Under Pressure: What the SBL Wellbeing Index 2026 Reveals

Education Mutual has released the School Business Leader Wellbeing Index 2026, offering a look into the wellbeing, pressures, and day‑to‑day realities faced by school business leaders (SBLs) working in schools across England and Wales

Now in its fourth year, the Index continues to explore the changing wellbeing needs of school business leaders across England and Wales. This year’s edition deepens the sector’s understanding of the challenges influencing the mental health and wellbeing of the SBL community, drawing on fresh data, extracts from interviews and emerging trends within the profession. As pressures within the role continue to grow, the Index provides an evidence base to support discussions around workforce sustainability, resource allocation, and the conditions needed for SBLs to thrive.

What Affects SBLs’ Mental Health and Wellbeing?

One of the headline messages from the 2026 report is the continued dominance of workload pressures as the number‑one challenge facing school business leaders. This concern has remained consistently high year after year, and in 2026 it persists at 65%, highlighting how longstanding the challenge has become.

Many SBLs continue to manage complex remits, often covering finance, HR, estates, compliance, and strategic planning. The Index highlights that, while these ‘core’ responsibilities alone are demanding, SBLs are increasingly expected to take on additional areas such as SEND coordination, cyber security, sustainability, marketing, and a wide range of day-to-day operational duties. This expanding scope of responsibility significantly contributes to heightened stress levels and ongoing challenges with maintaining a healthy work–life balance.

The top five challenges for 2026 were:

65% = Excessive workload
59% = Funding issues
58% = A lack of understanding of their role (by colleagues)
41% = Working long, unpaid hours
40% = Problems with staffing

A newly prominent theme in the 2026 findings is the growing lack of provision for pupils with special educational needs, reported by 32% of respondents. This issue is closely tied to several SEND‑specific challenges raised by SBLs, including SEND funding shortfalls, widespread misunderstandings among staff and parents about how SEND funding works, and a lack of clear guidance on both SEND funding rules and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes. These gaps leave SBLs working to meet rising levels of need while navigating inconsistent or unclear support structures.

Dive Deeper – Full Findings Available Now

Education Mutual encourages school business leaders, governors, policymakers, and sector partners to engage with the Index, share it across their networks, and use it to inform more supportive and sustainable working environments. The more visibility this conversation gains, the stronger the case becomes for meaningful change.

The full School Business Leader Wellbeing Index 2026 report is available now via www.educationmutual.co.uk .

Whether you’re an SBL, a senior leader, or simply someone invested in the wellbeing of the education workforce, this report offers valuable insights that can help shape positive action. A separate report focusing on the Multi‑Academy Trust version of the findings will follow in May 2026.

This is a sponsored article, brought to you by Education Mutual
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