The wellbeing of the UK's education workforce has been a persistent concern, consistently reporting significantly lower scores than the general population for the seventh consecutive year. Yet, buried within the data of the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025 lies a particularly urgent crisis: the severe and unrelenting strain placed upon our school and college leaders.
School and college leaders are not just facing challenges; they are currently the cohort at the greatest risk of negative health consequences to their workplace wellbeing. The success of their institutions and the wider education system depends on their health, making meaningful intervention crucial before we lose more experienced leaders when they are needed most.
Here is a closer look at the acute pressures facing our senior leaders, drawing directly from the latest findings.
The Overburdened Leader: A Crisis of Time and Intensity
Senior leaders consistently report the highest levels of work intensity and time poverty across the education sector. They simply have more responsibilities than there is time to complete.
- Stress is near-universal: A staggering 86% of senior leaders report feeling stressed at work, compared to 76% of school teachers. This figure is the highest across all job roles.
- Time Poverty: 81% of senior leaders experience time poverty (the feeling of having too many things to do without enough time) for three-quarters or more of the time they work. This feeling is significantly higher among leaders compared to school teachers (60%) and support staff (42%).
- Intense Pace: The majority of leaders are operating at maximum capacity constantly. 71% of senior leaders work to tight deadlines, and 62% work at very high speed for three-quarters or more of the time. This high work intensity, alongside time poverty, drives their stress levels.
- Consequences for Retention: This volume of workload is not just exhausting; it is the main reason senior leaders cite for considering leaving their job due to pressures on their health and wellbeing (76%).
These measures confirm that as the experience of working at very high speed, to tight deadlines, and experiencing time poverty increases for staff, their overall wellbeing decreases.
The Mental Health Fallout
The unrelenting pressures are having a severe impact on the mental and physical health of school leaders.
- Symptoms Due to Work: 78% of senior leaders experienced at least one physical, psychological, or behavioural symptom linked to their work.
- Burnout and Exhaustion: Among those who experienced symptoms in the last two years, senior leaders reported the highest prevalence of perceived burnout (41%) and exhaustion (37%).
- Worrying Symptoms: Key symptoms reported by leaders include insomnia or difficulty sleeping (52%) and irritability or mood swings (46%).
- Poorer Subjective Wellbeing: The overall subjective wellbeing score for senior leaders continues to decline, hitting 43.44 in 2025, a decrease from 44.51 in 2024.
Filling the Systemic Gaps
Leaders and their staff are increasingly taking on responsibilities far beyond teaching and learning, straining their already overburdened roles. This shift involves stepping in to fill gaps left by overstretched adjacent public services.
When senior leaders provide additional help to pupils and students—such as helping them manage emotional responses, providing food, or buying key supplies—51% of those leaders report that this has a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing.
Furthermore, while senior leaders generally report higher job satisfaction (48% high or very high levels) compared to other roles, the organisational culture often falls short: 45% of senior leaders feel their organisation’s culture negatively affects staff mental health and wellbeing. However, 65% of senior leaders feel supported by their organisation.
The Need for Targeted Intervention
The data confirms a deeply concerning trend, yet meaningful action remains elusive. If we want every child to thrive, we must ensure that those who teach and support them are thriving too.
Education Support strongly recommends urgent, targeted support for school and college leaders to stem the tide of burnout and attrition. This must include prioritising the provision of high-quality, targeted support, such as access to evidence-informed interventions like professional supervision and reflective practice, which can help leaders manage their demands and protect their health while longer-term systemic changes are sought.
We cannot afford to continue risking experienced leaders when their expertise is most needed. Like the captain of a ship navigating a storm, the school leader's wellbeing dictates the safety and direction of the entire institution; if they are exhausted, struggling with time poverty, and burning out, the whole system suffers.
Read the full report from Education Support here: www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/3qeajx41/teacher-wellbeing-index-2025.pdf