Covid stress toll on school leaders
NEW research has revealed the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on senior staff in Welsh schools.
According to a Swansea University report their wellbeing is not only lower than the UK average but senior leaders also experienced moderate to high stress with more than half displaying depressive symptoms.
More than 170 senior leaders from schools across Wales took part in the Covid-19 School Leadership Survey which aimed at exploring the burdens school heads and senior leadership staff experienced during Covid-19.
Their responses formed the basis of a new report, led by Dr Emily Marchant, from the Department of Education and Childhood Studies and Population Data Science with the National Academy for Educational Leadership Wales.
The Covid-19 Senior Leadership Study Report 2022 is part of a wider international study.
Previous research had looked at the impact of school closures on pupils’ health and wellbeing and the learning and development challenges for teaching and support staff, but Dr Marchant explained there is a gap in evidence exploring the effects of the pandemic on headteachers and senior leadership figures.
She said: “This is an important area because headteachers and senior school leaders have been exposed to a whole new working situation and environment.
“They are responsible for all aspects of school life and had to cope with particularly high demands during Covid. A report commissioned by the National Academy for Educational Leadership has discussed a potential crisis in leadership in education relating to the recruitment and retention of headteachers, and the important role that senior leader wellbeing can play in avoiding this.”
The survey revealed that during the pandemic, 75% of the staff said they worked at a level they knew wasn’t good for them, 93% put in extra hours and the majority admitted to feeling mentally exhausted by the job.