Research Shows Surge in Violence Against Aussie Principals
Key points
New national research exposes the confronting and growing violence being experienced by principals in Australian public schools today.
Led by Monash University in collaboration with Deakin University and the University of Sydney, this national study examines the emotional labour of Australian public school principals who tell, in their own words, stories of escalating violence in their communities.
Report three, which was released today as part of the Invisible labour: Principals' emotional labour in volatile times project, investigates the profound toll that rising violence is having on principals' emotional and physical health and wellbeing.
Government school principals and schools are being held solely responsible for educating the majority of the most disadvantaged students in our society, without adequate funding, services and system support. This is a major factor in the escalation of violence in schools.
Drawing on 298 critical incident testimonies from 256 school principals nationwide, the research reveals how principals are increasingly expected to manage physical threats, violence and neglect without adequate government funding, support or recognition.
Lead Monash researcher, Professor Jane Wilkinson, says Australia ranks in the bottom third of the OECD when it comes to equity in schools.
"Decades of underfunding of our government schools means that public-school principals are the proverbial canaries in the coalmine. Public school principals are expected to educate our most disadvantaged students without adequate funding, frontline services, or support," Professor Wilkinson said.
"Violence in schools is neither inevitable nor acceptable. But principals and highly disadvantaged communities are being forced to endure the emotional and physical brunt of this underfunding that is a key factor in escalating aggression and violence."
Key Findings
President of the New South Wales Secondary Principals' Council and principal of Ulladulla High School, Denise Lofts says Australian principals are absorbing the emotional fallout while maintaining professionalism, often at great personal cost to their mental and/or physical health.
"The emotional and physical violence experienced by principals stems from students, parents, staff, and community members. It is increasingly seen as normalised and as some principals describe; 'just part of the job'. Principals are reporting that bureaucratic hurdles are delaying interventions, leaving them exposed to harm," Ms Lofts said.
Principals from across Australia told researchers that they "felt at risk" and "hated going to work". One principal was "assaulted by a parent" while another "had a recurring dream that [they were] shot in the head" as a result of the trauma they were experiencing.
The report recommends:
Co-author, Professor Lucas Walsh, said principals are bearing the emotional and physical brunt of escalating aggression, often in silence.
"This report calls for a whole-of-government response that recognises emotional labour as central to educational leadership and prioritises the safety, wellbeing and sustainability of Australia's public-school principals. Their stories are often horrific and we can no longer turn away from them as people and as central figures in schools throughout Australia," Professor Walsh said.
To view the reports and principals' testimonies, please visit:
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