They are the leaders of the school - the individuals who are ultimately responsible for the wellbeing of everyone in their school communities.

And while the majority of school principals are highly satisfied with their jobs, Professor Phil Riley's most recent Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey highlights that they're are increasingly suffering from a range of serious health problems related to the stress of their jobs, including burnout, sleep and anxiety disorders. This has only gotten worse for many principals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Review spoke to Associate Professor Richard Niesche from the UNSW about the stress and frustrations many school principals are experiencing right now, From struggling to obtain hygiene essentials like soap in a timely manner to the mixed messaging of governments, from being concerned about their staff's wellbeing to the added administrative responsibilities they must now undertake. It's not an easy time to be a school principal, especially in underequipped, disadvantaged schools. 

For Niesche, an expert in school leadership, the current pandemic exposes not only fault lines in the current school funding and equity model, but school principals' tendencies to excel at looking after everyone else's wellbeing but neglecting their own.

They are the leaders of the school - the individuals who are ultimately responsible for the wellbeing of everyone in their school communities. And while the majority of school principals are highly satisfied with their jobs, Professor Phil Riley's most recent Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey highlights that they're are increasingly suffering from a range of serious health problems related to the stress of their jobs, including burnout, sleep and anxiety disorders. This has only gotten worse for many principals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Review spoke to Associate Professor Richard Niesche from the UNSW about the stress and frustrations many school principals are experiencing right now, From struggling to obtain hygiene essentials like soap in a timely manner to the mixed messaging of governments, from being concerned about their staff's wellbeing to the added administrative responsibilities they must now undertake. It's not an easy time to be a school principal, especially in underequipped, disadvantaged schools. For Niesche, an expert in school leadership, the current pandemic exposes not only fault lines in the current school funding and equity model, but school principals' tendencies to excel at looking after everyone else's wellbeing but neglecting their own.

Education Review

They are the leaders of the school - the individu…

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