Nearly two-thirds (65%) of school leaders and head teachers say their mental health has been harmed in the previous 12 months, with some being forced to leave the profession as a result.
The survey of more than 1,500 senior leaders by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has come as the school leaders’ union has initiated legal action against the schools’ inspectorate Ofsted, arguing that proposed reforms will only worsen the mental health and wellbeing of head teachers and school staff.
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The union argued that the pressures and workload of school leadership are damaging the mental health and wellbeing of leaders and teachers, helping fuel a retention crisis.
At the same time, many schools are struggling to recruit the staff they need, and the number of senior school leaders aspiring to headship is now just 20%, down from 21% last time in 2023 – a record low since the union’s wellbeing surveys began in 2016.
The latest survey revealed that 45% of leaders needed mental health support in the previous 12 months, with 33% of them getting support and others saying it was unavailable (5%) or they didn’t know how to access help (7%).
The issue was debated at NAHT’s annual conference over the weekend, with a motion arguing: “Leading schools has become more and more pressurised with leaders’ responsibilities extended to provide unsustainable social services – pushing some staff to crisis point and crucially leaving the profession. We need an urgent focus on supporting the mental health and well-being of school leaders.”
The motion proposer, James Hawkins, NAHT’s Birmingham branch president, called for more funded wellbeing support – currently available for only some roles, restricted to six-hourly online sessions and open to just 840 people each year – to be made available for all leaders.
Nearly nine in 10 (88%) school leaders surveyed reported the role had affected their sleep, with 77% reporting increased worry and stress.
More than three-quarters (76%) said it had negatively affected their family or personal life, and 59% that it had a negative impact on their physical health.
In addition, 88% said the time they spent supporting their staff with mental health issues had increased in the last three years.
When asked what would encourage them to stay in or aspire to other leadership roles, 60% cited greater professional recognition, 47% action to reduce workload, and 47% further above-inflation pay rises – after real term cuts of nearly 17% since 2010.
When asked in the survey what the government could do to immediately reduce workload, which many leaders described as unmanageable, 66% said ending the high stakes nature of inspections would help.
A huge 86% said fully funding and resourcing sufficient provision for pupils with special educational needs would make a difference, while 44% cited improving the availability of health and social care services to better support schools.
Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, said: “It is deeply concerning that so many dedicated school leaders are struggling and that some are even quitting the profession they love due to the toll on their mental health.
“From crippling workload, fuelled by picking up the slack after years of under-investment in public services, to the pressure of inhumane, unreliable high-stakes inspections, it feels like school leadership increasingly comes with a health warning,” he added.
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