OUR School principals found 2020 a year like no other.
A survey of Australia’s school leaders has found last year’s ravaging bushfires, followed by shock floods, and the COVID-19 global pandemic had an immense impact on their stress levels and workload.
Researchers at Australian Catholic University (ACU) and Deakin University, surveyed 2,248 school principals across Australia and found “extremely long work hours and constant exposure to stress during 2020 left school principals exhausted”.
“During 2020, almost all principals (97 per cent) worked overtime and close to 70% worked more than 56 hours a week during school term, and 25 hours a week during the holidays,” Co-chief investigator for the survey and ACU Institute for Positive Psychology and Education (IPPE) Professor Herb Marsh said.
Queensland principals reported the most stress and depressive symptoms.
“The main sources of stress were the sheer quantity of work, the lack of time to focus on teaching and learning, the mental health issues of students and the expectations of the employer,” Professor Marsh said.
“During the survey period, three of out 10 school leaders (almost 30 per cent) received a red flag email alerting them to contact employee support services.
“These alert emails are triggered when school leaders are at risk of self-harm, occupational health problems or serious impacts to their quality of life.”
Now in its tenth year, the Australian Principal Occupational, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey is a longitudinal study that has tracked trends in the health, wellbeing, and safety of school leaders and made policy recommendations to governments and key stakeholders.
Over the last decade the study has shown a steady increase in job demands with no real increase in support services, according to ACU investigator and IPPE Professor Phil Parker.
“The surveys have shown us that school leaders need support to maintain a healthy work-life balance,” Professor Parker said.
Deakin University’s Professor Phil Riley and co-chief investigator said the survey shone a light on “a year like no other” for school leaders.
“Last year was one of unimaginable horrors for Australians and the global pandemic had a life-altering effect on us all,” Professor Riley said.
“As well as needing to quickly develop on-line learning practices, school principals were faced with managing COVID-safe processes to protect their employees, students, and parents from a global pandemic.
“Although schools were classed as essential services, and told to stay open to protect the economy, they were not privy to vital information.
“Particularly at the start of COVID-19, school leaders had to listen to the news to find out what to do with their schools’ operations.”
However, Professor Riley said there was a bright spot.
“The survey has shown us the pandemic’s lockdowns and restrictions reminded communities about the vital role school leaders play.
“Ironically, COVID-19 could herald a positive shift in community attitudes towards school principals.”
In 2020 the principal wellbeing survey showed more than 40 per cent of Australian principals were threatened with violence and 38 per cent were subjected to physical violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite home learning.
However, several categories of offensive behaviours decreased in 2020 which is attributed to the reduced face-to-face contact with parents.
During the last 10 years the survey has reported a steady increase in bullying, physical violence, threats of violence, slander, sexual and verbal harassment of principals.
