NSW Public Schools Leadership Excellence Action Plan 2026-2028
About the Leadership Excellence Action Plan
Great school leaders are essential for an outstanding and equitable public education system. Every school and every student deserve school leaders and teachers who are committed, capable, and driven by a strong sense of moral purpose. Having great school leaders enables more effective teaching and in turn improves student outcomes in every school and across the system.
The NSW Public Schools Leadership Excellence Action Plan 2026-2028 is the NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø’s commitment to supporting and empowering all school leaders and teachers, helping them deliver high quality teaching and learning in every classroom.
It sets out how the department will continue to identify and develop the leaders of tomorrow while supporting the leaders and teachers of today.
The action plan will be implemented by the School Leadership Institute (SLI), in collaboration and consultation with other department teams. It will ensure that all school leaders and teachers have an opportunity to be comprehensively prepared, supported and enabled in their roles so they can lead their school communities with expertise, confidence and impact.
It will help deliver key areas of Our Plan for NSW Public ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, as well as supporting staff wellbeing and retention, and helping lift student achievement. 
Our goal
Our goal is for every leader and teacher in NSW public schools to have access to, and engage with, free, world-class, evidence-informed and future-focused leadership induction conferences, development programs and resources, delivered by the SLI, at every stage of their career.
This will give students in NSW public schools the opportunity to achieve their best thanks to a high-quality public education delivered in schools with great leaders. In addition, school leaders and teachers are respected and supported to grow and thrive throughout their careers in the NSW public education system.
What’s new in the action plan
New initiatives include:
- a new Shadowing for Success program to deliver a consistent and evidence-informed shadowing experience
- a new System Leadership for Principals program for experienced principals who seek to strengthen their impact and may aspire to formal system leadership roles
- a new Voices for Public ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø program to support principals and school leaders in promoting their schools
- an expanded and enhanced Leadership Learning Resource
- short, practical, and subject-specific professional learning opportunities in response to new and emerging needs.
Current SLI programs and resources will continue to be delivered under the action plan.
Department staff can access information about all the opportunities on offer by the SLI on our staff-only pages.
Reporting on our progress
The SLI will provide a report card on implementation which will be published on our website.
The action plan will be evaluated towards the end of the implementation phase and the results used to develop the next leadership plan for NSW public schools.
Download the action plan
Download a copy of the Action Plan (3.5MB)
Download a two-page summary (384KB)
Download an A3 printable poster (441KB)