Anyone moved from leadership in an extremely deprived area to an affluent one?

[AnduinsGirl]

I'm fifteen years into my teaching career and deputy head in a large inner city school. The area we serve is extremely deprived with families in the absolute pits of poverty. I am non class based and spend my time predominantly sorting safeguarding issues. I have seen and heard things that have happened to our families that many people would not believe could occur in modern day Britain. I am immensely proud of our school, the good start we give our children and the support we give our families....but Im starting to feel I can't do it any more. I am constantly tired and tearful (welling up now ffs) and every day I feel an overwhelming sense of frustration, and I feel deep down that many of my pupils do not have bright futures. I am not a negative person and do my absolute best job I can - I hate feeling like this.
I always thought I would stay here for a good many years and eventually perhaps lead the school, but now I'm not so sure. I find myself scouring the jobs pages for roles in schools very much not like mine, and imagining how I would like to run these places. It makes me feel excited and positive - something I do not feel at the moment. But I feel horribly disloyal and guilty... I'm not so arrogant as to think I'm irreplaceable, but something feels wrong about moving from an area of such need to the opposite just for my own wants. I don't know, I'm just struggling at the moment. 😢 Any thoughts from people who have experienced anything similar? Sorry for the stilted sentences, not used to writing on phone!

I have done both. Started in a deprived area, went to a posh area for 5 years, then now back in a deprived area. Honestly, I think the posh stuff is easier from a class perspective, but I had LOADS more staff issues in the posh one than I have now. Everyone was a bit precious. Might have been in the individual school though, obviously.

You are burnt out. Its very common in jobs like yours, social work, medicine, nursing etc.
The Joy of Burn Out is good to read and very helpful.
I got burnt out in a very demanding role which I loved with a passion but got to a point I just couldn't continue.
My head changed my role which I did for 3 years.
When I was asked to go back to my former role - I add regained my energy and passion
You need a change and to recharge.
Could you take another role within the school ?
If not do consider moving
You can always come back to this area
Without energy and joy your body will find a different way to make you stop

I have worked in a school in one of the most deprived areas of the country and then in a school in a mixed environment - so "more affluent" than "very affluent" if that makes sense. In both schools I had a pastoral leadership role.

Of course it is specific to the context of both schools but the more affluent school was less draining. The more deprived school had a sense or hopelessness at times - but also moments of emotional joy that the other reached less often. There were of course child protection issues in both schools but the number of incidents were fewer as a percentage of the school population. The more deprived school also struggled to keep staff, the school population was hugely transient which brings issues.

I did what you did when my children were younger. I’d done middling, affluent then deprived over the first decade of my career but wanted something less exhausting when we had two quite close together. I’m now back in a more deprived school and I absolutely love it. I agree with all the above posts: dealing with the absolute nonsense of complaints about one piece of homework not being marked when three years before I’d been referring families to food banks really rankled. However, the affluent school was a lot less physically exhausting (no call out or lesson change over duty for a start!) to it definitely made an evening with a toddler and a reception class child easier when I went home! I’d also feel absolutely no shame in putting yourself/your family first for a few years.