“Alarming” figures have revealed that staff in East Renfrewshire’s schools and council-run nurseries have taken thousands of days off for mental health reasons in recent years.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that between 2018/19 and 2022/23, a total of 20,939 days working days were lost in the local authority, with the number jumping from 4,154 in 2021/22 to 5,526 in 2022/23 alone.

In 2018/19, 3,357 days were lost, while in 2019/20 and 2020/21, which covers the period of school closures prompted by the pandemic, 3,383 days and 4,519 were lost respectively.

A spokesperson for the EIS, Scotland's largest teaching union said a rise in mental health-related illness is "not a surprise", but is "extremely troubling."

"Cuts to school budgets have led to fewer staff in schools, dealing with large class sizes, increasing pupil aggression and violence, and a massive rise in the number of young people with additional support needs," they added. 

"Staff in schools need more support, and this can only come through increased investment in the education system by government and the provision of additional qualified staff working in the classroom.”

The figures, obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats, also showed that staff in schools and council-run nurseries across Scotland as a whole have taken more than a million days off for mental health reasons in the last five years.

Along with East Renfrewshire, a further twenty-six of the country's 32 councils provided figures covering teachers, support staff and nursery workers.

Nationally a total of 1,061,210 days were lost due to mental ill health over the period, a number which equates to 2,907 years, the Lib Dems calculated.

The figures also show an increasing number of days off were taken because of mental health issues, with this going from 172,690 in 2018/19 to 271,427 in 2022/23 - a rise of 57%.

Lib Dem education spokesman Willie Rennie claimed "mismanaging" by the Scottish Government is part of the problem, adding there is "next to no support" for staff in schools.

Mr Rennie said: "These alarming figures expose the devastating toll of mental health absences across our schools and nurseries.

"From early years to exam years, the SNP have persisted in mismanaging Scotland's education system.

"By offering next to no support for staff, they have caused learning environments to turn into pressure-cookers, all while the attainment gap remains as wide as ever.

"It's time to stop asking our education staff to perform miracles and finally give them the support and resources they need to deliver the very best for children."

In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said it is vital that the staff at our schools and nurseries "are able to access the right support they need when carrying out their important duties."

"Since October 2020, the Scottish Government has allocated over £2million to specifically support the wellbeing of the education workforce," they added.

"An additional £200,000 this year is also supporting wellbeing coaching for staff working in schools and early learning and childcare.

"Earlier this week, the Mental Wellbeing Minister announced a new online resource for childcare professionals, which offers useful resources and materials aimed at managing their wellbeing."

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "Professional learning and training is provided to all staff to support them to meet the demands of their role. 

"The health and wellbeing of our staff is extremely important to us, and we have measures in place to support staff."