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When I was a kid I thought the school principal’s job just involved giving speeches at assemblies and walking around saying hello to people. If only. As a new study shows, school principals in Australia work an average of 56 hours a week and are stressed about not having enough time to devote to teaching and learning.
Researchers at the Australian Catholic University have been surveying Australian school leaders about their wellbeing every year since 2011 – the longest-running survey of its type in the world. The findings in their most recent report, released today, paint a worrying picture about the people in charge of Australian students, staff and schools.
On top of the workloads, almost half of those surveyed have experienced violence in their workplaces, and more than half have been threatened with it. As one respondent told the survey: “I have been ground down by the almost constant negativity, nastiness and violence within our community.”
Against this backdrop, it’s hardly surprising some 56% of those surveyed are seriously thinking about quitting. This is a huge problem, not just for the people involved but for the schools they lead and an education system trying to retain teachers and expertise.
As authors Paul Kidson, Herb Marsh and Theresa Dicke write today: “The challenge from this year’s report is stark and immediate: an exodus is potentially on the horizon.”
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Judith Ireland
Education Editor
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Paul Kidson, Australian Catholic University; Herb Marsh, Australian Catholic University; Theresa Dicke, Australian Catholic University
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