ParentPay Group study finds 30% of school leaders are considering resignation as admin burdens and unrealistic parental expectations threaten school resilience.
LONDON, 21 January 2026 – 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:
- 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”.
- 94% agree that admin burden is hindering strategic progress.
- 72% report major recruitment and retention challenges.
“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.
Download the full report and meet the team at Bett
The Well-run schools report is available to download now at https://www.parentpaygroup.com/whitepapers/well-run-schools. Attendees at Bett can visit ParentPay Group at Stand SJ50 to speak with the team, explore the findings, and arrange interviews.
About ParentPay Group
ParentPay Group is the operating system for well-run schools, supporting over 20,000 schools and 9 million users daily. Our platforms serve many millions of parents, enabling secure payments, budgeting, communications, and reporting. From streamlining admin to powering catering and reducing waste, we help schools, trusts, and local authorities focus on what matters most: learning. By connecting families and educators through easy digital tools, we create safer, smarter environments where communities thrive. Visit www.parentpaygroup.com for more.
About the research
The research was conducted by Arlington Research using an online self-completion survey. A total of 250 school leaders across the UK took part, recruited via a specialist panel of respondents. For the purposes of this study, school leaders were defined as headteachers and deputy headteachers in primary and secondary schools, Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) CEOs and senior leaders, as well as school business managers. Fieldwork was carried out between 15 and 25 August 2025.
