel that most problems you encounter at school can be

surmounted?

9. 10.

Do you generally manage to keep your sense of humour?

11. 12.

Do you feel happy at work, all things considered?

13. 14.

Are you sleeping well?

1. 2.

Are you eating well?

15. 16.

Are you drinking sensibly?

17. 18.

Do you cope well with changes to your job?

19. 20.

Do you usually keep things in proportion?

21. 22.

Do you have a reasonable amount of energy?

23. 24.

Do you feel in control of your job?

25. 26.

Do you feel you are coping well in the classroom?

27. 28.

Do you receive appropriate support when you need it?

29. 30.

Do you get on well with your pupils?

31. 32.

Do you get on well with your colleagues?

33. 34.

Do you get on well with your managers?

35. 36.

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Do you feel free from the threat of bullying/harassment at school?

37. 38.

Do you enjoy a reasonable degree of autonomy, unaffected by excessive

monitoring regimes?

39. 40.

Do you manage to leave work on time fairly regularly?

41. 42.

Do you find your job satisfying and fulfilling?

43. 44.

Do you have a life outside work?

45. 46.

Do you intend to remain in teaching for the foreseeable future?

47. 48.

Do you look forward to returning to school after a weekend or holiday?

49. 50.

Now add up your score.

More than 100 = low evidence of stress but see caveat above;
51 to 100 = moderate evidence of stress;
Up to 50 = high evidence of stress.

APPENDIX 2: The NUT Teacher Stress Survey

Instructions: Rank the following statements from 1 to 5 :
1= Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Ambivalent, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree
DEMANDS

My physical working conditions are acceptable

Our rest facilities are shoddy and dispiriting

My total working hours are acceptable

There are too many after school meetings

Unreasonable deadlines and time pressures are

often imposed on me

Ofsted/Estyn inspections cause me excessive pressure

The balance between work and home life is about right

The school values the time we put in at home

I am able to take a proper break during the school day

Lesson planning requirements are over-burdensome

CONTROL

I have opportunities to express my ideas and points of

view

I have to neglect some tasks because I have too

much to do

There is too much classroom observation

I am encouraged to use my skills and initiative to do

my work

SUPPORT

I receive appropriate training

I do not have enough support in dealing with

bureaucratic paperwork

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My managers are supportive

I regularly receive positive feedback on my work

There are too few support staff in the school

The school benefits from effective leadership

RELATIONSHIPS

I have a good relationship with my line manager

I get on well with colleagues

Management promotes positive behaviours at work to

avoid conflict and ensure fairness in the workplace

Staff are afraid to complain in case they are picked on

I regularly have to deal with disruptive pupils

I have to deal with violent pupils

I am concerned about violence from aggressive parents

ROLE

Im clear about what is expected of me at work

My skills are well-used

I feel valued in my role

CHANGE

I find it difficult to cope with the pace of

organisational or curriculum change

I find the introduction of new initiatives

daunting

There is full staff consultation when any significant

change is proposed

Changes are accompanied by appropriate

support and training, where necessary

Please list any issues causing work related stress which are not addressed in the questions
above:

Please return completed questionnaires to:

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

APPENDIX 3: Control Measures in Practice

The following sections consider some appropriate control measures to reduce the risk of teacher
stress in separate situations. In each it is assumed that an NUT stress audit has been carried out
in the school and the employer informed of the issues identified by employees.
DEMANDS
The following issues from the checklist were identified as most important:

My total working hours are unacceptable

The school does not value the time we put in at home
There are too many after school meetings
Lesson planning requirements are over-burdensome

The appropriate control measures to deal with risks associated with working time and
bureaucracy should be found, principally, in the schools general policy on use and allocation of
directed time. This should reflect the limitations set out in the School Teachers Pay and
Conditions Document, including the changes brought about as a result of School Workforce
Reform, specifically the following:

Removal of administrative tasks from teachers duties (2003);

Leadership and Management time (2004);
Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time (2005);
Removal of teachers involvement in examination invigilation (2005); and
Rarely cover for absent colleagues (2009).

Furthermore, the schools policies should be cross-checked against the NUTs guidance on
bureaucracy set out in Teachers Working Time and Duties an NUT Guide, which can be found
on the NUT website at www.teachers.org.uk/workload.
CONTROL
The following issues were identified from the checklist:

I have insufficient opportunities to express my ideas and points of view

I am not encouraged to use my skills and initiative to do my work

In this area, appropriate control measures might involve formulation of a policy on such areas of
management as consultation over decision making, team-working, delegation and feedback.
SUPPORT
The following issues were identified from the checklist:

I do not receive appropriate training

I do not have enough support in dealing with bureaucratic paperwork

The school might need to re-examine its CPD policy in order to make sure that all teachers are
able to benefit from appropriate training opportunities. Administrative and clerical tasks should
have been transferred to appropriate support staff as detailed above.

RELATIONSHIPS
The following issue was picked out in particular from the NUT checklist:

Dealing with disruptive/violent pupils/parents

The control measures in this area should be clearly established in the terms of the schools
behaviour policy which should reflect DfE, local authority and NUT guidance on unacceptable
pupil behaviour. The requirements for implementation of control measures require that the policy
is clearly communicated to pupils and parents and is supportively managed by the head teacher
and governors.
ROLE
The following issue was identified from the checklist:

I dont feel valued in my role

Management style is the key here. Senior leadership teams are sometimes wrapped up in their
own stresses and consequently fail to appreciate that they can appear distant or aloof in their
dealings with staff. Co-ordinating a stress risk assessment and taking action on its findings will
help improve this situation for everyone.
CHANGE
The following issue was identified from the checklist:

There is a lack of consultation when any significant change is proposed

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Again, the control measure here is essentially about management style. An open, consultative
approach to leadership and decision-making tends to lead to more motivated, happier staff than a
rigidly top-down model.

APPENDIX 4: Checklist on Employer Stress Policies

The following checklist sets out a summary of those features which should form part of any
employer guidelines to schools in this area, whether or not the HSE Management Standards for
Work-Related Stress have been adopted.

An acceptance by the employer that stress is an organisational issue which should be

tackled by addressing the underlying causes of stress

A commitment by the employer to seek to identify the extent of teacher stress problems
and the underlying causes of these by means of appropriate survey work, use of absence
data, investigation of information received from employees and their representatives

A commitment by the employer to work to ensure that its policy is specifically adopted by
all governing bodies, including those which bear the legal responsibility as employer for
risk assessment

Specific provision within the policy which states that head teachers, as managers acting to
implement the health and safety policies of the employer, are required to implement the
terms of the policy in their schools

Guidance and support for head teachers and other school managers on risk assessment
in accordance with the foregoing guidelines, including access to advice and training and
provision of model checklist and report forms

Cross-reference to other relevant policies such as policies on attendance monitoring and

harassment/bullying

Provision of in-service training for employees on issues such as identification of stress and
its causes and methods of stress avoidance

Provision of occupational health services and counselling services for employees who feel
they are suffering stress

Provision for continued monitoring of workplace stress by the employer, in consultation

with trade union safety representatives.

National Union of Teachers

July 2013