July 2025 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues, 

The last two months have seen significant conferences and an AI Seminar held in four of our jurisdictions. 

Beginning in Queensland with a gathering in Brisbane on their long-standing theme of “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”, CASPAQ managed a wonderful coming together of Principals and other leaders. From the opening, which provided a wonderful opportunity to farewell outgoing Archbishop Mark Coleridge, to keynotes from Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO, Dr Tom Brunzell, Madonna King and Allan Blagaich, the conference provided much food for though. Congratulations to EO Ann Rebgetz, President Dan McMahon, Wayne Chapman and all at CASPAQ for this wonderful event. 

To NSW for the ACSP Conference themed “Living Waters: Leading with Hope, Inspiring Faith Communities.” Hosted by Maitland Newcastle Diocese in the Hunter Valley, it featured keynotes from Simon Breakspear, Daniela Falecki, Dr Yong Zhao, Prof Lea Waters, Austin Ivereigh and Derek Wenmoth, a conference with a truly international flavour. Despite challenging weather conditions the welcome from Bishop Michael Kennedy was very warm. Congratulations to EO Julie King, President Iris Nastasi and the ACSP team in Maitland Newcastle for putting together a memorable conference. 

To Victoria and the PAVCSS conference on “Synodality: The Pilgrim’s Compass” was held at Creswick in early June and featured keynotes from Dr Elissa Roper and Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO. Multiple presentations from the two keynote speakers enabled a deep unpacking of the theme. Another highlight were the From the Heart presentations of experienced principals and opportunities for the newest principals to speak, diverse and inspiring. Congratulations to PAVCSS president Darren Egberts and EO Mel Palmer for putting this event together. 

CaSPA Director Michael Lee OAM, graciously hosted a seminar on AI for CaSPA. Held at St Mary MacKillop College and live streamed to five other states (and Bali), the seminar was a first for CaSPA and a model for professional learning that would appear well worth using going forward. The program included: 

• Opening session A school approach: Embedding AI into Education – Trent Wilson, Digital Learning Coordinator, St Mary MacKillop College 
• Workshop 1: Exploring AI platforms The Writer’s Toolbox – Dr Ian Hunter  
• Workshop 2: Educational tools for teachers and students Canva – Jo Muirhead 
• Workshop 3: Extensions to support students and teachers Brisk Teaching (virtual presentation) - Naomi Shah  
• Workshop 4: Tools for Thought: Leading AI Transformation in Schools Microsoft – Travis Smith  
• Workshop 5: Exploring AI platforms Education Perfect – Ryan Besgrove 
• Workshop 6: Exploring AI platforms CEnet - Dr Alan Ibbett 

All presentations were recorded and can be obtained by contacting the College.  Congratulations to Michael Lee and key organisers AP Erin White and Trent Wilson for a fascinating deep dive into the world of AI. 

Since the publishing of the last Newsletter the CaSPA Board has met in person in Perth and continued work on the new Strategic Plan with Dr Neil Carrington. This will be launched at the September meeting. The Board was also able to meet with incoming CEWA Executive Director Annette Morey, a former CaSPA Director. 

We have also been active in representing Catholic Principal and school voices through the AERO Disability and Inclusion Project, the National Principal Reference Group Meeting with Minister Clare July 4 and the ACARA National Peak Principals Group Meeting where Stephen Neil and the ACARA senior executive team discussed future strategic directions.

I hope that all Principals have a restful Term break and have some time to recharge for Term 3.

Best wishes

Dr Stephen Kennaugh GAICD

CaSPA President

Profiles of all the CaSPA Board are available on the CaSPA Website: https://caspa.schoolzineplus.com/current-and-past-board-members

• May 25-27 CaSPA Board Meeting in Perth
• May 27 Quarterly Principal Meeting with the Commonwealth Education Department Deputy Secretary
• June 3- 6 PAVCSS Conference Creswick, Victoria

• June 10 AERO - Disability and inclusion Consultation
• June 17 Catholic Education Stakeholder Forum
• June 18 ACARA Peak Principals Meeting
• June 18 AITSL Stakeholders Meeting, Stakeholder survey follow up
• June 20 ACSP Meeting, National Conference Briefing
• June 23 National Conference Planning Meeting CaSPA & ACSP
• June 24 CaSPA Board Zoom Meeting
• June 25 Meeting with Bumper, National Conference Organizers
• June 27 – 28 AI Seminar Canberra

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Writer’s Toolbox arose out of the university research and teachings of Associate Professor Ian Hunter. Concerned about the writing ability in his own university students in the late 1990s, Dr Hunter began what has cumulated into a 25-year action research project.

An historian by training, Dr Hunter was concerned that any approach to writing instruction should not be based on passing fads, rather, should be anchored in time-proven teaching methods.  Consequently, he surveyed 150-years of writing research in schools and classrooms around the globe to unearth what had worked irrefutably.  The result is Writer's Toolbox.  It is a combination of educational philosophy, cutting-edge technology, and explicit, pragmatic teaching. 

The demographic profile and career intentions of Australian school leaders have been captured in new national data, with telling trends emerging. 

By EducationHQ News Team - Published June 19, 2025 

Half of all middle leaders reported working between 41 and 55 hours per week, while half of senior leaders clocked up between 45 and 58 hours per week across the year, the study found. 

Released this week, AITSL’s Australian Teacher Workforce Data Initiative’s National Trends: Teacher Workforce study offers a critical insight into “the story of teaching” across the country. 

Involving 50,556 educators in 2023, the research canvasses key workforce trends from 2019 to 2023, shedding light on shifting demographics and roles, employment conditions and career plans – key factors impacting the nation’s teachers and school leaders at scale. 

On the leadership front, senior leaders in schools are increasingly more experienced, the study found, with some 63 per cent now having been in the system for 10-29 years, up from 2019, when 57 per cent of senior leaders had the same experience. 

There was also a ‘slight trend’ towards teachers sliding into senior leader roles earlier in their career. 

While in 2019 and 2020, 32-34 per cent of senior leaders had at least 30 years under their belt, this had dropped to 28 per cent in 2023. 

Generally older than the overall teaching workforce, in 2023 more than half of middle leaders were aged between 30 and 50, while the majority (64 per cent) of senior leaders were aged between 40 and 60. 

Looking at gender, the study found men are proportionally over-represented in leadership roles, making up 22 per cent of the teaching workforce but 30 per cent of school leaders. 

Working week breakdown  

The weekly working hours for leaders was higher than the standard full-time load of 38 hours. 

Half of all middle leaders reported working between 41 and 55 hours per week, while half of senior leaders clocked up between 45 and 58 hours per week across the year. 

Sandwiched between the directives of senior leadership and the dynamics of teaching staff, relatively little has been documented about the actual day-to-day practices of middle leaders and the unique tensions they face in their multi-faceted role. 

This year, research led by Griffith University’s Professor Peter Grootenboer, teased out the messy and ‘on the fly’ nature of middle leadership in schools. 

Shadowing middle leaders for five days proved an especially eye-opening method of data collection, Grootenboer said. 

“We saw one middle leader, in the space of three hours, she had 150 transactional shifts that she had to do. Between working with parents, working with senior managers, working with students, working with other teachers. 

“And so they were constantly just changing (tack) and trying to respond to things that were happening in the moment.” 

Much of this leadership was done informally, the researcher noted, with middle leaders grappling with an influx of decisions that needed to be made on the spot. 

This core work was largely absent from AITSL’s new Professional Standards for Middle Leaders, the report argued. 

The workforce survey reflected the dynamic work of middle leaders in schools. It found that in both primary and secondary schools, this cohort spent between 9 and 13 hours per week interacting with students, performing administrative tasks and attending meetings, as well as taking on more general teaching responsibilities. 

Meanwhile, senior leaders spent 17 to 20 hours on administrative tasks and meetings, and between 9 and 12 hours interacting with students and undertaking instructional leadership tasks and meetings. 

Both middle and senior leaders also spent a significant amount of time interacting with parents, and on professional learning for staff. 

One middle leader from a Victorian school told EducationHQ she was handed a promotion to be the head of a learning department very early on in her career, with the prevailing attitude being one of “sink or swim”. 

“I felt that I was thrust into a position that obviously I wasn’t fully prepared for. I hadn't been skilled up to lead a team or in any of the processes. 

“It was just, ‘you're in it now, you’ve got to sink or swim’. 

“It was not until really my second year in the role that they gave me a chance to do a leadership course, and to actually learn about how to lead.” 

The educator said middle leadership often felt a precarious space to inhabit, with her role up for grabs every year. 

“Leadership positions are very fluid, because you may interview from year to year, or people may leave because there's such a turnover of staff. 

“Your position never feels stable.” 

Career plans unveiled 

Middle leaders were more likely to have plans to stay for the long haul in the teaching profession (26 per cent) compared to classroom teachers (22 per cent). 

Meanwhile, one third of senior leaders said they would stick around until retirement. 

“[This] may be due to their increased job security and remuneration compared to middle leaders and teachers. 

“Additionally, the slightly older age of senior leaders may play a factor in their intentions to stay until retirement,” the study noted. 

Recent research has found vulnerable principals are grappling with the emotional toll of dealing with ‘engaged’ yet problematic parents, facing lawsuits, ethical dilemmas and escalating demands that undermine school policy. 

‘Death by a thousand cuts’ is how school leaders describe the situation, the study found. 

“[Participants] found themselves in situations where they had to decide between making exceptions for individual students, often at the insistence of vocal parents, or maintaining policies that ensured fairness across the school community,” lead researcher Carolyn Wade from Griffith University explained. 

Media release – 17 June 2025

Data released today reveals the depth of experience across Australia’s teacher workforce, with two-thirds (66%) bringing more than a decade of classroom expertise. The data also revealed a rise in senior leaders with 10 to 29 years of experience, increasing from 57% in 2019 to 63% in 2023 - highlighting an opportunity to support experienced educators as they step into leadership roles. 

AITSL CEO Tim Bullard said supporting experienced leaders is a key priority. “We know that our principals are key to maximising the learning for Australia’s children and young people. Our leadership-focused initiatives, particularly in strengthening middle leader capacity, are essential in building a sustainable, high-performing education workforce. 

“Since 2011 AITSL has provided stewardship for the nationally agreed Australian Professional Standard for Principals, a clear framework for what school leaders should know, understand and do to lead successful schools," Mr Bullard said. 

More recently we have developed the Professional Standards for Middle Leaders, and guidelines for the induction of school leaders, both of which provide additional detail and support for those in leadership positions in Australia’s schools and learning communities. 

The picture of leadership in the teaching profession is just one of the insights shared by approximately 40,000 teachers who took part in the nation’s largest annual survey of teachers - the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey. 

Published by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) through the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) Initiative’s National Trends: Teacher Workforce publication and Data Portal, the data offers valuable insight into the shape of the teaching profession. 

“It is incredibly powerful that teachers and school leaders are using their collective voice through the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey to inform future policy directions and shape more effective support across the profession,” Mr Bullard said. 

“The Australian Teacher Workforce Data Initiative tells the story of teaching in Australia. It is home to an enormous amount of data that can be interrogated by policy makers, employers, researchers and others to gain deep and significant insights from teachers and school leaders about what they do, think and feel. 

“By closely examining what teachers are telling us, governments and policymakers can take targeted action in the areas that matter most,” Mr Bullard said. 

In December 2022, all state, territory and Commonwealth governments agreed to a series of initiatives under the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (NTWAP) to respond to challenges to attract, support and retain teachers. 

“AITSL is proud to work with the Commonwealth, states and territories, along with our stakeholders, to deliver a number of NTWAP Actions that support teachers and school leaders. 

“We know from the newly released teacher workforce data that the results reflect a period before initiatives like the NTWAP have had time to take effect – so the value of the ATWD initiative is clear. It gives us the ability to monitor change over time and ensure policies are grounded in what teachers are experiencing. 

“And whilst there has been some easing in workforce challenges being experienced by the profession, there is still so much more to do. Using data to inform future decisions, gives us a unique opportunity to target resources to where they will have most impact across a teacher’s career,” Mr Bullard said. 

AITSL will continue to collaborate with teachers, leaders, initial teacher education providers and governments. Together we can inform and support sustainable, future-focused initiatives that strengthen the teaching profession. 

Teachers can have their say and help drive real improvements by taking part in the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey, which opens in August. 

Discover what’s shaping education nationwide in the National Trends: Teacher Workforce publication – or explore deeper insights through the interactive data portal.