The 2025 Government Schools Principals Conference was held on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 June at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The event brought together over 3000 school and system leaders from throughout the state under the theme: ‘Excellence in every classroom’. 

Keynote and plenary addresses

Dr Sonja Hood AM

Title: Leadership Matters

Biography:  

Dr Sonja Hood AM is the CEO of the Scanlon Foundation, a leading advocate for Australia’s social cohesion. She has more than thirty years’ experience in public policy and community development, with extensive leadership roles in government, sport, not for profits, and philanthropy.

Sonja is President of the North Melbourne Football Club, a Director of the Scanlon Foundation, and Board Chair of the Foundation’s three satellite organisations: Welcoming Australia, Community Hubs Australia, and the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. She is also a member of the Community Directors Council. 

Professor Joanna Barbousas

Title: Leading for impact when change is never straightforward

Biography:

As a transformational leader with over 29 years of experience in education, Professor Joanna Barbousas has fundamentally reshaped both teacher education and education policy in Australia. Since joining La Trobe University in 2016, she has positioned the School of Education as a leading provider of teacher education through evidence-based innovation and sector partnerships.

Professor Barbousas' research focuses on education transformation and evidence-based practices, examining the critical role of partnerships in elevating the teaching profession. Through significant research funding, including support from the Bertalli Foundation, she has advanced evidence-informed approaches to structured learning and innovative teaching practices. Her policy expertise and research inform ministerial decisions and strategic directions in Australian education.

As founder and leader of the award-winning NEXUS program, Professor Barbousas has secured over $17 million in funding through the Commonwealth Government High Achievers Teachers Program and the State Government of Victoria. This innovative employment-based teacher education program serves regional/rural and hard-to-staff schools across Victoria and New South Wales. She serves as a key advisor on numerous government steering committees and expert panels, continuing to drive transformative change in education policy and teacher education across Australia.

Dr David Howes, Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services

Title: What is our why? The role of schools and school leaders in the second quarter of the 21st Century

Dr David Howes (Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services) was joined for a panel discussion by principals Brooke Briody (Melton Specialist School), Kristy Mullins (Wangaratta West Primary School), Sherri Jenkins (Keysborough Gardens Primary School), and Stephan Fields (Ballarat High School). This session was moderated by MC, Judi Benney.

Kate Rattigan, Deputy Secretary, People and Executive Services

Title: Child Safe Schools – What have we learned and how do we support each other

Kate Rattigan (Deputy Secretary, People and Executive Services) was joined for a panel discussion by Bella Stagoll (Executive Director, Conduct and Integrity Division), Elly Gay (the Executive Director of the Operational Policy, School Engagement and Compliance Division) and Andrew Schneider (SEIL, Central Peninsula Network). This session was moderated by MC, Judi Benney.

Workshop presentations

This year’s conference included a range of workshops and presenters, including a variety of guest speakers.

Guest speakers

Amy Green, The Wellness Strategy: ‘Leading Well: Creating Thriving Schools Through Wellbeing-Driven Leadership’

• Website: The Wellness Strategy
• LinkedIn: Amy Green
• Presentation: Leading Well: Creating Thriving Schools Through Wellbeing-Driven Leadership (PDF, 1.46 MB)

Dr Jodi Richardson: ‘Empowering Anxious Students for Classroom Excellence’ 

• Website: Dr Jodi Richardson
• Resource: Empowering Anxious Students for Classroom Excellence (PDF, 437 KB)

Justin Robinson, The Wellbeing Distillery: ‘A School Wellbeing Operating System for Sustainable Success’ 

• Website: The Wellbeing Distillery

Dr Nathaniel Swain, Educreative: ‘Revolutionising Your Teaching Drawing Upon VTLM 2.0’

• Website – Resource Page: Nathaniel Swain
• LinkedIn: Dr Nathaniel Swain

Dr Simon Breakspear: ‘Responsive Implementation of the VTLM 2.0’

• Website – Resource Page: Simon Breakspear | 2025 GSPC Resources
• LinkedIn: Simon Breakspear

Selena Fisk: ‘Leading for impact’ 

• Website: Selena Fisk
• LinkedIn: Selena Fisk

Div Pillay, MindTribes: ‘Racial Equity in Schools – How to lead and govern change in the workforce, with student and parent communities’ 

• Website: MindTribes
• LinkedIn: Div Pillay
• Presentation: Racial Equity in Schools – How to lead and govern change in the workforce, with student and parent communities (PDF, 1.33 MB)

Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO): ‘Leading a deliberate and structured approach to implementing evidence-based practices’ 

• Website – Resource Collection: Implementing evidence-based teaching practices in schools
• Presentation: Leading a deliberate and structured approach to implementing evidence-based practices (PDF, 2.01 MB)

Alonso Casanueva Baptista and Amelia Hawkins, Monash University: ‘Codesigning solutions to teaching shortages: Solveathons for local strategies’ 

• Website – Resource Collection: The impact of teacher shortages on teachers remaining in hard to staff schools

Dr Jordana Hunter, Grattan Institute: ‘The Maths Guarantee: Boosting student learning in primary schools’ 

• Website – Resource Collection: The Maths Guarantee: A guide for principals

Pearl Subban: ‘Managing Incidents of Racial and Cultural Discrimination in Victorian Schools’ 

• Website – Profile: Dr Pearl Subban

School presentations

• Aitken Creek Primary School: Achieving cultural and behavioural change through the implementation of FISO 2.0 and a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) (PDF, 1.44 MB)
• Alpine Towong Network: Bringing collaboration to every aspect of network operation (PDF, 4.03 MB)
• Auburn Primary School: Redefining Instructional Practices - VTLM 2.0 in action (PDF, 1.52 MB)
• Australian Education Union: What the Profession Needs Now for the Future
• Barwon Heads Primary School: Implementing VTLM 2.0 with fidelity and consistency (PDF, 4.79 MB)
• Bayswater Secondary College: A school-wide approach to wellbeing, engagement and inclusion (PDF, 4.27 MB)
• Beachside Network: Curriculum & Pedagogical Think Tank (PDF, 1.89 MB)
• Belgrave South Primary School: Strengthening Community Connections for Student Wellbeing and Development (PDF, 1.46 MB)
• Beverley Hills Primary School: Building leadership capacity from the ground up to drive school improvement (PDF, 672.36 KB)
• Camperdown College and Woolsthorpe Primary School: Implementation of a structured literacy approach in F-2 (PDF, 3.73 MB)
• Coburg High School: Raising the Bar Through Achievable Sprints (PDF, 2.95 MB)
• Country Education Partnership: Positively P-12 (PDF, 1.16 MB)
• Doncaster SC / Mount View PS and regional staff (Monash Manningham Network): VTLM 2.0 - Start with 'why' (PDF, 2.47 MB)
• Fitzroy North Primary School: The Unrelenting Pursuit of Educational Excellence (PDF, 5.77 MB)
• Greater Bendigo Network: Small Schools Community of Practice (PDF, 2.07 MB)
• Hesket Primary School: Developing the revised F-2 reading position in a small school (PDF, 7.96 MB)
• Hobsons Bay Network: 6-7 ASD transition COP (PDF, 824 KB)
• Irymple Secondary College: Developing and Sustaining a Positive Workplace Culture (PDF, 2.86 MB)
• Kurnai College: Identifying and Supporting Priority Cohorts - An approach to Inclusion Practices at Kurnai College (PDF,  7.67 MB)
• Kyneton High School: Literacy development in a Secondary School context (PDF,  1.86 MB)
• Lake Colac School: The Science of Learning and Creating Conditions for Change (PDF, 8.3 MB)
• Melrose Primary School: Maximising engagement and attendance - strategies that are working in schools (PDF, 2.34 MB)
• Milawa Primary School: Building on Strengths to embrace complex change (PDF, 3.12 MB)
• Myrtleford P-12 College: Student Centred Implementation of VTLM (PDF, 2.22 MB)
• North Geelong Secondary College: Be Bold, Be Heard - empowering middle years girls to improve student voice and agency (PDF, 4.53 MB)
• Pascoe Vale South Primary School: School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Framework (PDF, 10.83 MB)
• Rochester Primary School: Flood Recovery: A reason not an excuse (PDF, 5.24 MB)
• Rosewood Downs Primary School: The Rosewood Way - Embedding the Positive Classroom Management Strategies to Shift Whole School Behaviour (PDF, 9.66 MB)
• Rutherglen Primary School: Explicit Teaching at Rutherglen Primary School (PDF, 3.74 MB)
• Saltwater P-9 College: Explicit Teaching in Numeracy Aligned with VTLM2 (PDF, 1.92 MB)
• Sandringham College: Successful Implementation of Disability Inclusion in Schools (PDF, 1.81 MB)
• South Gippsland Network: Aspiring for Excellence: Growing Together (PDF, 3.85 MB)
• Southern Cross Primary School: Driving sustained whole school improvement (PDF, 7.01 MB)
• Southern Mallee Network: Better Together: Strengthening collaboration across the network (PDF, 3.51 MB)
• Strathmore North Primary School: Strategic Planning and Implementation: A Deliberate Approach (PDF, 6.21 MB)
• Surfside Primary School: Mathematics Retrieval Practices & Active Engagement (PDF, 4.56 MB)
• Templestowe Heights Primary School: Curriculum Design and Delivery Aligned to the VTLM 2.0 (PDF, 3.57 MB)
• The Grange P-12 College: Implementing Marrung at a School Level (PDF, 2.44 MB)
• Thornbury High School: Implementing Explicit Teaching (PDF, 1.41 MB)
• Victoria Road Primary School: Thinking Routines: transforming learning and wellbeing outcomes (PDF, 2.8 MB)
• Wangaratta West Primary School: Leading change – A wholistic approach to the revision of a literacy instructional model with connections to VTLM 2.0 and understanding of student learning (PDF, 7.57 MB)
• Warragul & District Specialist School: Implementation of an inclusive systematic synthetic phonics approach within a specialist setting (PDF, 2.75 MB)

Department of Education presentations

• Academy Geelong and Barwon Koorie Education Workforce: Strengthening Wadawurrung Perspectives in Barwon Area schools
• Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division: Implementing Victoria’s reading position. Principals who have transformed reading instruction in their schools with impact
• Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division: Maximising school improvement with VTLM 2.0
• Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division: Unlock the power of Victorian Lesson Plans in Mathematics
• Employee Safety, Wellbeing, and Inclusion Division: Engaging with the Early Intervention Program and the Peer Group Supervision Program: A workshop on supporting principal wellbeing
• Financial Performance Information Systems (FPIS): Building a Secure and Innovative Future for Victorian Schools
• Financial Policy and Information Services (FPIS) - Procurement Division: Simplifying Procurement and Reducing Admin Burden for schools
• Schools Workforce Group: Career Start - Lessons from Implementation (PDF, 3.13 MB)
• Strategy and Secondary Reform (Performance and Evaluation Division): Digging into student engagement and wellbeing data to lead school improvement
• Strategy and Secondary Reform (Performance and Evaluation Division): Digging into the school performance report and setting targets
• Strategy and Secondary Reform Group: Unlocking school-based VET at more schools
• Student Education Programs and Support (SEPS) - Inclusive Education Division: Building whole school inclusive practices to support excellence in every classroom
• Student Education Programs and Support (SEPS) - Inclusive Education Division: Leading your school through transformational change in inclusive practices – for more information regarding Disability Inclusion reform, please see: Disability Inclusion Funding and Support
• Student Education Programs and Support (SEPS) - Statewide Programs and Tech Schools: Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools - Policy and Practice
• Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership: Believe and Excel (A Workshop for Female Assistant Principals)
• Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership: Leveraging the Academy Leadership Excellence Framework to build leadership capacity, ensuring excellence in every classroom
• Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT): A stronger workforce: Elevating quality and support.