Dame Carol, who was responsible for the ‘Working for a Healthier Tomorrow’ review paper, paid a visit to the Teacher Support call centre.

Dame Carol Black, the government’s ‘health in the workplace tsarina’, visited Teacher Support Network’s Contact Centre in Nantgarw, near Cardiff, on Friday morning.

Dame Carol – who was behind the ‘Working for a Healthier Tomorrow’ review paper, published in March – made the visit to witness how the charity supports teachers with counselling, coaching and advice services via its 24-hour, free Support Line, email and online.

The Black Review noted that there is a growing incidence of mental health and emotional problems affecting the UK workforce. As a survey conducted by Teacher Support Network last year demonstrates, such problems are widespread among teachers. More than two-thirds of those questioned had seen their physical health, professional performance and personal life suffer as a result of stress and over a third had taken time off work to cope.

As well as inflicting anguish on individual teachers, staff absences caused by such health problems have a profound effect on how much pupils learn. A 2002 Ofsted report stated that the quality of some pupils’ work worsened by half when a regular teacher was away from the classroom for significant periods of time. In addition, research conducted last year by Birbeck College and Worklife Support, Teacher Support Network’s sister organisation, demonstrated a clear link between teacher wellbeing and pupil performance as assessed by SATs and value-added measures.

National Director for Health and Work Dame Carol Black said: “Mental health problems are the largest cause of long-term sickness absence in this country and something has to be done to remove the stigma, but also to provide support and help at an early stage.

“Anyone can be affected by stress no matter what their profession, but I know teachers are one group which can be particularly affected. I hope this visit will help me learn more about how teachers feel and whether my proposals for a Fit for Work service and fit notes might help.

“After all how can we even hope for healthier working environments for the workforce of tomorrow, if we can’t help the people who educate them today.”

Teacher Support Network Chief Executive Patrick Nash said: “We were really pleased to welcome Dame Carol to our Contact Centre and tell her about our work.

“Her report highlighted just how damaging poor health is to Britain’s workforce and economy and this is particularly true in education. Stress can cripple many teachers with the inevitable result that pupils learn less.

“We’re very proud of Teacher Support Network’s efforts to help teachers overcome poor health and teach to the best of their ability. We think Dame Carol’s visit helped highlight what can be done to tackle the widespread issue of mental health and emotional problems in teaching and beyond.”