Beyond classroom leadership: Tegan's path to assistant principal

Beyond the classroom

Balwyn High School Assistant Principal, Tegan Knuckey, never originally set out to become a school leader. Like many teachers, her career began in the classroom, where she taught languages in Western Australia and Indonesia before moving to Victoria. While she loved teaching, Tegan soon realised she could make a broader contribution by taking on new leadership roles, including Student Learning and Wellbeing Manager and Director of Pedagogy.

'I don't think teachers start off thinking that they're going to be a principal or assistant principal - you just build the capacity over time and then it makes sense to move into the next role.'

Tegan's career pathway

1. Primary school specialist teacher (Indonesian)
2. Classroom teacher
3. Student learning and wellbeing manager / Year level coordinator
4. Leading teacher
5. Assistant principal

Needing an external perspective

Despite her growing experience, Tegan faced a common challenge for emerging leaders - moving beyond her comfort zone. Her Victorian experience was limited to a single school environment, and she wondered whether this restricted her understanding of broader leadership practices. She needed external validation and fresh perspectives to truly assess her capabilities.

Professional learning at the Academy

To address these challenges, Tegan engaged with multiple professional learning opportunities from the Academy. She selected a combination of programs to build foundational skills, enhance her communication, and expand her professional network including:

• Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA) offered an external perspective and useful frameworks and criteria to continually refer back to.

'Being able to see what leadership looks like at other schools and have other people's perspective on my leadership has probably been one of the best things that I've got out of Academy programs like VAPA'

• Unlocking Potential: Principal Preparation which affirmed essential leadership fundamentals and provided significant networking opportunities.
• Leading Quality Conversations refined her ability to have productive and meaningful professional dialogues.

This structured approach allowed her to build her skills gradually and apply new knowledge directly to her role.

Tangible impact and increased influence

The Academy’s programs provided Tegan with more than just theory; they gave her practical, evidence-informed tools she could apply both immediately and ongoing.

Practical tools

Tegan now uses frameworks like the VAPA Framework and the Leading Quality Conversations Rubric daily to mentor staff and drive school-wide improvement.

Confidence and perspective

Networking with leaders from other schools gave her an honest evaluation of her leadership style and the confidence to consider future roles.

Broader influence

By moving beyond the classroom, Tegan is now able to influence teaching practices and student outcomes on a much larger scale, all while staying connected to her teaching roots through staff mentoring.

'I understand not everybody wants to move out of the classroom, but you can shape your leadership role to include this. I know that the work that I do impacts a much greater range of students than if I just had my classroom.'

Why professional learning matters

Tegan’s journey shows how investing in professional learning can provide the skills, confidence, and networks you need to become a leader who influences entire school communities.

• Evidence-informed programs: Academy programs are built on expert research that provide high-quality, practical learning.
• Immediate application: learn practical, classroom-ready leadership tools you can use right away.
• Trusted network: connect with a supportive community of Victorian educators.

Ready to grow your leadership capacity?  

Start your leadership journey today. Explore our upcoming career pathway programs:

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