Star comment: Strain for teachers revealed
The widow of a Shropshire teacher who died at the age of 37 from a heart attack has written to Education Secretary Michael Gove saying his excessive workload was a contributing factor.
Alison Utting's letter provides a remarkable insight into the realities facing teachers.
Mr Utting had taught in Wem for 10 years and his widow believes the relentless workload and stress had an effect. His widow's letter is remarkable.
Too often, teachers are an easy target. Critics lambast their supposedly easy lives, their 13 weeks holiday per year, their training days, generous pensions and such like.
Mrs Utting and union leaders representing her late husband, Gareth, paint a completely different picture. They create an image of workers under continual pressure whose health suffers as a result. The Government's devotion to performance targets is described as being particularly unhelpful.
Teaching has been in the spotlight this week, following the shocking death of Leeds teacher Ann Maguire, who was stabbed fatally in front of pupils on Monday. It is clear that professionals in education now work in a difficult environment in which they face challenges from all sides.
The difficulties facing Mr Utting were of a different nature to those which cost the life of Ann Maguire.
He was not at physical danger, however, his wife paints a picture of a man who was at psychological and emotional danger as a result of a near-impossible workload.
She depicts Mr Utting as a man devoted to his work and the many tributes to his work portray a gifted and devoted man.
In such tragic circumstances, there are no simple solutions. Mr Gove has the complex task of trying to raise educational standards across the board. There is a relentless drive to achieve better and better results.
There is, however, a price to be paid. And when that cost is the life of such dependable and resolute characters as Mr Utting it is too high.
His determined widow does not profess to know the answers.
However, she is right to describe it as a tragedy that a good man who fell was under unbearable strain. That, in itself is wrong.
It is to be hoped Mr Gove reads Mrs Utting's letter himself and responds compassionately.
See also: Shropshire teacher was 'killed by the system' says his widow
