Nearly half of school leaders in England needed professional support for their mental health or wellbeing in the past year, a survey has found.
School leaders cited Ofsted pressures as the factor that had the greatest impact on their mental health over the past year, according to a poll by the NAHT union.
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman warned that school leaders would be forced to leave the profession for their own health unless action is taken.
Ofsted a factor Ruth Perry’s death
The findings come after a coroner concluded last week that an Ofsted inspection “likely contributed” to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.
School leaders say role impacts sleep
In the survey of 1,890 school leaders in England in September and October, 38 per cent reported that they had accessed professional support for their mental health or wellbeing in the past year.
A further 11 per cent said they wanted to access professional support but either did not know how to or it was unavailable to them.
And according to the poll, 84 per cent of school leaders said their role had impacted the quality of their sleep in the previous 12 months.
About half (51 per cent) of school leaders said they were considering leaving the profession within the next three years for reasons other than retirement - and 88 per cent cited the impact of the role on their personal wellbeing as a factor.
Fewer leaders aspire to headship
More than half (57 per cent) said they would not recommend school leadership as a career choice, while 61 per cent of assistant and deputy heads said they did not aspire to headship, up from 53 per cent in 2021.
When asked about possible deterrents to headship, 91 per cent of school leaders cited concerns about the role’s impact on personal wellbeing and 81 per cent cited concerns about Ofsted inspection.
Mr Whiteman said: “These dire findings paint a really bleak picture of the unacceptable toll school leadership is taking on our members and their mental health and wellbeing.
“Parents and carers will no doubt be equally alarmed that school leaders are being left seeking support with their mental health, feeling worried, stressed and unvalued, struggling to sleep and considering quitting the profession.
“Reluctance to take on the role of headteacher is now an established and rising trend, which will inevitably impact the wider school eco-system and, ultimately, children’s education.
“We regularly hear from school leaders who feel pushed to the edge of despair.
“Without decisive action, I fear these dedicated educators will be forced to leave the profession for their own health, leaving more children without the inspirational leaders and teachers they need.”
Call to reform inspection
The NAHT is calling on the government to reform inspection and accountability measures, to scrap single-word Ofsted judgments and take further action to tackle workload.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We recognise the extraordinary service that headteachers, teachers and other school staff provide and are taking action to reduce the pressures on them where we can.
“We have doubled our mental health and wellbeing scheme for school leaders this year, backed by £1.1 million, and have launched the education staff wellbeing charter to help schools to prioritise staff wellbeing.
“Earlier this year Ofsted announced a number of changes to the way it inspects schools, taking into account the impact school inspections can have on teachers.”
