Abstract
BACKGROUND: We examined fidelity and feasibility of implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures in schools, and explored associations between adherence to these measures and staff well-being, to inform policy on sustainable implementation and staff wellbeing. METHODS: Surveys were conducted across 128 schools in England with 107 headteachers and 2698 staff-members with reference to autumn term 2020, examining school-level implementation of preventive measures, adherence, and teacher burnout (response rates for headteacher and staff surveys were 84% and 59%, respectively). RESULTS: The median number of measures implemented in primary and secondary schools was 33 (range 23-41), and 32 (range 22-40), respectively; most measures presented challenges. No differences were found regarding number of measures implemented by school-level socio-economic disadvantage. High adherence was reported for staff wearing face-coverings, staff regularly washing their hands, (secondary only) desks facing forwards, and (primary only) increased cleaning of surfaces and student hand-washing. Adherence to most measures was reported as higher in primary than secondary schools. Over half of school leaders and 42% (517/1234) of other teaching staff suffered from high emotional exhaustion. Higher teacher-reported school-wide adherence with measures was consistently associated with lower burnout for leaders and other teaching staff. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate a tremendous effort in implementing preventive measures and an urgent need to support investments in improving teacher wellbeing.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 266-278 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of School Health |
| Volume | 93 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 30 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 30 Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to thank the schools, head teachers, staff, families, and children who took part in the SIS study. We are grateful to the team at IQVIA and to the SIS Engagement Officers for working tirelessly in communicating with and supporting the schools. We also thank Andrea Brown and John Hatwell, from the UK Department of Health and Social Care and members of the UK Department for Education, for their input and support for SIS. This work was supported by the Department of Health and Social Care, United Kingdom (COVID 19‐NTP 2.0, School Infection Study). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, writing or the decision to submit this article for publication. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy or views of the Office for National Statistics, the UK Health Security Agency or the Department of Health and Social Care. SML was supported by a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship in Clinical Science (205039/Z/16/Z). For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of School Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American School Health Association.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- burnout
- disease control
- mental health
- preventive measures
- schools
