Helen Kelly's book is about the wellbeing of school leaders: what causes stress and burnout in the role, and what governments, schools and leaders themselves can do to prevent it. The publisher says it sets out practical steps that governments and schools can take to reduce the demands on school leaders, and tools leaders can use to reflect on and improve their own wellbeing.

What the book covers

Part One asks what is causing school leader stress and burnout: the intensification of the role, its emotional demands, workload and other stressors, leading through a crisis, the particular challenges of leading an international school, and burnout itself.

Part Two turns to prevention, with chapters grouped by who acts:

  • What governments can do
  • What schools can do: a strategic approach to preventing leader burnout, addressing workload, supporting leaders' mental health and wellbeing, and building community
  • What leaders can do: managing stress, addressing self-sabotage behaviours, and recovering from burnout

The publisher also describes a framework for schools to support leaders to thrive, and evidence-based coping strategies for leaders.

Who it is for

The publisher pitches it at school leaders and at anyone looking to support and improve school leader wellbeing. Because Part Two separates what a school can do from what a leader can do, it can be read by a headteacher looking at their own workload and by those responsible for a headteacher's wellbeing.

About the book

  • Author: Helen Kelly, described by her publisher as a researcher, writer, speaker and consultant in school wellbeing. She led international schools in Bangkok, Berlin and Hong Kong as a principal, and before that was a solicitor working in health and safety at work.
  • Full title: School Leaders Matter: Preventing Burnout, Managing Stress, and Improving Wellbeing. Foreword by Professor Megan Crawford.
  • Publisher: Routledge (Speechmark imprint), first edition, published 27 February 2023. Paperback, 250 pages, ISBN 9781032056340; also in hardback (ISBN 9781032056333) and as an ebook (ISBN 9781003198475).

Source: Routledge, checked 13 October 2026.