‘Exhausted, Broken, At Risk Of Heart Attacks’: UK Headteachers Quit As Cuts Push Them To The Edge
According to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), school leaders are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, with six out of ten admitting to contemplating leaving their jobs over the past year. The union has noted that more school leaders than ever before are considering leaving the profession, with middle leaders having less interest in taking up the role due to the high levels of stress involved. As such, the NAHT is balloting members on strike action, though this is seen as a “last resort.” Scottish teachers took strike action in December, and further action is planned in the coming weeks.
Education Support, a charity conducting an annual survey of the wellbeing of school staff in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, has found that stress is now reaching epidemic levels among heads. The survey revealed that 87% of senior leaders have suffered from poor mental health due to their work, with 58% actively looking to change jobs or leave. A headteacher in Cumbria shared her resignation letter with the Observer, revealing that cuts to school funding and public service reductions have created a situation where she felt the profession was being treated with contempt.
NAHT general secretary, Paul Whiteman, believes that the current situation is unsustainable. “The anger and even despair we are hearing from our members right now is unprecedented. School leaders are telling me they cannot continue to run their schools in the current circumstances,” he said. Headteachers have reported migraines and passing out due to the pressure of running schools with severely reduced budgets. Despite the efforts of headteachers such as Barker in the Fenlands, who fundraise to buy books and implement free breakfast schemes, often with dwindling results, financial deficits ultimately result in redundancies and limitations on programs that were previously put in place.
Headteacher Brian Walton notes that recent years have seen an increase in social issues that schools have had to manage. This, combined with cuts in funding and a shortage of support staff and teachers, have made running a school unsustainable. Walton plans to resign this year, citing a broken system, whilst also feeling apprehensive about moving to a new school with the same social and financial pressures. The situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable, with no clear solution in sight as headteachers continue to bear the brunt of budget cuts and increasing expectations.
According to him, he has never witnessed such a high number of families depending on food banks before. He further highlighted that people are dealing with issues such as anxiety, mental health problems and behavioral problems in schools that are consistently getting worse.
The chief executive of Education Support, Sinéad McBrearty, who conducts surveys regarding mental health in schools, stated that heads of schools are at the risk of heart attacks and strokes. They are facing the dilemma of having to choose between prioritizing their career or health. Ms. McBrearty further added that heads, whose primary focus should be on providing education, are forced to act as alternate social workers and mental health experts due to the everyday challenges that come their way.
Andrew Morrish, a former headteacher, who has created a helpline called Headrest for struggling headteachers amid the pandemic, believes that the education system has lost its human touch. Heads, who were able to handle situations such as irate parents in the past, have reached the end of their tether. Headteachers cry in voicemails, as they absorb other people’s problems weighed down by the colossal workload without any relief. They’re in need of someone who will listen to their concerns.
The Department of Education’s spokesperson stated that the government’s funding of schools will peak in the next year with the "highest real-terms spending in history, totalling £58.8bn by 2024/25.”
