The answer lives in this podcast

Answer extracted from the Education: Joining the Dots podcast — listen to the full episode below.

🎧 Listen to the episode on Listenly

Which school roles struggle most with workload? Survey data reveals stark disparities

23 September 2026 Education: Joining the Dots

← See the Education: Joining the Dots fiche

According to the TES School Wellbeing Report 2024, 61% of nearly 7,000 school staff respondents reported that their workload is not manageable. However, certain roles face significantly sharper pressure: 78% of SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Coordinators) and 71% of middle leaders said their workload is unmanageable, revealing a stark gap between different positions in schools.

The burden hits specialist and leadership roles hardest

The TES survey uncovered a troubling pattern when broken down by role. While the baseline finding of 61% across nearly 7,000 respondents already signals a crisis, the disparity widens considerably for those in dual or expanded responsibilities. SENCOs carry the heaviest load, with 78% reporting unmanageable workload—a gap of 17 percentage points above the whole-staff average.

Middle leaders occupy a similar pressure point: 71% reported the same struggle, putting them 10 points above baseline. These roles typically blend classroom teaching with coordination, pastoral care, data management, or departmental oversight—a combination that evidently stretches capacity beyond sustainable limits.

The data comes directly from the TES School Wellbeing Report discussed in the Education: Joining the Dots episode, which surveyed thousands of UK school staff to assess the lived experience of workload and wellbeing across different career stages and positions.

Why specialist roles are overwhelmed

SENCOs and middle leaders occupy a unique structural position in schools. They are often expected to deliver curriculum or teaching duties while simultaneously managing systems, compliance, meetings, and support coordination. There is no formal capacity reduction that typically accounts for these additional responsibilities, meaning the workload simply accumulates on top of baseline classroom work.

For SENCOs in particular, the role spans legal compliance (Education, Health and Care Plans), individual support planning, staff liaison, parent communication, and safeguarding oversight—often without dedicated non-contact time. Middle leaders face parallel pressure: they mentor junior staff, oversee assessment data, plan curriculum developments, and attend multiple meetings while still teaching a full timetable.

This pattern is explored more fully in the full episode, where headteachers and early career teachers discuss the real conditions and support available to different roles.

See also