Julian Stanley asks if teachers are more stressed out by the winter term.

Our sister charity Recourse recently launched a campaign targeting HE staff who are increasingly stressed out as they settle into the new academic year. It seems that this time of year, after the initial buzz of freshers' week has died down, the work begins proper and the semester stretches on without break, is a particularly stressful time for those working in universities. Hence the need for a campaign offering tailored information, advice and support.

It did make me wonder though, if similar were true for teachers in secondary education. Then just as this thought began to formulate, I heard from a teacher friend of mine. She called to say her half term had been 'cancelled' as her school prepared for an inspection straight after. It meant that my friend not only had to use her holiday time to prepare, but that she had to contact all of the people she had planned to meet up with to cancel or reschedule their plans.

She was disappointed, of course, to cancel her half term plans, which included seeing all the people that she does not normally get to see during term time, but she simply kept saying "I really needed the break, I really needed the break".

Now, I suspect that my friend's experience is not the rule, and that most teachers enjoyed their half term break, but not all. I have spoken many times in this column of the teachers who tell us how hard they work in the holidays. So again I ask myself just how stressed are teachers at this time of year? Particularly, as the winter term can be seen by some as the hardest part of the year.

Traditionally, it is during this period that we see our service use increase. In 2010, the average number of monthly incidents (telephone, online or email contacts to the charity) almost doubles in the second half of the year: 15,698 between January to June compared to an average of 28,792 incidents a month from July to December.

A closer look at the figures also suggests an increasingly stressed out workforce. In the week leading up to half term, just 1.4 per cent of callers to the Teacher Support Network Support Line described their emotional state as 'stressed', although a further 18.1 per cent were 'anxious'. Interestingly, 36.1 per cent were calm and 12.5 per cent were 'talkative'. Contrast this to the preceding week, however, where 6.7 per cent described themselves as 'stressed', with 26.7 per cent stating 'anxious'. The week before that, so two weeks before half term, 7.3 per cent of callers described themselves as 'stressed' and 17.1 per cent said 'anxious'.

Increased stress levels amongst teachers could be cause for concern. Last month, the Welsh Conservatives revealed that stress leave taken by teaching staff had increased by 14 per cent over the past two years, with teachers in Wales taking off 60,000 days a year due to stress. There have been similar reports, including the financial implications of such absences, in the last year or so in England and Scotland.

What is becoming clear then is that improving the health of individual teachers and embedding this concept in the culture of schools, not only helps the workforce upon whom the education system relies, but also impacts positively on the standards of education that pupils receive.

To achieve a balance between the work of individual teachers and the needs of schools to deliver will require everyone in the education sector to work together. It will not be easy, especially in the light of so many controversial changes to the structure of schools and in the light of serious issues about funding. However, we must encourage and persuade policy makers, school leaders and staff to consider more fully how to reduce teacher stress during these winter months and through the school year as a whole.

In the meantime, teachers need to understand the impact that stress can have on their health and wellbeing and find ways to tackle it, whether it be through learning relaxation techniques, developing new thinking styles or simply by taking a break. There are more tips and advice on our website.

For more information, follow these links:

• Stress
• Stress test
• Your top tips for dealing with stress