A West Australian principal has likened the responsibilities of the role to that of a chief executive and warned that without proper resourcing and support, qualified teachers are less likely to take on the top job, particularly long-term.
Perth independent school All Saints’ College conducted its own research into the average tenure of a principal in the sector, and discovered it was just six years.
All Saints’ College principal Belinda Provis, with college captains Chloe Glass and Kanin Hoar, and dog Max.
But their own principal, Belinda Provis, is the antithesis to this statistic – working at the school in the same role for 13 years, and as a principal for much longer.
Provis has just announced her resignation.
While Provis said her reasons for leaving were not related to the issues faced, she was concerned by the growing dissent for the job she was leaving behind, and worried qualified people were turning down the opportunity to become a school leader.
“A school is a complex organisation and supporting all the people and relationships that exist within can be emotionally draining,” she said.
“I loved the job and wouldn’t change it for the world ... but people see how demanding it is and are choosing not to put their hand up.”
Provis’ work day often started about 7.30am, but the finish times were inconsistent, with multiple board meetings and co-curricular activities held in the evenings.
“You can’t quantify the hours spent at work. One person can’t and shouldn’t take on everything,” she said.
“Principals are in the profession for the students, but that part of the job can get lost in paperwork and administrative tasks.”
She likened being a principal to being a chief executive, and said after working her first principalship she had completed a master’s degree in business administration to help manage that side of the role.
At All Saints’, the leadership team all do some teaching during the week to balance things out and “stay connected” with the students, Provis said.
But she warned principals needed the time and resources to manage that and avoid burn out.
Principals’ Federation of WA president Kya Graves said public schools experienced similar problems with workload, and principals were grappling with what they could provide to students with the resources they had.
“A lot are frustrated because they feel hamstrung with what they can do, and many are not staying on as long as they used too,” she said.
“Experienced principals are leaving or retiring earlier than planned and younger principals are coming through which is great because they have fresh ideas and energy, but they need the support to stay long term without burning out.”
In Graves’ experience, secondary principals tended to stay on longer than those working in primary schools or education support centres.
Graves also said the number of people putting up their hand for the role was decreasing, with lower numbers applying for the jobs available.
She also said the pipeline for school leadership was breaking down, with many deputy principals expressing their desire to remain deputy, rather than take the next step.
“Due to the demands placed on school leaders, and what they are expected to deal with, there are a number of deputies saying they don’t want that end-of-line role,” Graves said.
“It is not as desirable as it used to be. The remuneration isn’t there in public schools and there is no work-life balance.”
Graves said meaningful and concrete changes to support principals’ mental health was needed, as well as tangible ways to reduce workload, to make the job desirable again.
Provis said her advice for the next All Saints’ College principal, and any deciding to take on the job, was to have faith in other staff and lean on them when needed.
She also said having support at home, and from other principals, was important.
“It may be stressful, but I believe it’s worth it,” she said.
“Being there with students and their families to celebrate happy times and provide support during challenging times has been the greatest privilege of my life.”
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