Worrying rise in violence revealed in Australian Catholic University survey of 2500 principals and school leaders

Principals are facing a surge in violence and threats, with some disturbing incidents taking place at sports matches and after-hours events.

Almost a third of Victorian principals have been physically attacked by aggressive students or parents, a new survey has found.

Chronic staff shortages, natural disasters and declines in mental health are contributing to a red flag epidemic of violence, an Australian Catholic University annual survey of 2500 principals and school leaders has found.

School leaders had to deal with parents bypassing security protocols and coming on campus as well as monstering and threatening them at sporting matches and after-hours events, ACU researcher and former principal Dr Paul Kidson said.

He said schools were beefing up security and deputy leaders were acting as de facto bodyguards for principals.

The Australian Catholic University surveyed 2500 principals and school leaders. Picture: iStock

“I’ve been at functions where staff have had to intervene because they expected a parent to hit me, he said.

“Threats, innuendo, violence, gossip, and bullying are a continual threat for hundreds of thousands of school leaders.”

In the past year alone, threats of violence nationally have increased by 4.5 per cent and the overall rate of violence has doubled in the past 10 years.

Students are the highest cause of violence and physical threats while parents are more likely to bully, argue, gossip about and cyber bully their school leaders.

Principals are dealing with threats, violence, gossip, and bullying. Picture: iStock

School leaders are now 11 times more at risk of experiencing physical violence in their workplace than the general population and the number wanting to quit or retire early tripled in one year alone.

The research, released on Monday, also showed 33 per cent of Victorian principals triggered a red flag in 2022 warning about their working conditions – up seven per cent from last year.

Just under one in three (31 per cent) of Victorian principals reported being victims of physical violence, below the national average of 43 per cent.

But 38 per cent of Victorian principals said they faced threats of violence, 37 per cent bullying, 60 per cent conflicts and quarrels, 52 per cent gossip and slander and 31 per cent cyber bullying.

The lower Victorian rates are due to changes in working conditions first implemented in 2017, the report states.

The timing of the survey in third term 2022 coincided with the Victorian government bringing in a community safety order giving school leaders the power to ban aggressive parents and adults from school grounds.

Dr Kidson said Victoria was “seeing the advantage of a more proactive approach by the government than in other states”.

Victorian Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of all staff and students is our highest priority, that’s why we passed legislation empowering our school leaders and staff to respond to offensive behaviours by parents or carers and ensuring our staff are treated with the respect they deserve.”

“Victoria is home to some of the most exceptional school leaders in the country and it’s reassuring to see they have the lowest rates of burnout and stress – reporting higher job satisfaction than any other state or territory.”