Report uncovers major challenges faced by leaders

A new national report from ParentPay Group has uncovered the major barriers preventing education leaders from running a well-run school.
 
Launched today at Bett, ParentPay Group’s well-run schools report, which is based on the insights of 250 senior education leaders across the UK, found excessive workloads, parental pressures and staff recruitment and retention problems are driving a leadership crisis.
 
The key findings show that 30% of school leaders are likely to resign within the next year, with 79% of those citing workload or stress as the primary driver.

79% say their school is being forced to “do more with less” and 94% agree that admin burden is hindering strategic progress.

Recruitment and retention challenges, meanwhile, were cited as a challenge for 72%.
 
“We commissioned this report to understand what’s really going on behind school gates – and what we found is a leadership system under unsustainable pressure,” said Lewis Alcraft, Group Chief Executive of ParentPay Group. “When nearly one-in-three school leaders say they’re ready to quit, that’s not a data point – it’s a warning. This report is a call to action. We can’t fix every challenge, but we can give leaders time back by removing some of the operational friction that’s draining their energy and resilience.”
 
The report highlights school leaders calls for greater clarity, more coherent systems, and a renewed focus on enabling rather than overloading teams. There is a clear appetite to reduce duplication, define roles more effectively, and better leverage existing resources rather than continuously being asked to do more with less.
 
ParentPay Group has distilled these insights into the 4Es model – a framework designed to help schools define what “well-run” means to them. Rooted in sector-wide insight, the model outlines four interdependent areas that support confident, consistent leadership. These are: effective operations, enhanced wellbeing, engaged communities and exceptional outcomes. The framework provides a shared language and a practical pathway for school improvement, shaped by the experiences of education leaders across the UK.
 
“This report doesn’t just highlight the scale of the challenge – it offers a practical way forward,” said Ben Whitaker, Founder of Edufuturists. “School leaders are being overwhelmed by admin, complexity, and unrealistic expectations. If we want schools to be truly well-run, we need systems that work for people, not the other way around. That means using technology to simplify, not stack, the school day.”
 
The well-run schools report makes clear that stress and burnout aren’t signs of weakness – they’re symptoms of a system that no longer works. That’s why ParentPay Group is focused on helping schools streamline operations, reduce admin overload, and give time back to leaders. This is being achieved by building more connected, intuitive systems that reduce friction and support smarter ways of working. ParentPay Group is nearing completion of a multi-year innovation programme designed to connect and simplify core school operations – from payments to MIS, communications, catering, and more – giving schools smarter ways to work and more space to lead.