Principal Preparation Program

Course description

This seven-day program supports middle leaders in schools aspiring to principalship. Designed as a practical, six month, spaced-learning experience, participants will:

• Engage in four, interactive whole-day workshops
• Read and respond to stimulus articles/videos prior to each workshop
• Engage in three days of guided shadowing of an experienced Principal
• Receive two professional coaching sessions delivered online, on applying their learning to their professional practice
• Utilise their program journal to reflect on their learning and plan for ‘stretching’ their practice
• Deploy two data-collecting instruments to provide feedback on:
  – How participants perceive their leadership strengths compared with how others perceive them
  – Identifying key competencies and capabilities for strengthening overall leadership performance
• Work with the facilitators to undertake a Personal Leadership Inquiry, using learning and data from all aspects of the program.

Key content in this program includes:
– Developing a leadership disposition
– Continuous learning for growth as a leader
– How leaders build a culture of teamwork and performance
– How leaders learn to know themselves and how they use their capabilities to build trust and influence
– Critical interpersonal skills for leaders
– Politically astute leadership
– Fundamentals of school improvement

Participants are funded three day’s relief.

Course outcomes

Participants will further develop knowledge, expertise and capabilities aligned with the Principal Capability Framework, particularly:

• Understanding and practising authenticity as a leader
• Shaping an inclusive school culture that fosters mutual respect, agency and accountability
• Building a psychologically and emotionally safe environment
• Cultivating a feedback culture by building capacity in self and others to inquire, and seek and respond to data and feedback, for continuous improvement
• Nurturing collaborative practice and high-performing teams
• Developing educational leadership knowledge and expertise for driving school improvement