Stress audit 1
NUT Teacher Well-Being ‘Ready Reckoner’
About the Teacher Well-Being ‘Ready Reckoner’
This questionnaire may be used by NUT school representatives or safety
representatives who are assisting NUT members who are experiencing stress, or who
wish to survey members in their school to ascertain the extent of workplace stress
being suffered. It may elicit data which could prompt a full stress risk assessment; or
it may simply serve as a rough guide for individual members who wish to gauge the
extent to which they may be enduring stress-related symptoms.
Higher scores are suggestive of greater levels of well-being amongst subjects of the
questionnaire, whilst lower totals tend to indicate elevated degrees of stress/poor
mental health. Please note that a score of 100 or more does not necessarily indicate
the absence of a problem. It is important to seek NUT advice wherever evidence of
stress emerges – the earlier it is tackled, the easier it is to put right.
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?
15.
16.
Are you eating well?
17.
18.
Are you drinking sensibly?
19.
20.
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Amended Jun 2011/Mar 2012
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Do you cope well with changes to your job?
21.
22.
Do you usually keep things in proportion?
23.
24.
Do you have a reasonable amount of energy?
25.
26.
Do you feel in control of your job?
27.
28.
Do you feel you are coping well in the classroom?
29.
30.
Do you receive appropriate support when you need it?
31.
32.
Do you get on well with your pupils?
33.
34.
Do you get on well with your colleagues?
35.
36.
Do you get on well with your managers?
37.
38.
Do you feel free from the threat of bullying/harassment at school?
39.
40.
Do you enjoy a reasonable degree of autonomy, unaffected by excessive
monitoring regimes?
41.
42.
Do you manage to leave work ‘on time’ fairly regularly?
43.
44.
Do you find your job satisfying and fulfilling?
45.
46.
Do you have a life outside work?
47.
48.
Do you intend to remain in teaching for the foreseeable future?
49.
50.
Do you look forward to returning to school after a weekend or holiday?
51.
52.
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.
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Stress audit 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
1
2
3
4
5
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
1
2
3
4
5
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
1
2
3
4
5
I receive appropriate training





I do not have enough support in dealing with
bureaucratic paperwork





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





4
RELATIONSHIPS
1
2
3
4
5
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
1
2
3
4
5
I’m clear about what is expected of me at work





My skills are well-used





I feel valued in my role





CHANGE
1
2
3
4
5
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.
5
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 school’s 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 school’s policies should be cross-checked against the NUT’s 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.
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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 school’s
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 don’t 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
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.
7
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