Educator Occupational Wellbeing Research Series 2026
Key Findings 2026
School principals occupy a critical position within contemporary education systems, exercising leadership responsibilities that influence organisational effectiveness, teacher wellbeing, school climate, and student outcomes.
Consequently, the sustainability of school leadership has emerged as an increasingly important concern within educational research and policy discourse.
Irish school principals are responsible for the overall leadership and the daily management of schools in Ireland. They lead teaching and learning, support staff and students, manage school policies and resources, liaise with external agencies and ensure compliance with educational regulations set by the Department of Education and Youth.
Principals play a key role in maintaining a positive learning environment and promoting the holistic development of pupils and the personal development of all within the school community.
This mixed-methods* study examines occupational wellbeing among primary and secondary level school principals in the Republic of Ireland, drawing on data from over 900 participants.
This report constitutes Phase Three of the DCU CREATE Educator Occupational Wellbeing series. Previous reports examined the occupational wellbeing of teachers in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
85% - Principals reporting moderate to high levels of personal-related burnout
86% - Principals reporting moderate to high levels of work-related burnout
61% - Principals reporting moderate to high levels of parent-related burnout
12% - Principals reporting moderate to high student-related burnout
Key Factors Contributing to Principal Burnout in the Republic of Ireland 2026
95% - Workload as a contributor to burnout
71% - Unrealistic parental expectations
71% - The structure of work and organisational issues
78% - The challenges in leading Special Education Needs (SEN) provision
95% - Unrealistic expectations from the Department of Education and Youth
71% - Dealing with outside agencies
21% - Broader school culture
50% - Physical working conditions or environment
21% - Lack of collegiality with colleagues
30% - Pupil management
71% - Inadequate resources in their school
93% - Role expectations
39% - Negative social media commentary
Working Hours
9% indicated they work 35-40 hours per week
36% indicated they work 41-50 hours per week
47% indicated they work 51-60 hours per week
9% indicated they work 65+ hours per week
Recuperation Time
31% of participants reported that they are able to avail of their annual leave entitlements.
69% of participants indicated they cannot avail of their annual leave entitlements.
Mental Health of School Principals
Self-Report of Mental Health
7%: Very Poor
21%: Poor
36%: Average
29%: Good
7%: Excellent
Mental Health Supports
81% of participants indicated they found the state mental
health support services for principals and teachers to
be very poor/poor.
Impact on Teaching and Learning
28% of the principals who reported poor/very poor mental health indicated that this has negatively influenced their ability to lead in their school.
18% of principals indicated a low sense of personal accomplishment.
2 in 10 principals indicated they are unlikely to continue in their role of principal over the coming year.
Understanding Principal Burnout in Ireland 2026
Principals go into the job to lead teaching and learning; however, a series of factors complicate the ability to do the job:
Not actually having a job remit
“Always on” in work mode, even at weekends and holidays. Multifaceted role, all things to all people, HR, finance. Building, maintenance and then there may be time for education!
The ‘everything stops with the Principal’ attitude is both emotionally and physically draining. The expectation of the role of Principal is becoming unattainable
The role of a teaching principal is all-consuming, and I am exhausted all the time. I spend most of my weekends and holiday time doing school work too.
As a school principal you are responsible for everything from the toilets, heating, school maintenance, HR, leading teaching and learning etc etc. also responsible for strategy and school improvement
Feeling of being in it alone
A principal makes hundreds of micro-decisions on how the school is run, etc. daily. This mental fatigue can lead to what feels like physical fatigue/exhaustion.
As a principal I am supposed to be in charge of teaching and learning. I cannot tell you the last time I worked on anything teaching and learning related! I am expected to know about solar panels, leaking roofs, replacing taps and all sorts of other building-related items. I do not know how this job is sustainable; in fact, I am extremely close to quitting.
Too many demands on one person, demands from staff and parents, the level of support from outside agencies dropping, the fact that none of our children with extremely complex needs are getting the support they need outside of school from the HSE/ other agencies, the school is now a place where children learn everything, there is a crisis in parenting
Every organisation just wants to pass the buck and we are left dealing with the fallout. These are real families, real people, that are vulnerable and need support, how can we fail them like this….we have links with all sorts of agencies, we go out of our way to help people, and yet it never feels like enough
I strive to do the best I can but it’s impossible to do it all. The guilt is terrible
Protective Factors for Principals
In this study, principals were asked to identify the ‘protective factors’ that support their experience of wellbeing in the workplace. Their responses are compiled under 6 interconnecting themes.
PDF Version of the Executive Summary Phase Three »
This Executive Report has been jointly prepared by the DCU CREATE Educator Occupational Wellbeing Research Team:
Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons, Professor Catherine Furlong, Dr Pia O’Farrell and Dr Damien Burke
DCU Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education
Institute of Education, Dublin City University
E: create@dcu.ie W: dcu.ie/create