Research: Principals Feel Abandoned Amid Growing School Strain

Key points

• A third of school principals surveyed said systemic neglect is leading to burnout, resignation and moral injury
• Principals report feeling abandoned by education departments during crises
• Emotional stress experienced by principals is manifesting physically into insomnia, illness, anxiety and depression.

Government school principals and assistant principals will join teachers in a planned strike action on Tuesday. School leaders say the government fails to acknowledge the increasingly complex nature of their roles or the urgent need for structural support to reduce burnout and make the profession sustainable.

The timely release of this national study led by Monash University in collaboration with Deakin University and the University of Sydney, shows exactly how neglect, overwork and emotional strain are pushing principals to the brink.

This report is the final report in the Invisible labour: Principals' emotional labour in volatile times project and draws on 298 critical incident testimonies from 256 school principals nationwide, as well as additional stakeholder interviews, and a policy audit.

Report four, which will be presented at the Australian Secondary Principals Association 2026 National Summit in Canberra, paints a picture of public school principals feeling "hung out to dry" by education systems.

Principals reported feeling abandoned by education departments during times of crises and having to manage trauma, violence and community grief without support.

Lead Monash researcher, Professor Jane Wilkinson, says principals' emotional labour is essential to the wellbeing of staff, students and the school community.

"Australian public school principals are navigating increasingly volatile environments with limited government support. Their emotional labour is largely invisible and often unacknowledged," Professor Wilkinson said.

"Our research calls for urgent reform at every level of governance to protect principals' physical and psychosocial safety, restore their trust in education systems, and ensure the sustainability of our public schools."

Key Findings

1. Over a third of respondents (34.3 per cent) were critical of their employer's response or support in times of crises.
2. Systemic neglect leads to burnout, resignation and moral injury.
3. Emotional stress manifests physically as insomnia, illness, anxiety and depression.
4. Principals face conflicting legal obligations (e.g., student safety versus inclusion).
5. Perceived betrayal by employers undermines principals' sense of integrity and purpose.
6. The survey showed a sharp drop in teachers aspiring to become principals.
7. Emotional dissonance, isolation and lack of support deter educators from future leadership roles.
8. Bureaucratic structures isolate principals and increase psychosocial risk.
9. Inadequate induction and support for new principals exacerbate vulnerabilities.
10. Cultural safety for Indigenous and minority principals remains under-addressed.

A female principal in a regional Victorian primary school said she felt unsupported and undermined by their employer.

"I felt abandoned and isolated. My confidence felt destroyed and I felt hung out to dry. I am still coming to terms with my treatment from my employer."

A second female principal, from a New South Wales secondary school, said: "After many years of dedicated service, I leave feeling a failure and like I am kicked to the curb like garbage, used and abused."

The report recommends:

• Prioritise principal wellbeing in the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.
• Reduce principal workload by reallocating administrative and compliance duties.
• Establish an independent research observatory to monitor educator health, safety and career sustainability.
• Provide tailored frontline support services including behavioural specialists, mental health professionals, and trauma-informed resources.
• Standardise access to counselling and wellbeing programs across all jurisdictions.
• Foster respectful school-community relationships through legislative change and better public campaigns.
• Launch a public awareness campaign promoting respect for educators and the value of public schooling.

Victorian Branch President of the Australian Principals Federation, Andrew Cock says these latest findings lay bare what principals across Australia have been signalling for years.

"The role has become unsustainable and, in far too many cases, unsafe. This research exposes a profession carrying immense emotional labour at great personal cost, with principals reporting chronic stress, exhaustion, trauma and even symptoms consistent with PTSD, as they respond to critical incidents that would overwhelm most workplaces," Mr Cock said.

"Principals are deeply committed to their school communities, but commitment alone cannot compensate for decades of underfunding and the expectation that they serve simultaneously as educators, counsellors, crisis managers and first responders. These reports make it clear: violence in schools is not inevitable, nor should the emotional and physical toll borne by principals be considered acceptable. It is past time for governments to recognise the scale of this crisis and respond with the full investment, protections and support our school leaders urgently need."

To view the reports and principals' testimonies, please visit:

• Report four: "Hung out to dry"

RESEARCHERS

• Professor Jane Wilkinson, lead author in the Faculty of Education at Monash University
• Professor Lucas Walsh, coauthor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University