Empowered school leadership: leading by example

Strong and engaged school leaders are essential for school improvement — a strong principal can make all the difference in turning a poorly performing school around.

Under the National Plan for School Improvement, governments will commit to giving our current and future school leaders more professional support and more autonomy. With greater autonomy will also be greater levels of accountability for school performance and community engagement.

Strengthen school leadership

A new Principal Performance and Development Framework will support principals to better lead teaching and learning in their schools.

School principals will also be given greater authority to make decisions affecting their schools, including staffing decisions, introducing programs tailored to their school and managing school budgets.

Principals will also be responsible for building stronger partnerships with important partners from outside the school — parents, the community, and non‑government organisations.

Lead school improvement at the local level

All principals will lead the development of a plan for year by year school improvement based on the needs of their students and input from their school community. These School Improvement Plans will be available from the My School website and schools will report annually on progress.

Create development opportunities for our school leaders of the future

Our most talented and experienced teachers will be supported to develop the skills required for school leadership, through a new framework and professional development modules.

Samantha is the principal of a public metropolitan primary school. She knows that strong leadership is a common factor in high performing schools.

Under the National Plan for School Improvement, Samantha will have more power to make the best decisions for her school including choosing staff, managing the budget, and purchasing resources which will best suit the students and characteristics of the school.

At Samantha's school, numeracy outcomes are a concern for a small group of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Samantha will be able to use the school's additional resources to employ a specialist numeracy coach who will work with both students and staff to maintain a focus on those students who need it most.

Under the National Plan for School Improvement, Samantha will also receive extra leadership training and ongoing professional development to ensure her skills continue to develop.