Studies on school principals’ wellbeing make for grim reading, according to Heidi Hayward, principal of Dunedin Intermediate School. Heidi participated in ‘The New Zealand Primary Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey (2016–2021)’ and says, ‘The research shows a significant deterioration in school principals’ wellbeing across the timeframe.’
The research showed that 72 per cent of primary principals reported working more than 50 hours per week with 16 per cent more than 60 hours per week. There were increases in the frequency of principals experiencing more work than they could manage and there had been a decline in resources to do the job. The imbalance between work and home life had got worse and levels of burnout had increased. Two sources of stress stood out. First was the sheer quantity of work and close behind was the lack of time to focus on teaching and learning.
When the going gets tough, principals turn to their partners for support (85 per cent), friends (74 per cent) and colleagues in the workplace (69 per cent), and compared to the average working population in New Zealand, school principals report significantly lower levels of general health and fitness.
A study by NZCER researcher, Cathie Wylie, in mid-2005 measured similar factors. Her research focussed on stress and related factors among New Zealand principals. She found stress levels were higher for women, Māori and non-New Zealand-European. Whilst stress was associated with many factors of the job, workload was one of them. Principals were also not very fit, with over half reporting they would struggle to run the length of a football field, although they were healthier than the general population.
Compared with the later research, hours of work was a surprise finding, with 90 per cent reporting they worked 50 hours or more a week, and 42 per cent 60 hours or more. About half were experiencing constant tiredness and half reported sleeping issues.
Whilst there were frustrations reported, 70 per cent were optimistic about their life as a principal and they felt valued by their staff and school board. 86 per cent agreed that the job gave them great satisfaction, with only 4 per cent disagreeing.
Around 40 per cent found ERO reviews and resourcing needs stressful, but the main stressors stemmed from balancing management and leadership, with management mostly winning. These factors affected rural schools disproportionately. Paperwork and other system demands were identified as having a high impact for over half the principals surveyed.
These two studies, a decade apart, show similar factors impacting on principal wellbeing, with most factors getting worse over time. It is therefore not surprising that principals feel it is time to pay closer attention to their personal wellbeing. Not to do so means their performance as leaders of schools will undoubtedly diminish.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that restoring wellbeing is necessary, principals are hard-wired to put the needs of everyone and everything before their own. Even when a collective bargaining win of a ‘$10,000 wellbeing fund’ for principals to access supervision, counselling, mentoring or PLD, Heidi Haywood felt uncomfortable about spending money on herself. She confessed that she was incredibly stressed and felt guilty about spending the money.
‘As a school principal our own health and well-being always comes second. We juggle the needs of our students, our staff, and our community. Even when I made absolute promises to myself that I would put exercise first, or would not check emails after 7pm the reality is that I’m the only person who has an increased workload if I don’t push on and do the mahi,’ she explained.
‘In the end, through my principal networks, I learned of a study tour to Finland, an educational jurisdiction I have been interested in for many years, especially after hearing Pasi Sahlberg speak at a NZPF conference a few years ago. Heidi anxiously raised this possibility with her board and was surprised by how positively they received it.
‘I spent the next few months justifying the decision to others, but mostly to myself, and by the time I left New Zealand, I was still struggling to believe that travelling halfway around the world for three weeks was a good use of time and money just to improve my wellbeing!’ she said.
Heidi reported that after 15 years as a principal, she had never before completely disconnected from school for this length of time, which was a further source of guilt.
‘I did not take my laptop, which meant it was much more difficult to stay connected to school and besides, connecting from Finland was never going to be easy.’ she said.
Of course she made all the necessary delegations prior to the trip, but still the guilt persisted.
‘Having no school contact was a bit like breaking an addiction,’ she confessed. ‘I realised then how difficult it is to actually “turn off”.’
But ‘turn off’ she did and immersed herself in the Finnish education system. Perversely, she said, she came to better understand and appreciate the New Zealand system, by having the opportunity to examine a different system. Having the chance to reflect, observe and think was a treat, as much as a valuable learning experience.
She said that while Aotearoa New Zealand and Finland are about the same population size, Finland and New Zealand are very different countries in their outlook. Finland still has compulsory military training for all 18-year-old males. The threat of a takeover from neighbouring countries is felt keenly and there are strong nationalist values which filter into decision making at all levels.
She also learned that schools were run by the Municipality of the region. ‘Much of the time-consuming and repetitive administrative work like property and budgeting, that principals do in New Zealand, is taken care of at the regional level in Finland,’ she said.
‘That allows the principal to focus on being curriculum leaders,’ she said.
Perhaps the greatest difference she found between the two countries was the hours of work.
‘In Finland, a principal’s working week is 37.5 hours, and principals are encouraged not to work longer because providing time in lieu was difficult.’ She added that if they do have to work longer hours these are recorded and taken as additional leave. How very different from the principal’s hours of work in New Zealand!
The Finnish language has no word for accountability. They talk about responsibility.
‘The more you consider this notion, the more you understand that being responsible takes on a whole different set of values – like being trusted, rather than being judged,‘ said Heidi.
Further, there is little or no competition between schools in Finland. People send their children to the local school, and they generally don’t question the quality of the education that the students receive. Schools are implicitly trusted to be doing the right thing.
Contrary to popular belief, teachers in Finland are not paid more than in New Zealand schools – despite the significantly higher expectations, especially in terms of initial qualifications. It takes 16 years to reach the top of the pay scale, as opposed to our 10, and there is no fast tracking in recognition of a master’s degree or equivalent, nor is there a ‘unit’ equivalent payment. Teachers have full autonomy over their class.
While students start school at seven years old, the ‘pre-school’ training is actually quite structured. It is not academic (6-year-olds do minimum number and letter recognition). It is about social readiness – being a friend, taking turns, conflict resolution, and key competencies. The preschool class we visited had seven two-year-old children, all of whom could put their shoes and socks on independently!
‘Observing this independent behaviour, made me realise the critical importance of the key competencies, which in Finland, were well established before there was any pressure to teach literacy or maths,’ she said.
Primary school (seven years plus) pedagogy is not significantly different from what we do now in New Zealand. Front-facing teaching was commonly observed. However, because the curriculum has not changed in ten years, resources have been built up to support the curriculum. There were funded workbooks for most curriculum areas, which the teacher is not required to use, but might elect to, if they wish. At primary school the timetable was structured much like you might see in a high school. The municipality dictates how many lessons of each subject should be taught each week and at what level.
Most impressively, classes were almost always fewer than 20. There were structured milestone assessments, and early support was available for families with students who were not meeting milestones. While mainstreaming was the norm, children with special learning needs received additional support.
‘We visited a class with two teachers and 23 students: 6–7 of whom had additional needs. The 23 students were spread across two classrooms.’
The school day is structured quite differently, and younger students are at school for just half a day. We asked how this could be managed, especially if both parents are in employed work. The answer stunned us. The children walk home, and are often alone until their parents get home! This example shows a clear distinction between the Finnish and New Zealand cultures. While some may go to play at a friend’s house, there is an expectation that children as young as seven can manage to get themselves to and from school, and can manage themselves independently for a period of time. Again, this practice is based on societal trust and the children nearly always respect that.
This independence of thinking and behaving was also evident in the infrastructure within the cities. There were no fences around water, and no yellow painted lines to ensure people didn’t fall over obvious hazards!
‘Seeing these practices got me thinking about being more explicit with the “independence” work that we already engage in for intermediate-age students,’ said Heidi. ‘These children are thinking and acting with common sense and confidence and making good decisions,’ she said.
‘School lunch time was another eye opener,’ she said. ‘All the staff ate lunch at school with their students, and I was amazed to see tiny children carrying trays of drinks without spilling them,’ she said. ‘Nobody was loud and silly – it was a lovely shared lunch experience.’
Finland’s love of the outdoors is a cornerstone of their education system. In Finland students must play outside at morning tea and lunchtime regardless of the weather. The only exception is if the temperature is –20° or lower. The students can then decide.
‘This decision-making has not come about through legislation, nor is it driven by research evidence. It has come about because it is a widely supported practice across the country,’ said Heidi.
‘The overarching “take home” for me was the enormous value in just looking at another system of education with the time and space to stand back and reflect, and think about my own professional practice,’ she said. ‘I came home feeling less guilty, refreshed, informed and much more positive,’ she said.
Gavin Beere, principal of Hillpark School in Manurewa, concurs with the importance of paying attention to wellbeing. Like Heidi, he too used the newly introduced ‘Wellbeing Fund’ money to complement a generous contribution from his school board, to travel overseas whilst he undertook a sabbatical.
‘It was an unforgettable experience,’ he said.
Gavin’s research topic was ‘Building Efficiency with Effectiveness for Learning and Leadership in a Primary School Setting’.
He travelled to Brisbane, to All Hallow’s School, a ‘Microsoft Showcase School’ where he was able to draw on the ideas, approaches and both personal and practical knowledge of key staff to take back to his own school, which is also heading down the Microsoft pathway.
‘Apart from the inspirational ideas gleaned from schools, professional chats driving in the car, and chilling out at cafés, proved invaluable. Having the time to discuss and think about others’ experiences and viewpoints is a rarity for us, because time to reflect is what most New Zealand principals simply don’t have,’ he said.
The discussions and practical advice confirmed for Gavin that he was on the right track which gave him confidence and a boost to his wellbeing, he said.
There were further advantages too. When visiting other schools in both Adelaide and Brisbane, he was vicariously exposed to some exemplary examples of trauma-informed practice, deep learning curriculum practice, culturally responsive pedagogy and schoolwide leadership.
‘These were nothing to do with the real purpose of my visits,’ he said, ‘but illustrate the value of taking time out to immerse yourself in different schools. You are far more open to everything going on and pick up on those gems of knowledge you weren’t expecting,’ he said.
Gavin also had the privilege of later presenting to an audience of principals in New York City at the ‘18th Learning Ideas Conference’ at Columbia University, New York City. He said it was exhilarating to experience such an audience, and could judge by the questions they asked that they were fully engaged with the content of his presentation.
‘It felt like a “breakthrough achievement” for me personally, and for wellbeing, there is no substitute for the energy enhancing feeling that new achievement affords,’ he said.
‘The intellectual stimulation of interacting with a wide range of educationalists and the refreshment derived from taking a sabbatical, has inspired and invigorated me to launch the next chapter of my career,’ he said.
Concurring with both Heidi and Gavin, Julie Hepburn, principal of Red Beach School on the Hibiscus Coast, said ‘Principals must prioritise their own wellbeing without guilt or hesitation.’
Like Heidi before her, she said, ‘I often felt a sense of guilt when considering any spending on my own wellbeing. There was always a more pressing need in the school to apply the funds to.’
‘That is why having the dedicated “Wellbeing Fund” for principals is so important,’ she said. ‘It has made a significant and lasting difference to the lives of many principals across Aotearoa New Zealand, and is a timely reminder that looking after ourselves is not a luxury, it is a necessity,’ she said.
‘I am so grateful to have been able to attend the Innovative Leaders’ Conference in New York and spend time meeting with educators early last year,’ she said, ‘and reflecting on the impact of this opportunity, I know I returned a more refreshed, refocused, reaffirmed and reinvigorated leader!
Reference:
Arnold, B., Rahimi, M., Horwood, M., and Riley, P. (2022) The New Zealand Primary Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey: 2021 Data. Melbourne: Research for Educational Impact (REDI). Deakin University.