‘Stressed and overworked’: School leaders reveal how the job is taking its toll on their mental health

Nearly one in two (45 per cent) school leaders needed mental health support last year, a new survey has found.

A poll by the school leaders’ union NAHT also found almost three in four (72 per cent) leaders said their job had affected their mental health for the worse in the past year – up from 65 per cent last year.

The survey of 1,517 school leaders in England also found 92 per cent said their job had affected their sleep in the past year, 83 per cent reported increased stress, and 61 per cent said the job had affected their physical health.

NAHT warned last year that primary school headteachers are increasingly leaving their jobs within five years as they face demands that “are simply too much”.

NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman said: “The poor wellbeing and mental health of school leaders is extremely worrying and should be a real cause for concern for the government.

“Leaders play an absolutely crucial role in shaping the direction of schools and inspiring teachers and pupils.

“But if they are stressed, overworked, and struggling with their mental health, with the best will in the world they are not going to be able to deliver to the best of their ability.

“It is little wonder that the profession loses many school leaders within a few years of their appointment, and that is a huge waste of talent and experience.”

The union is calling for the government to specify in England that employers should not be contacting school leaders during weekends or holidays, unless circumstances are exceptional.

It also wants ministers to commit to funding universal professional supervision for school leaders so they have somewhere to go for support.

The survey further found nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent) of leaders said the time they spent supporting teaching staff with mental health issues increased in the past three years.

The measures NAHT is calling for will help begin to improve leaders’ mental health, but to really make an impact action must be taken to “properly mitigate the damaging impact of high-stakes accountability on leaders’ wellbeing”, Mr Whiteman said.

NAHT’s bid to bring a legal challenge against schools watchdog Ofsted’s plans for new report cards for grading schools was dismissed at the High Court last year.

At the time, Mr Whiteman said the decision did not detract from the union’s concern about the potential damage the new Ofsted report card system would cause to leaders’ mental health.

Ofsted scrapped single-word judgments for schools in 2024 after criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

Ms Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Berkshire primary school from its highest rating of “outstanding” to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.