Teacher shortage hurting principal wellbeing

The Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) annual Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey 2022 has revealed that the pressure created by the national shortage of teachers was the third highest source of stress for school leaders, up from twelfth the year before.

Every year, the survey is sobering reading. But this one is shocking. It says principals are grappling with “the highest rates of burnout, sleeping troubles, stress, and depression in a decade”.

It reveals that one in two school leaders are at risk of serious mental health concerns, including burnout and stress. Even more alarmingly, it reports that school principals are 11 times more likely to be subjected to physical violence than the average Australian, and nearly half have reported being assaulted by parents or students.

The survey’s co-lead, Associate Professor Theresa Dicke from the ACU’s Institute for Positive Psychology in Education, said the report’s findings are “very concerning for the profession.”

“The red flags demonstrate that our school leaders are at breaking point,” Associate Professor Dicke told The Educator.

The survey revealed that "red flag" alerts jumped by 18.7 percentage points last year  ̶  a 64% increase.

Red flag alerts mean school leaders are at risk of “self-harm, occupational health problems or serious impact on their quality of life”.

Principals work an average of 56 hours a week and their job satisfaction and trust in management is at the lowest levels ever recorded by the survey.

Many principals are targeted by parents in online forums and have no right of reply. Parents are also threatening legal action against principals and sending abusive, attacking, and often threatening, emails. Principals are frustrated that they’re often unable to deal with inappropriate behaviours without threat from parents or their legal teams.

In the 2022 survey, parents were the highest ranked source of bullying at 19%. Conflicts and quarrels were reported by 60% of participants, mostly with parents (36%). 

Gossip and slander were reported by 50% of participants, with parents the main source (31%).

ACU Investigator and former principal Dr Paul Kidson says there has been a “severe escalation in stress levels”.

"Such a significant shift in red flags warnings in a short space of time suggests the situation is more serious than first thought.

“Enough is enough. Our research shows abuse and intimidation towards principals and the associated health risks suffered by school leaders continues to grow and it must stop."

Educational psychologist and co-lead investigator of the ACU survey Professor Herb Marsh said principals are “weighed down by the compounding crunch of unsustainable workloads, chronic teacher shortages and concern about mental health issues among staff and students”.

"The wellbeing of our school leaders is at a tipping point and increasing numbers of principals may not be able to do their jobs. If this happens, their absence will seriously limit the achievement of national educational priorities and policies.

"There is an urgency in our call for action as the time to redress these concerns diminishes. We may see a mass exodus from the profession, and the implication for Australian education would be devastating."

The IEU believes principals must be allowed to take actions that deter inappropriate student behaviour, particularly where the safety of other students or staff is put at risk. This includes immediate suspension and expulsion without the threat of legal action against the principal or the school. There is also a need for awareness programs to inform parents of the actions that can be taken against inappropriate behaviour.

Education authorities must fully support principals and put in place process and practices that support principal action against dangerous student and parent behaviour. 

The authors of the ACU principal survey call on governments to specifically address the health and wellbeing of Australian school principals.

“We cannot achieve anything meaningful in education if our school leaders are not better supported to do their work, which is so critical to keeping teachers, students, and school communities happy, safe, and engaged.”