‘They don’t bend, they break’: Why half of Victoria’s principals are thinking about quitting their jobs

Victoria’s education system is on the brink of crisis as more principals threaten to quit, left drained by repeat threats, demanding workloads and putting themselves in harm’s way as schoolyard violence soars.

More than one in 10 schools leaders are at risk of self harm, despite being the most resilient in the nation a new survey has found.

Burnt-out Victorian principals are threatening to quit at alarming rates due to “emotionally draining” workloads and schoolyard violence, a new report shows.

More than one in 10 school leaders are at risk of self harm, despite being the most resilient in the nation, Australian Catholic University’s 2024 Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey found.

Those with low job satisfaction were found to have a higher intention to quit, with almost 54 per cent of Victorian principals considering handing in their resignation last year – up from 48 per cent in 2023 and 0.7 per cent higher than the national average.

The sheer quantity of work was again the main driver behind school leaders wanting to leave the profession.

Survey investigator and former school principal Associate Professor Paul Kidson described the “notable” increase as a significant issue, and said some “hard questions” needed to be asked about why it was happening.

“When we see so many expressing that intention to quit, that’s too many people,” he said.

“We don’t have enough people to replace another three to four hundred people – it would be crippling for our schools.”

The sheer quantity of work was again the main driver behind school leaders wanting to leave the profession, followed by lack of time to focus on teaching and learning.

Student-related issues and mental health issues of staff rounded out the top five sources of stress.

ACU Institute for Positive Psychology and Education co-chief investigator Professor Theresa Dicke said these stressors reflected how principals were bearing the weight of being responsible for their staff and students.

“They love their jobs but sometimes they just can’t do it anymore because they’re at breaking point,” she said.

“They don’t bend, they break.”

Offensive behaviours at schools also worsened in Victoria, with sexual harassment, threats of violence and cyber-bullying rates among the issues reaching a three-year high.

Three in five principals found themselves refereeing a classroom conflict or quarrel last year, while one in two school leaders said they were victims of gossip and slander.

Additionally, 46 cent of Victorian principals were on the receiving end of violent threats and two in five were confronted by physical violence with some forced to break up student fights.

Associate Professor Kidson said the “underlying lack of respect between members of the community and schools” was “really concerning”.

“One principal had to write a cease and desist letter to a family saying they were no longer permitted on school grounds, while another principal said they were just about at the point of quitting because of a ferocious aggressive social media attack against them,” he said.

“A number of parents who just completely ignore (the rules) will wander into a school because they’re hot under the collar or they feel they can call staff any sorts of names under the sun.

“(The perpetrators) feel it’s their right to be abusive and offensive and it’s not – we need to be strong and call that out.”

Two in five Victorian principals were confronted by physical violence.

While some principals were forced to break up student fights

Victorian Principals Association president Andrew Dalgleish said while the majority of schools were safe places, the rates of violence and threatening behaviour reported was concerning.

“Teachers and principals love their work, but the impact it has and the overwhelming nature of some of the challenges is starting to become a heavy weight,” he said.

Intensifying efforts to reduce administrative burden, investing in preventive measures to improve school climate and reviewing support mechanisms were among a lengthy list of recommendations to improve survey results.

“Anything offered on a personal level to our school leaders will only be a bandaid if they continue in a system that puts these pressures on them,” Professor Dicke said.

Associate Professor Kidson added: “we are calling for unequivocal bipartisan policy and cross politics support for the recommendations and measures that we’ve included in this year’s report.”

“We can’t afford for that to become another part of the political discourse, it’s just too important to be debated”

A Department of Education spokeswoman acknowledged more work was needed to better support school leaders and teaching staff.

“Violence and aggression have no place in Victorian schools,” she said.

“We will continue to give (principals) the best possible support for the vital work they do across school communities.”