Women teachers with children at home most likely to struggle with feeling rested in holidays

Teacher Tapp Data

A new survey of more than 9,500 teachers has revealed that for many, it takes them weeks to feel rested in the summer break.

While the image of teachers “switching off” as soon as the final bell rings in July is persistent in the public imagination, the reality is starkly different. Just 3% of teachers reported feeling rested straight away after the summer term ended. In fact, 14% felt fully recharged within the first three days, but the majority, 48%, took between four days and two weeks to recover.

Perhaps most concerning is that 28% of teachers said they still did not feel fully rested (By 6th August).

The Role of Home Responsibilities

The survey also highlights the impact of family life on recovery. Teachers with children at home are less likely to regain their energy quickly and more likely to report ongoing exhaustion. Among women with children at home, nearly a third (31%) still didn’t feel rested, compared to 22% of men without children.

Why Can’t Teachers Switch Off?

Responses point to a complex web of pressures that extend beyond the school gates.

• 40% said they find it hard to unwind mentally.

• 33% move straight into other responsibilities, such as childcare.

• 31% are still tackling planning or admin tasks during the break.

• 28% admit they keep thinking about school or their students.

  
  

In addition, the professional boundary between term time and holidays is increasingly blurred. The majority of senior school staff monitor work emails during the summer, with many saying they feel expected to do so.

A Persistent Mental Load

The mental weight carried by teachers over the summer is not just about tiredness - it’s about workload creep, personal responsibilities, and the inability to detach from a job that is both intellectually and emotionally demanding.

These findings come at a time when retention is a key challenge in education. If teachers can’t recover in the longest break of the year, it raises questions about the sustainability of the profession and the support systems in place for staff wellbeing.

With the new academic year just weeks away, the data suggests that a significant proportion of teachers will be starting September without having fully recharged — a potential recipe for burnout before Christmas.