The long-term decline in principal health and wellbeing continues – according to a landmark national study, now in its 15th year.
Stress, violence and heavy workloads are the primary drivers of the trend, according to the latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey of 2,000 school leaders.
The longitudinal study, conducted by the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, has unearthed a crisis facing school leaders.
“If nearly half of principals are experiencing physical violence and more than half are facing threats, we must ask ourselves in what other profession would this be tolerated as business as usual?” asked lead investigator and school wellbeing expert, Professor Theresa Dicke.
Key findings
- Exposure to physical violence surged from 27.3 per cent in 2011 to 47.8 per cent in 2025.
- Threats of violence jumped from 37.9 per cent to 53.7 per cent over the same period.
- Principals are working an average of 53.9 hours per week – a pattern sustained across the 15 years of data.
- The top three sources of stress were sheer quantity of work, lack of time to focus on teaching and learning and student issues.
- Over half (54.4 per cent) of school leaders are seriously considering leaving their roles.
