In this blog post we share insights from ‘Decentring the “resilient teacher”’, a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This project used a novel process of ‘ecology mapping’ to explore teacher resilience within eight case study schools (five primary, three secondary) in England. The study, informed by our earlier work (Oldfield & Ainsworth, 2022), involved 103 teachers talking in small groups as they used cards to map out which factors within the social-ecological system have the most influence on wellbeing, job satisfaction and burnout (Ainsworth & Oldfield, 2019). The cards were labelled with factors relating to both the individual teacher (for instance self-esteem) and their environment (such as workload). Teachers were asked to talk about the ways in which these factors influence teacher resilience. We focus here on a key theme within the mapping interviews: managing the increasing diversity and complexity of pupils’ needs.

Increased need, diminished resources

Teachers talked frequently about a significant increase post-pandemic in the number of pupils being diagnosed with a special educational need or being identified by parents as having one. Alongside this increase in formally identified additional needs, teachers also talked about an overall decline in pupil mental health, independence and resilience, leading to pupils requiring more pastoral support than ever before.

Alongside this increasing level of pupil need, teachers reported decreases in funding, leading to a shortage of teaching assistants and long waits for Education Health and Care Plan assessments (see PAC, 2025). Teachers highlighted that they are finding it difficult to recruit sufficient teaching assistants and that teaching assistants often need to move to another classroom at the last minute to cover staff absence. This means that interventions to support children with specific needs often must be postponed or cancelled.

At an emotional level, teachers described the impact of being in an impossible situation, often leading to feelings of helplessness and guilt. For example, one primary teacher shared:

‘… if I know that I’ve not managed to get something done that day with a certain child that needs that extra help and support, I feel horrendous. I know it’s not my fault that I haven’t got it done fully because something else might have come up … But letting my children down is something that I really don’t like to do.’

At a practical level teachers described the multiple impacts on their workload, for example: completing paperwork related to special educational needs assessments; adapting planning and developing interventions to support multiple diverse needs; managing issues with pupil behaviour at lunchtime; logging incidents; and phoning parents. In addition, jobs that traditionally would have been delegated to teaching assistants (such as supporting with displays), were reported as now being left to the teacher, because teaching assistants’ time is entirely filled with supporting pupils. Teachers also reported encountering challenges that were less frequent or absent in the past, such as supporting pupils with toilet training and finding ways to ‘contain’ or ‘positively handle’ pupils who were trying to abscond or lash out physically.

‘Jobs that traditionally would have been delegated to teaching assistants (such as supporting with displays), were reported as now being left to the teacher, because teaching assistants’ time is entirely filled with supporting pupils.’

What needs to be done?

To address these issues, teachers highlighted an urgent need for more teaching assistants, who should receive higher pay to reflect the increasing complexity and skilled nature of the role. More places in special education settings, and further investment in specialist support services for children and families with special educational needs or mental health difficulties were also identified as being top priorities.

Teachers argued for a more flexible, pupil-centred curriculum and assessment system, noting the emotional impacts on both themselves and their pupils of the current approach. A broader training offer for (pre- and in-service) teachers and teaching assistants to account for ‘the new reality’ of teaching (Education Support, 2023) was also suggested, but it was highlighted that training is likely to have limited impact unless the broader resource and curriculum issues are also addressed.

Conclusion

The increasing level of complex pupil needs is a significant cause of emotional labour, guilt and workload intensification for teachers. While teachers go to great lengths to support their pupils, they require a dramatic increase in resources and a curriculum that is fit for purpose in order to do so effectively. This urgent crisis needs to be resolved if we are to promote a resilient workforce while preventing our children from becoming a ‘lost generation’ (PAC, 2025).

References

Ainsworth, S., & Oldfield, J. (2019). Quantifying teacher resilience: Context matters. Teaching and Teacher Education, 82, 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.012

Education Support. (2023). Teaching: The new reality. https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teaching-the-new-reality/

Oldfield, J., & Ainsworth, S. (2022). Decentring the ‘resilient teacher’: Exploring interactions between individuals and their social ecologies. Cambridge Journal of Education, 52(4), 409–430. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2021.2011139

Public Accounts Committee [PAC]. (2025). Support for children and young people with special educational needs. First Report of Session 2024–25, HC 353. https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/46238/documents/231788/default/