How Well Do We Understand Wellbeing? Teachers' Experiences in an Extraordinary Educational Era

While there has been considerable interest in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures on children, with so-called "learning loss" a particularly salient concern (Kuhfeld & Tarasawa, 2020; DfE, 2021; Weidmann et al., 2021, p.9), rather less attention has focused on the wellbeing of teachers and school leaders. Teaching has become bound up with the availability of broadband, knowledge and understanding of technology and the ability to control student behaviour and motivation remotely (Coleman, 2021). Additionally, many teachers have been expected to collect evidence of student knowledge and understanding in order to justify teacher assessed grades in the absence of England's usual high stakes external examinations for GCSE and A Level. Undeniably, teaching experiences have changed substantially. This article reports on a study of teachers' wellbeing. The researchers surveyed teachers about their experiences and concerns during and after England's second national school closure, during early 2021. The aim was to improve understanding of how teachers had been impacted in these unprecedented times, and of the kinds of support that they may need.