18 Feb 2026
School leaders: key professional learning needs
A recent survey of over 830 Government school principals in Victoria revealed key professional learning needs across different school types.
While some needs are consistent across the board, the top priorities vary depending on whether a principal works in a primary, secondary, P-12, or specialist school.
Government school professional learning needs
What matters most to school leaders
The most commonly identified professional learning needs of all respondents (primary, secondary, P-12 and specialist) were:
- Leading teaching, learning and wellbeing (32% selected this preference)
- Leading improvement, innovation, and change (29%)
- Developing self, others and leading teams (27% selected this preference)
The survey allowed the Academy to understand how key professional learning needs of principals differ based on the context in which they operate.
Primary school principals
The top 3 areas of importance for Primary school principals were:
- leading teaching, learning and wellbeing (34% selected this preference)
- leading improvement, innovation and change (30% selected this preference)
- developing self, others and leading teams (26% selected this preference)
Primary school principals may want to consider some of the following professional learning areas:
Secondary school principals
Secondary school principals reported their greatest priority for professional learning aligned to:
- self-reflection / debriefing / coaching / mentoring (30% selected this preference)
- developing self, others and leading teams (25% selected this preference)
- leading improvement, innovation and change (25% selected this preference).
The Academy provides a range of professional learning programs aligned to the needs of secondary school principals, including:
P-12 and P-9 Primary/Secondary school principals
School leaders in combined Primary/Secondary school settings shared that their interests lie in professional learning on:
- self-reflection / debriefing / coaching / mentoring (43% selected this preference)
- engaging and working with the community (30% selected this preference)
- developing self, others and leading teams (27% selected this preference)
Combined primary and secondary school principals may want to consider our:
- Leadership capability programs
- Inspiring School Pride and Confidence
- Leading Quality Conversations
- Career pathways programs.
Specialist school principals
Specialist school principals are most interested in programs related to:
- developing self, others and leading teams (48% selected this preference)
- leading teaching, learning and wellbeing (38% selected this preference)
- self-reflection / de-briefing / coaching / mentoring (31% selected this preference)
Specialist school principals will find a range of relevant programs available at the Academy, including:
- Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0 model programs
- Literacy and numeracy programs
- Principal mentoring
- Leadership capability programs.
Regional, rural and metropolitan schools
Metropolitan, regional and rural-based principals more frequently identified professional learning focusing on leading teaching, learning and wellbeing as the top priority. Leading improvement, innovation and change was the second preference across all government schools, with metropolitan schools also identifying self-reflection and debriefing as equal second preference. Developing self, others and leading teams was the next most frequently identified preference for regional and rural school principals.
School type
When asked about beneficial professional learning for their leadership teams, principals shared clear preferences. Primary and specialist school principals identified development of specialist expertise (e.g., in literacy or instructional leadership) as a key priority followed by coaching. For secondary and primary/secondary school principals the preference was reversed, with coaching as the preference followed by development of specialist expertise.
