Headteacher turnover is still higher than before the pandemic, suggesting departures are no longer linked with a Covid backlog but with increased job demands
Executive head Sara-Jane Baker has had a rough week. After a gruelling three-hour child protection review the day before we speak, she was straight into other meetings while also dealing with parent complaints and providing emotional support to her staff, without getting a chance to catch her breath. The myriad of responsibilities in leading a support for heads
Last modified on Sat 17 Apr 2021 03.32 EDT
For Alex Barnes , head of a large secondary school in Yorkshire, the stresses of being in charge in the pandemic became too much. Last spring, just at the end of the first lockdown, she reached breaking point. âThe demands were coming at me from every angle,â she says. âWorried parents bombarding me with questions, teachers and their unions demanding assurances that the school was safe. I became desperately worried that Iâd be responsible for a rise in infections.
âOne night I went home to my husband and said, âI donât think I can do this any more.â The look of shock on his face. He had never heard me speak like that before.â