School leaders are facing a mental health crisis, with the majority reporting a negative impact on their well-being in the past year and some even resigning from their positions, according to a recent poll.
The survey, conducted by the school leaders’ union NAHT, also revealed a concerning decline in aspirations for headship, with only one in five senior leaders now aiming for the top job.
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman is calling for urgent action to address the crisis. He emphasised the need to revitalise school leadership as an attractive career path and demanded “real ambition” in key areas such as pay, funding, inspection processes, and workload reduction.
These findings come ahead of the NAHT’s annual conference in Harrogate this weekend. A key motion to be debated at the event highlights the immense pressure faced by school leaders, describing them as being pushed to “crisis point.”
The motion underscores the link between these pressures and the exodus of leaders from the profession, urging an immediate focus on supporting the mental health and well-being of those in charge of schools. The debate is scheduled for Saturday and is expected to be a focal point of the conference.
A poll, of 1,517 NAHT members in England, found 65 per cent of school leaders said their role had a negative impact on their mental health in the last 12 months.
The survey, which ran between September and October in 2024, suggests only 20 per cent of senior school leaders aspire to headship or beyond in the future – which is a record low since the NAHT began its wellbeing survey in 2016.
The poll found more than two in five (45 per cent) of school leaders said they needed mental health and wellbeing support over the last 12 months.
Overall, 88 per cent of leaders said their role had affected their sleep, 77 per cent reported increased worry and stress, 76 per cent said it negatively affected their family or personal life, and 59 per cent said it had a negative impact on their physical health.
Hilary Mitchell, said pressures on her mental health and wellbeing contributed to her quitting her job as principal at Caldmore Primary Academy in Walsall in the West Midlands at Easter.
Ms Mitchell, who has now quit the profession for good, said: “You end up doing all sorts – cleaning, admin when you are short-staffed, supervising breaks and lunchtimes – the list is endless.
“You get phone calls and messages at all hours and it was causing arguments between me and my partner.
“At one point I wasn’t getting to sleep until 2am every night because I was worrying about work, at another point I was waking up at 4am.
“After Covid I was off with stress for three and a half weeks and accessed phone counselling through my trust.
“At the end of last summer I was feeling quite poorly again and had spent the first two weeks of the holiday working, and most of the rest of the holidays thinking and worrying about work.”
On the decision to finally hand in her notice, she said: “I was 55 and I thought, life’s too short, even though I live and breathe that school.
“I feel huge relief, but also massive guilt for my children and staff.
“I’m part of a head teachers’ group on Facebook and it’s full of people saying how overwhelmed they are and that they are leaving the profession.”
Mr Whiteman 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.
“With the best will in the world, school leaders feeling this way may struggle to bring their A-game to the job and there is clearly a risk that ultimately children’s education will suffer.”
He added: “These findings demonstrate far more must be done to restore school leadership and teaching as an attractive proposition and show real ambition on pay, funding, inspection and workload to turn this ship around.”
