SA Primary Principals Association survey reveals impacts of high workloads and stress SA Primary Principals Association Pam Kent: "If we are serious about improving learning, we need to free up our educational leaders to be educational leaders." OVERWORKED primary school principals are cleaning vomit and faeces off toilet floors and babysitting violent students in their offices because there is no one else to do it, school leaders say. Principals are calling for access to business managers or personal assistants to reduce crippling administration workloads and free them to fulfil their key role of educational leadership. Almost one in two have accessed employer-funded counselling to cope with stress, while many are turning to alcohol and medication. A survey of 202 primary school leaders, commissioned by the SA Primary Principals Association, also found 93 per cent are working more than 50 hours a week, with more than a third doing at least 60 hours. One in five is working through half of each two-week holiday. Lack of time and long hours were rated the major sources of stress, closely followed by issues including administration loads and struggles with Education Department software. Association president Pam Kent said there were fewer leadership, support and maintenance positions in primary schools because they were poorly funded compared with high schools, leaving principals burdened by administrative and menial tasks, such as cleaning students" toilet messes. If there's a burst pipe, principals have to get on to it. If there's no water they have to organise the bucket brigades," she said. If we are serious about improving learning, we need to free up our educational leaders to be educational leaders. Ms Kent said one of the most worrying findings was that principals rated their overall job performance higher than their capacity to cope with job-related stress. "What it signals is that principals are putting up a strong front ... but suppressing the need to look after their own wellbeing," she said. Ms Kent has discussed the results with department CEO Tony Harrison and said she was pleased with the hearing she received. Australian Education Union state president David Smith said workload issues would be a key focus in upcoming enterprise bargaining negotiations. "Nearly every category of our membership feels severely overworked at the moment," he said. Mr Harrison said the survey, done by McGregor Tan Research, was the most comprehensive of its kind in a decade and would help inform the department's review of policies and procedures to "reduce administrative burden" and boost support for school leaders. Originally published as Principals call for more support