Research Briefing: Fragile Leadership Pipeline

77% of Principal Teachers in the 2024 Teacher Workload Research Project had considered leaving the profession in the past two years Four main factors drive departure intentions: prolonged working hours, challenging student conduct, difficult parental engagement, and complex learner needs with insufficient support Working hours are unsustainable: Teachers work 46 hours during weekdays -11 hours above their contracted 35 hours, with many taking work home most nights Health impacts are severe: 22% cited work-related stress as a factor in considering leaving, with physical health problems including chronic stress, sleep disruption, and exhaustion Student behaviour challenges are escalating ranging from daily low-level disruption to serious incidents including aggression and verbal abuse Middle leaders note difficulties in parental relationships, citing unrealistic expectations, strained communications, and reduced trust in their professional expertise Resource pressures are intensifying: schools report increasingly complex student needs alongside significant reductions in support staff (halved in some cases), affecting middle leaders' ability to provide desired levels of support Middle leaders function as "institutional dampeners" -absorbing pressures from multiple directions while protecting classroom teachers Those who had not considered leaving and intend to stay (23%) are motivated by: passion for teaching, positive student relationships, and job security.No significant differences were found between those considering leaving and those staying based on teacher characteristics or school settings -suggesting systemic rather than individual issues.