THOUSANDS of primary school teachers have had to use their summer holidays to prepare lessons and activities for the new academic year.
A poll found this was impacting on their mental health and leaving them facing the year exhausted and anxious.
Nearly a quarter (23.7 per cent) said it impacted on their sleep and more than a third (34.4 per cent) reported anxiety.
Nearly half (49.1 per cent) complained that it also stopped them spending time with their families.
The results were from a survey of nearly 1,000 teachers by PlanBee, a lesson plan and resources company run by former primary teachers.
Some teachers said they spent as many as 18 to 20 days on preparation for the new school year.
Others even said they worked throughout the holidays.
Asked how the summertime workload made them feel, teachers used words such as frustrated, overwhelmed, resentful, drained and depressed.
PlanBee founder Becky Cranham said teachers had always spent some time over the holidays preparing for the next academic year.
"But these findings show that some are having to devote great swathes of what should be rest and recuperation time to planning the coming year's activities, and that suggests that something's going wrong with the workload they're expected to handle," she said.
"As well as impacting on their mental health, it's stopping them from spending time with their own children. And that's not right. We need teachers refreshed and positive in September if they're to be at their best in the classroom."
