School heads in Northern Ireland have no "off-switch" and it affects their mental health, work and family life.
That is according to Victoria Hutchinson, who is the principal of one of Northern Ireland's biggest primary schools.
Her union, the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) has declared a "trade dispute" with the Department of Education (DE) over workload and school maintenance and funding pressures.
The DE said the decision to enter the dispute was "disappointing".
The NAHT called the role of a school principal in Northern Ireland "unsafe, unsustainable and professionally indefensible".
They said that there was a "breach of duty of care owed to school leaders".
In a statement the DE said it is "committed to addressing the issue of teacher and school leader workload and ensuring that they can focus on what matters most - teaching, learning and supporting pupils".
Hutchinson is the principal of Strandtown Primary School in east Belfast, which is one of the largest primaries in Northern Ireland with about 1000 pupils.
"There is never an off-button, there is never a moment when you aren't ruminating or reflecting or considering school-related issues," she said.
She said that families of pupils are facing "massive" challenges, like "navigating childcare, access to health services, financial hardship".
And that means they often turn to the school for help.
"School leaders are the emotional landing point for all of this.
"There is never an off button or an off-switch that you can just shelve that when the working day comes to a close, it doesn't," she added.
"Because there aren't agencies or supports there to say look 'here's what to do in this situation,' or 'here's how to respond' you are working through that until the point you have something.
"It is a continual job."
Joanne Whyte is the President of the NAHT and has been principal of Clarawood Special School for a number of years.
"More and more admin and bureaucracy has been added on to principals' workload through stealth," she said.
"Other agencies such as social services, Education Authority etc. have passed on their admin responsibilities to principals.
"For example, we're filling out a six-or-seven page referral form to try to get services into school to help a pupil.
"It just seems that less and less of our time we can spend with children in our schools, and that's essentially why we took the job in the first place," she said.
Whyte said that the job had become more demanding, and it had taken a toll on family life.
"I have been a principal now for 22 years and it was always a demanding job," she said.
"The time spent with children in school was always precious."
She said she only took a week off over the summer as most placements were finalised in special schools over the summer holiday.
"My normal school day, I was up at six o’clock in the morning and I was already on emails."
"I came home, made dinner, tidied up after dinner and I was straight back on the computer again answering emails, completing surveys, consultations, replying to referrals for placements."
"And then you go to bed and then you get up and you do the same thing again," Whyte said.
"That’s not any kind of work-life balance."
Victoria Hutchinson said schools had become "increasingly complex places" and her workload had "significantly increased" as resources and support for schools had dropped.
"We've seen impoverished support for Special Educational Needs (SEN) services, there are serious maintenance issues," she said.
Hutchinson said that she had been trying to get a leaking roof and doors in her school replaced for almost five years.
"That is something that is worsening with every storm and with every rainfall," she said.
"And the implications for ensuring pupil and staff health and safety within the building, which we will do, that becomes a significant daily workload.
"To ensure that you make the building fit for purpose when there are long-standing unaddressed maintenance issues."
A recent assembly report said many schools in Northern Ireland were "in a state of disrepair," and it would take up to £800m to fix them.
Hutchinson said she felt there was acknowledgement that heads faced an unsustainable workload, but without practical intervention it was "meaningless".
She said there was a need to make sure "our schools are functional and fit for purpose" so school leaders can devote themselves to teaching and learning.
The NAHT has told the Department "school leaders are carrying risks they cannot control and responsibilities they cannot safely discharge".
In an unusual move, they have declared a trade dispute and have called for talks mediated by the Labour Relations Agency.
They have called for DE to introduce immediate measures to reduce heads' workload including pausing new initiatives, "emergency intervention" to address SEN pressures, clear working time guidance and increased school maintenance.
They have said that unless the employers act within 14 days, "we will proceed to an indicative ballot for industrial action on Wednesday 4 March 2026".
The DE said: "The minister and department have shown undoubted commitment to tackling excessive workload and would urge the NAHT to work with the Department and the Teachers Negotiating Committee (TNC) to agree a resolution to this issue."