Today (Tuesday 18 May), school leaders’ union NAHT holds a ‘New
and Aspiring Heads’ Conference at which delegates highlight the
extreme pressure Covid has put on all school leaders, especially
those new to the job.
New NAHT president, Tim Bowen, has chosen Education Support as
its charity partner for the year. Education Support is the only
UK charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of
teachers and all education staff.
The charity’s latest survey shows that half of all teachers have
suffered at least one characteristic associated with work-related
burnout ‘all the time’ since the beginning of this school year.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT,
said: “These figures reflect exactly what we are hearing from
teachers and school leaders. Morale is very low and we know many
are considering leaving the profession. A recent NAHT survey
found that the top words school leaders would use to describe
their experiences over the last year are ‘challenging, exhausting
and stressful’. There is a real risk that we will see an exodus
of leaders from the profession once the crisis is over. They have
never been in more need of support.”
Tim Bowen said: “My main theme for my Presidential Year will be
to focus on and promote the health and well-being of teachers and
school leaders. Teaching is a much tougher job than it used to be
and focusing on the health and well-being of teachers and school
leaders is of real importance. That is why I’ve chosen Education
Support as my President’s charity this year. Every leader needs
to make sure every member of their team has the support they
need. And when you develop your staff, of course the pupils
benefit. Better mental health leads to better education.”
Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support commented: “It is an
unavoidable fact that over time, prolonged stress, anxiety and
fatigue can lead to burnout. We need to properly prioritise the
mental health and wellbeing of our head teachers as we recover
from the pandemic so they can ensure that their staff are
equipped and supported to do their best work. We’re delighted
that the NAHT has chosen Education Support to be its charity of
the year. By working together we can support many more head
teachers and many more schools to thrive.”
