Parent-led push for schools to be more involved comes at expense of learning, teacher wellbeing

Parents pushing for schools to care for the mental health of their children may be jeopardising the wellbeing of teachers and affecting classroom learning. Now, teachers are speaking up about the pressures they face.

Students Rocci, Heath, Scarlett, Reilly and Owen practice mindfulness at St Christopher's School Airport West with principal Adrian Glasby. Picture: Jason Edwards

Demanding parents who want schools to be more involved in their child’s wellbeing and mental health are making teachers stressed, a new report shows.

A parent push for schools to care for the mental health of their children is coming at the expense of learning and teacher wellbeing, McCrindle’s annual Future of Education report shows.

One teacher said they had to be “pretty much trained in counselling to effectively do their job as a teacher, just because there’s so many mental health issues across the board, across every grade”.

While demanding more from teachers and principals, parents aren’t putting up their hands to volunteer and don’t always support teachers over discipline issues, according to the survey of 1002 Gen X and Gen Y parents.

Forty per cent of parents also say student behaviour is worse than ten years ago and children are less resilient.

The report, which was also based on interviews with teachers and principals, shows 41 per cent of parents have become more engaged in their child’s schooling.

The demands of parents is making teachers more stressed, a new report shows. Picture: iStock

In a “significant shift in the education sector” one in two parents say they want more engagement than their own parents did.

Parents also want more communication from schools and a quarter want individualised support for their child’s wellbeing issues.

“The rising focus on student’s mental health and wellbeing is having negative effects on teacher wellbeing. While Gen Y teachers believe the focus on student wellbeing is necessary, they are feeling the pressure of expectation to manage multiple student wellbeing issues at the detriment of classroom learning and their own health,” the report says.

The survey found 97 per cent of parents believe schools should have a holistic focus and play some role in the management of student wellbeing.

Despite some of the negative findings, 89 per cent of parents are satisfied with their child’s school.

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Georgina Manning, director of Wellbeing for Kids, runs training for school staff to support student and teacher wellbeing. While teachers were committed to supporting students’ mental health, she said “extra pressure can come from parents if they expect teachers to do the parenting at school”.

Adrian Glasby, principal at St Christopher’s Primary School, Airport West, said mindfulness and wellbeing programs at his school helped children be more resilient and act less impulsively.

“They are a productive and proactive way for them to deal with worry and concern,” he said.

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