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Four in 10 principals reported being exposed to threats of violence or being a victim of physical violence in 2020 .
Red flag
Threats of violence and overtime : how principals fared in 2020 .
By Dallas Bastian
Three in 10 school leaders received a “ red flag email ” – triggered when school leaders are at risk of selfharm , occupational health problems or serious impacts to quality of life – in 2020 alerting them to contact employee support services , a new survey has revealed .
Co-chief investigator Professor Herb Marsh said the extremely long work hours and constant exposure to stress during 2020 left school principals exhausted .
“ During 2020 , almost all principals ( 97 per cent ) worked overtime and close to 70 per cent worked more than 56 hours a week during school term , and 25 hours a week during the holidays ,” Marsh said . “ The main sources of stress were the sheer quantity of work , the lack of time to focus on teaching and learning , the mental health issues of students and the expectations of the employer .”
The latest edition of the Australian Principal Occupational , Health , Safety and Wellbeing Survey , published by researchers at Deakin University and Australian Catholic University , surveyed 2,248 school principals across all states and the territories .
Four in 10 principals who took part reported being exposed to threats of violence or being a victim of physical violence in 2020 – up to nine times greater than the general population .
However , the authors found that several categories of offensive behaviours decreased in 2020 , something they attributed to the reduced face-to-face contact with parents .
Still , over the 10 years in which the survey has run , there has been a steady increase in bullying , physical violence , slander , sexual harassment , threats of violence and verbal harassment towards principals .
ACU investigator Professor Phil Parker said at the same time principals have reported a steady increase in job demands with no real increase in support services .
“ The surveys have shown us that school leaders need support to maintain a healthy work-life balance .”
Deakin University Professor Phil Riley , cochief investigator , said 2020 was a year “ of unimaginable horrors for Australians ” but showed that “ the more things changed , the more they stayed the same ”.
“ As well as needing to quickly develop online learning practices , school principals were faced with managing COVID-safe processes to protect their employees , students , and parents from a global pandemic ,” Riley said .
“ Although schools were classed as essential services , and told to stay open to protect the economy , they were not privy to vital information . Particularly at the start of COVID-19 , school leaders had to listen to the news to find out what to do with their schools ’ operations .”
Still , Riley said the pandemic could herald a positive shift in community attitudes towards principals .
Among their recommendations , the report ’ s authors said there was an urgent need to establish an independent taskforce to fully investigate the offensive behaviours occurring in schools . They also said any new policy or potential strategy needs to be systematically researched before they are rolled out on a large scale .
“ In medicine , for example , it would be unheard of to put in place large new programs without adequate efficacy and safety tests ,” the authors said . “ The same should be true in education .”
The peak body for principals of Catholic primary schools in Australia , ACPPA , said state and federal government must invest in more training , resources and support services for principals .
“ I completely support the recommendation that employers need to take the moral choice of reducing job demands or increasing resources to allow school leaders to cope with the increased workload ,” its president Brad Gaynor said .
“ The data indicates improved outcomes for leaders who receive professional support . It ’ s time for all employers and all sectors to ask themselves ‘ What professional support are we offering our school leaders ?’ and then , importantly , do something about it .” ■
2 | educationreview . com . au