Stigma around burnout must be challenged | Letters

Burnout affects politicians and school leaders through moral injury and emotionally damaging systems. Rising demand for special educational needs and disabilities often must be met with inadequate funding, creating distress and harm. High-stakes accountability, including Ofsted, can worsen pressure by focusing on outcomes while disregarding factors outside a school’s control. When conscientious leaders and staff become mentally burnt out by systems meant to improve standards, something has gone badly wrong. Burnout leads to real consequences reported through helpline calls, and stigma around burnout needs to be challenged. Wellbeing support should be properly funded to prevent experienced professionals from leaving prematurely.

"Many school leaders experience the moral injury Hinsliff identifies, particularly around the provision of special educational needs and disabilities, where rising demand too often has to be met from inadequate funding. Others are burnt out by an accountability system including Ofsted whose high-stakes approach and lack of regard for factors beyond a school's control do more harm than good. When conscientious but overstretched school leaders and their staff are emotionally broken and mentally burnt out by the very systems that are meant to uphold and enhance standards, something has gone badly wrong."

"The Headrest team hear the consequences of burnout in countless calls. Denyer and Hinsliff are right to bring this issue into sharper public focus. The stigma around burnout must be challenged, and wellbeing support properly funded. If it is not, we risk losing experienced and dedicated professionals prematurely when, with the right support, they could continue contributing their expertise for many years to come."

"As a volunteer taking calls for Headrest, a helpline supporting school leaders, I regularly hear evidence of the pressures she describes. Many school leaders experience the moral injury Hinsliff identifies, particularly around the provision of special educational needs and disabilities, where rising demand too often has to be met from inadequate funding."

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