Four-fifths of teachers in the UK have sacrificed a night’s sleep in the past six months to get through school work, according to a survey.
It reveals that many teachers are spending time at the weekend and during holidays trying to catch up with marking, lesson planning and administration.
The poll, by tesconnect.com, suggests that the idea that teachers finish work at 3 p.m. and take long holidays is a myth, with the majority working more than 56 hours a week on average.
In total, around 80 per cent of the teachers questioned said they sacrificed a night’s sleep to get through a backlog of work, with 41.7 per cent giving up a night in the last month.
More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of around 1,600 people surveyed agreed that during term-time they spend every Sunday afternoon or evening working on preparing lessons, while almost two-thirds (64 per cent) said the “hidden” hours they spend on school-related work, for example at home, has affected their health.
Around four-fifths (81 per cent) said that these hidden hours affected their personal life.
The poll found that more than half (54.5 per cent) of teachers said they work more than 56 hours a week on average.
A quarter (24.1 per cent) said their average working week was between 56 and 60 hours, 15.9 per cent said 61 to 65 hours, and 14.5 per cent said it was 66 hours or more.
Around one in four (24.6 per cent) said they spend between five and eight hours a week on school-related work during the holidays, with 10.1 per cent saying they spend less than four hours on work during this time, and two-thirds (65.4 per cent) saying they spend nine or more hours a week on it.
Louise Rogers, chief executive of TSL Education, the parent company of TES Connect, said: “It comes as no surprise to us that teachers are among the hardest working profession.
Every week teachers spend thousands of hours preparing their lessons for the classroom
“Every week teachers spend thousands of hours preparing their lessons for the classroom.
“Our site is busiest on Sunday afternoons.
“When most other professions are taking a rest, teachers are busy preparing for the week ahead.”
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said the survey will be of no surprise to teachers.
She said: “Excessive workload takes its toll, not only on home life but also on teachers’ mental health. A recent Yougov survey, commissioned by the NUT, showed that workload is the issue that would most influence teachers’ decisions to leave the profession, with a massive 71 per cent identifying it as a critical issue.