Most headteachers would not recommend the job, while fewer assistant and deputy heads want the top post, shows a new survey from the leaders’ union NAHT.
The startling figures – which also show that 72 per cent of respondents say the job has had a negative impact on their wellbeing – reveal that 40 per cent of leaders have accessed mental health support in the past year.
It comes after Schools Week uncovered that headteacher turnover in September was 14 per cent higher than before the pandemic, suggesting departures are no longer associated with a Covid backlog but with the increased demands of the job.
The union surveyed 1,890 of its members in England between September and October. Nearly three-fifths (57 per cent) said they were unlikely to recommend school leadership, up from 47 per cent in 2021 and 32 per cent in 2020.
