From IE magazine: It’s time to safeguard education’s ‘first responders’

In the next edition of IE, an article examines the escalating risks to principals’ safety and wellbeing in complex school environments. It calls for urgent systemic support and reform to safeguard principals and maintain high-quality education.

School principals are facing unprecedented risks and pressures.

The 2024 Australian Catholic University survey of more than 2,200 school leaders found that nearly half experienced physical violence, more than half faced threats, and almost 90 per cent reported cyberbullying from parents or caregivers. Over half were seriously considering leaving the profession, rising to 82 per cent among those with low job satisfaction.

Research identifies multiple contributing factors, including student aggression, complex classroom behaviours, parental hostility, and excessive administrative workloads. Systemic weaknesses, including insufficient specialist support, weak behaviour policies, and inadequate security, further intensify these pressures.

Invisible Labour: Principals’ Emotional Labour in Volatile Times, a study by academics from Monash University, Deakin University, and the University of Sydney, describes principals as “first responders” undertaking extensive emotional work that is largely unrecognised. They manage crises, support students and staff, and navigate community pressures, often at the cost of severe stress, burnout, and physical illness.

The report proposes 24 reforms, including formal recognition of emotional labour, structured peer and clinical support, wellbeing-focused policies, and tailored leadership resources.

IEU advocacy complements these findings. In Victoria, the “Value Our Work” campaign focuses on fair pay, sustainable workloads, and safety protections in Victorian Catholic education. In NSW/ACT and Queensland, IEU-negotiated agreements have introduced mental health support, workload relief, wellbeing clauses, and measures to strengthen secure employment.

The crisis is clear: principals are essential to school and community wellbeing, yet remain overstretched and at risk. If school leaders are expected to function as first responders, they require immediate, practical support, both for their safety and for the students and staff they serve.

Read the full article on the IEU website: ieuvictas.org.au/memberpublications

Invisible Labour: Principals’ Emotional Labour in Volatile Times: ieu.news/c7dc73