Elevate: Experienced Principals

Cultivate your adaptive and collaborative leadership capabilities to navigate complexity and drive meaningful impact beyond the school level.

Through practical and evidence-informed modules designed to support 3 distinct themes; systems, self and teams, you will:

• increase your skills and confidence to influence school and system improvement
• deepen your self-awareness
• strengthen your strategic ability to lead school teams
• advance your capacity to lead with clarity and influence in complex and dynamic educational settings

Audience

Roles

Open to principals with: 

• 5 or more years in the role
• an Executive Class Principal role (either school-based or Intensive School Support)
• responsibility to lead a complex or challenging school, such as a turnaround or transformation school.
   

School sectors

This program is available to the following school sectors:

• Victorian government
• Catholic
• independent.

Some content may contain information aligned with Department of Education priorities or initiatives.

Facilitators

Module 1: Systems

• Peter Dewitt and Michael Nelson (Instructional Leadership Collective)  will lead a full day workshop 

Module 2: Self

• Option 1: Heather De Blasio
• Option 2: Frank Handy (Independent Office of School Dispute Resolution) 

Module 3: Teams 

• Nick Conigrave will lead 2 full-day workshops 

Module 4: Systems

• Simon Breakspear will lead this full day workshop, which is workshop 2 under the Systems theme.

Structure

Over 8 months, participants will engage in and contribute to: 

• up to 6 full-day face-to-face workshops
• pre- and post-workshop activities, including self-directed learning (approximately 4 hours total).

Modules

Module 1: Systems

Workshop 1 (1 day): Collaborative Improvement for System Impact (Peter Dewitt & Michael Nelson)

Strengthen collective efficacy for system-wide improvement. Through explicit instruction and targeted breakout sessions, you will:

• build shared understanding
• co-develop strategies to measure leadership impact using existing evidence
• explore sustainable ways to embed this work into current routines to drive ongoing improvement. 

Module 2: Self

For Module 2 (Self), you may select either Option 1 or Option 2. 

Option 1 (2 days): Resilient Leadership (Heather DeBlasio) 

Grow your confidence and resilience to lead through pressure and challenge with clarity and conviction. Supported by 360-degree feedback and coaching, you will learn to:

• rebalance
• re-energise
• refocus during times of uncertainty.

Option 2 (2 days): Power and Conflict (Frank Handy)*

Explore a comprehensive framework for leading through complex problems of conflict and create positive changes within your school community. Supported by 360-degree feedback and coaching, you will:

• cultivate a strong sense of self-knowledge and self-regulation
• harness your personal power to manage, prevent and respond to conflict, positively impacting attitudes and behaviours.  

* Please note: Power and Conflict is a repeat of Leading Through Conflict and Complexity with Frank Handy from the 2025 Elevate program. Participants who completed Leading Through Conflict and Complexity in 2025 do not need to complete Power and Conflict in 2026 but are invited to complete Resilient Leadership.

Module 3: Teams

Workshop (2 days): Thriving Teams through Change (Nick Conigrave)

Build and lead high-performing, resilient teams that thrive through change and complexity. Through practical tools and strategies, you will strengthen:

• collaboration
• accountability
• psychological safety to foster adaptable, growth-oriented team cultures.

Module 4: Systems

Workshop 2 (1 day): Trust in Action: Building the Human Foundations for Sustainable Improvement (Simon Breakspear)

Harness the power of trust and collaboration Through reflective dialogue, evidence-informed input and peer learning, you will examine how trust is a catalyst for sustainable and meaningful change. Drawing on the latest research, Dr Breakspear will guide you to:

• cultivate, safeguard and build trust within and beyond your school.

Learning outcomes

You will:

• build deeper personal insight and self-awareness through 360-degree feedback, coaching, and targeted development in resilience, conflict resolution and trust building
• build capability and confidence to lead high-performing teams that adapt to change and complexity
• apply practical, evidence-informed tools and strategies to lead with clarity and purpose in dynamic educational environments with competing priorities
• cultivate adaptive and collaborative leadership capabilities to navigate complexity and drive meaningful impact beyond the school level
• contribute to greater system-wide coherence and collaboration by engaging in shared leadership development opportunities across roles and networks.  

Attendance requirements

To successfully complete this program, you must complete at least 2 program modules based on your own professional needs and interests.

For Module 2 (Self), you may select either Option 1 or Option 2. 

Fees and financial support

We significantly subsidise costs for all participants.

Additional financial support for government schools

Government school participants can claim CRT funding for up to 20 days across the program.

Travel and accommodation subsidies are available for eligible schools.

Fees and financial support