p-6
logo

Help shape new Professional Standards for Middle Leaders

Professional Standards for Middle Leaders

Middle leaders play an incredibly important role, making up a large proportion of the leadership workforce in schools.

The Professional Standards for Middle Leaders will align with and complement the Australian Professional Standard for Principals and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. They will:

user 1

Outline what middle leaders know, understand, and do.

user 2

Speak to current and aspiring middle leaders in schools, preschools and kindergartens and those who work with them.

user 3

Provide a common language for professional dialogue and growth.

user 4

Provide the missing link in a leadership developmental continuum for teachers, extending from early career teaching to senior leadership.

National validation is now complete

We would like to thank everyone who completed the survey. We received more than 900 survey responses which will go towards shaping the new standards for middle leaders. 

AITSL is now working with the Department of Education, Queensland to progress the new standards and get them ready for the Queensland trial. 

The draft standards will be trialled during October and November this year in Queensland schools. AITSL is working in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Education to undertake the trial research. 

To express interest in being involved in the Queensland trial please contact [email protected]

Please note: details provided to AITSL will be shared with Queensland Department of Education who are coordinating the trial activities.

Further updates on the trial will be provided as this work progresses.

Project timeline

Key project milestones to develop and trial the new standards

  • The National Validation process is now complete.

  • Once validated, the standards will be refined and trialled in Queensland schools.

  • The standards will be completed in 2024.

What is middle leadership?

Middle leaders often hold classroom teaching responsibilities alongside their leadership roles. For some, it is a pathway towards becoming a school principal, for others it is a career goal. Some examples of middle leaders include:

Heads of department

Heads of curriculum

Heads of student welfare

Stage coordinator

Year level coordinator

Information technology manager

Learning area leader

Which others can you think of?

These professional standards are a tool to provide clarity about effective leadership to help these leaders improve their impact and develop their leadership capacity.

What evidence underpins the draft Standards?

Earlier this year AITSL conducted a systematic literature review and document analysis to inform the development of the draft Professional Standards for Middle Leaders.

Read the Middle-leadership literature review (pdf, 2.8 MB)

AITSL is also drawing on the advice of an expert panel and feedback from key stakeholders to refine each version of the standards.

We aim to provide documents in an accessible format. If you're having problems accessing a document, please contact us for help.

Find out more