Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA)

VAPA is a strengths-based assessment that evaluates your readiness for a principal role in Victoria and provides detailed feedback on your leadership practice and emotional intelligence. The assessment enables you to obtain a Statement of Readiness that makes you eligible for a Victorian Government substantive principal appointment.

VAPA is accessible to all aspiring and past Victorian principals to complete over 5 to 12 weeks in their own time and environment.

• Evaluate your leadership readiness. Engage in a structured assessment to measure your current leadership capability and emotional intelligence.
• Identify targeted, future professional development needs. Engage in a debrief of your results to discuss your strengths and areas that may be targeted to maximise growth.
• Substantiate your leadership impact. Build a comprehensive portfolio of your leadership capabilities and a robust evidence base for career progression. 

This assessment is delivered by trained VAPA assessors, who have been selected for their expertise and experience in Victoria’s school system. 

Roles

This assessment is designed for:

• school leaders
• aspiring principals
• past principals. 

School sectors

This assessment is available to the following school sectors:

• Victorian Government
• Catholic
• independent. 

Delivery

The assessment is tailored for both aspiring and past principals.

Process for aspiring principals

Step 1: Application

To apply, aspiring principals submit an application form, including a:

• short biography
• sample of practice against 5 professional practice areas.  

For full details, see our VAPA Application Guide.

Applications are reviewed and successful applicants will receive a formal offer to participate in the assessment.

Step 2: Assessment

This component assesses your professional practice leadership capabilities and your emotional intelligence competencies. You will be assessed on 5 professional practice areas, aligned to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) leadership standards.

You are required to:

• complete two 360-degree assessments (approximately 1 hour each)
• submit a professional practice portfolio (approximately 12 hours)
• complete an online interview (approximately 1.5 hours).

Note: The minimum time commitment is 18 hours.

Step 3: Outcome

You will receive 2 reports that indicate your strengths and areas for development.

You and an assessor will meet twice to debrief for up to 60 minutes each, using the reports as the basis, you will have professional discussions focusing on your strengths and areas that may be targeted to maximise growth.

You will either:

• receive a Met outcome and be issued a Statement of Readiness, or
• receive a Not Yet Met outcome and be provided with an opportunity for further support, and to re-sit the assessment.

Process for past principals

Step 1: Application

To apply, past principals submit an application form and select ‘past principal’ on the form.

This will assign you to the streamlined past principal process. Applications are reviewed and successful applicants will receive a formal offer to participate in the assessment.

Step 2: Assessment

This component assesses your emotional intelligence competencies.

You are required to:

• submit a biography and leadership narrative
• complete a 360-degree emotional intelligence assessment (approximately 1 hour).

Note: The minimum time commitment is 4 hours.

Step 3: Outcome

You will receive a report that indicates your strengths and areas for development.

You and an assessor will meet to debrief for up to 60 minutes, using the report as the basis of a professional discussion focusing on your strengths and areas that may be targeted to maximise growth.

You will either:

• receive a Met outcome and be issued a Statement of Readiness, or
• receive a Not Yet Met outcome and be provided with an opportunity for further support, and to re-sit the assessment. 

Portfolio preparation program

We offer help with the requirements of the VAPA professional portfolio, ensuring you are ready for submission. For more information, please visit the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment: Portfolio Preparation Program. 

We significantly subsidise costs for all participants.

• Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA) FAQs
• VAPA Application Guide
• Become a VAPA assessor
• Victorian Department of Education Principal appointment requirements