Beyond Self-Care: Why School Wellbeing Needs a Systems-Level Rethink
Written by Andrew Murray, former Principal and Director, Lumina Consulting
If you’re a teacher attending the National Education Summit this year, you already know the toll burnout is taking on our profession. You may even be one of those standing at the edge of exhaustion. And if you’re not here in this room—perhaps you’re one of the many too overwhelmed to attend, too depleted to even name it. That silence speaks volumes. While self-care and resilience training are everywhere, I want to offer a different take—one grounded not in surface-level fixes, but in systemic change.
Early in my career, I transitioned from the private sector to education, bringing with me a perspective shaped by legal and organisational accountability. One thing became immediately clear: when wellbeing is framed as an individual’s responsibility, it gives organisations a free pass. We can’t afford that. Teachers are not burning out because they lack yoga skills or enough lavender oil or getting out on their bike enough. They’re burning out because of structural failures—workload, mismatched expectations, lack of support—and those are organisational issues, not personal ones.
I wrestled with this for a long time. Then, while researching my upcoming courses on Faith, Flourishing and Wellbeing, I immersed myself in the work of Maslach and Leiter, whose burnout framework reframes the issue entirely. Burnout, they argue, isn’t a personal failing—it’s a mismatch between people and their work environment. That evidence base gave me the clarity to begin developing tools for schools that treat wellbeing as a shared, strategic responsibility.
Let me be clear—when I say "schools," I mean the entire educational ecosystem: boards, school owners, senior and middle leaders, teaching staff, support teams, and governance bodies. Everyone. The most effective wellbeing programmes aren’t isolated acts of goodwill or feel-good workshops—they are strategically embedded into the DNA of how a school functions. That includes how work is distributed, how recognition is handled, how communication is structured, and how decisions are made. These everyday systems and behaviours are the real drivers of flourishing—or burnout.
We now have significant evidence linking burnout to declining student outcomes. In New Zealand and Australia, there is excellent research emerging on principal and school leader wellbeing—yet the body of research on classroom teacher burnout remains thin and often overly generic. This gap needs urgent attention if we are to respond comprehensively to the systemic risks facing our profession.
This is particularly urgent when it comes to early-career teachers. Around one in six leaves the profession within a year. By year five, that figure climbs to a third. Many of those who remain are chronically exhausted. They’re pacing themselves, taking time off—but staying. Anecdotally, these figures are mirrored across New Zealand and Australia. Yet, despite what the evidence is telling us, meaningful change is rare. Many system-level leaders still treat staff burnout as a personal failing rather than a structural fault. Acknowledging the problem is the first step—and too many still aren’t even doing that. And the research is clear: staff turnover hurts student outcomes. Even when experienced teachers stay, the departure of colleagues damages collaboration and culture.
I’ve seen the difference when a system chooses to lead. One school I worked with moved from reactive well-being PD to auditing its entire organisational design—policies, communication norms, workload distribution. Within a year, not only did retention improve, but so did student outcomes and staff morale. It’s possible. But it starts with courage.
The current focus on student wellbeing is important, but incomplete. The best schools are moving beyond box-ticking and investing in a unified strategy where staff and student wellbeing are integrated. They’re not afraid to confront structural issues. They understand that flourishing is not an ‘extra’—it’s core business.
Yes, legislative frameworks are beginning to emerge, especially in Australia where psychological health regulations are tightening. But we don’t have to wait for mandates to act. Schools can lead. They can become the case studies that show what’s possible.
The response to my recent articles and workshops has been profound. Interest in my own tertiary course on Wellbeing has stunned me but it is about time. Thousands of educators are resonating with the message. But interest is only the first step. We need implementation. We need action.
If we want schools where students thrive, we must build workplaces where teachers are energised, valued, and supported. This isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. Let’s shift the narrative from just coping to truly flourishing, together.
If you’re a teacher who’s ready to explore the concept of flourishing—for yourself, your classroom, or your school—I’d love to invite you to the Wellbeing for Future Focused Schools Conference. I’ll be sharing practical tools, lived insights, and reflections to help you protect your energy, sustain your passion, and create a culture of care in your everyday practice.
Please feel free to send me a message—I'd love to have a chat with you.
📍 Brisbane: 31 July - 1 August 2025 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
📍 Melbourne: 28 - 29 August 2025 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Bibliography:
Maslach, Christina, and Michael P. Leiter. The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It. Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Riley, Philip. Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey 2024. Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, 2024.
Seligman, Martin E.P. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press, 2011.