Goal setting
Domains of Principal Practice
The Domains of Principal Practice are directly aligned with the Australian Professional Standard for Principals (the Standard) which incorporates all aspects of a principal’s practice, describes the key elements of quality practice and articulates professional expectations for principal class employees. The Domains are structured to highlight the aspects of a principal’s practice where they may be meeting or not meeting the Standard.
Principal class employees will set a goal in each of the Domains of Principal Practice. The following describes the Domains of Principal Practice.
Leadership of quality teaching and life-long learning
Principal class employees are the leaders of high quality teaching and learning in the school community. They set high expectations for everyone in the community and develop students, teachers and themselves through building a culture of life-long learning, challenge and support.
The Leadership Practices included in this Domain are:
- Leading teaching and learning
- Developing self and others
Strategic resource management
This Domain involves principal class employees’ effectively optimising resources and leading innovation and change to deliver high quality educational outcomes for all students. Principal class employees should lead evidence and data-based improvements to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of school resources (including human, financial and physical) to achieve the school’s priorities.
The Leadership Practices included in this Domain are:
- Leading the management of the school
- Leading improvement, innovation and change
Strengthening community and system engagement
Principal class employees develop and maintain positive and purposeful relationships with students, parents and carers and the broader school community. This includes using multiple sources of feedback from the community to drive improvement, ensuring a culturally rich and diverse school environment and contributing to the school system through engaging and collaborating with other schools and external organisations.
The Leadership Practices included in this Domain are:
- Engaging and working with the community
A focus on development to improve school and student outcomes
Improving outcomes for students and the school is the core purpose of principal class employees’ work. The performance and development approach is focused on principal class employees’ development across the Domains of Principal Practice to enhance their effectiveness in improving school and student outcomes — their learning, engagement and wellbeing. The approach includes an explicit school and student outcomes goal that takes into account principal class employees’ development across the Domains of Principal Practice.
This goal can be defined by a wide and varied range of indicators including improvements in student achievement, engagement, wellbeing (either for individuals or for groups of students) and the effective allocation and use of resources.
Student achievement may refer to either the absolute levels of learning attainment or growth in learning that schools strive to ensure for each individual student. On average, all students should achieve at least 1 year’s learning growth in return for a year of schooling.
Student engagement refers to the extent to which every student feels connected to and engaged in their learning, with their peers and with their broader school community.
Student health, safety and wellbeing are essential to learning and development. An inclusive, safe, orderly and stimulating environment for learning is critical to achieving and sustaining all students’ positive learning experiences.
Successful and effective allocation and use of resources, supported by evidence and adapted to the unique context of each school, exists when a school uses its resources — people, time, space, funding, facilities, community expertise, professional learning, class structures, timetables, individual learning plans and facilities — to the best possible effect to support improved student outcomes and achieve its goals.
Principal class employees have a broad range of expectations and responsibilities with which they must comply. The principal class employee performance and development process and documentation do not attempt to capture the fine detail of this complex leadership position. However, the core accountabilities described in the principal class employee’s contract are minimum expectations and therefore incorporated into the principal class employee Performance and Development Plan (PDP). Some accountabilities may be specifically included in the PDP if it is determined that they are areas for professional growth and achievement of outcomes. This will be agreed upon between the principal class employee and the reviewer.
For an annotated version of the PDP template, refer to Figure 2.
Figure 2 Annotated PDP Template for Principal Class Employees
Reviewed 05 February 2024
