Welcome to the website of the NSW Secondary Principals' Council. The Council is an incorporated professional association, representing almost 500 principals of government high schools, central schools and schools for special purposes across the state.

Four key pillars underpin our work:
•    advocacy for principals, secondary students and school communities;
•    support for principals through high quality professional connections;
•    professional learning to develop the expertise of principals and school leaders;
•    collegial networks that build the capacity and sustainability of public secondary schools.

Our commitment is ultimately to enhance learning, teaching and outcomes for every student with whom principals and schools work.

Our work includes:
•    providing forums for professional debate;
•    representing the views of principals to officers of the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) and to the state Minister for Education;
•    undertaking research and developing  high quality position papers on major educational issues;
•    advocating in the educational and wider community from a considered professional position informed by deep knowledge of learning, schools and school leadership;
•    working in alliance with parent organisations and other public education networks on behalf of public schools and their students;
•    co-ordinating learning  activities and professional experiences to develop the expertise of principals and school leaders;
•    providing high quality advice;
•    producing and distributing publications using a variety of communication media;
•    delivering high quality professional learning programs, often in partnership with other organisations.

The Council has a Leadership Alliance with the NSW Primary Principals' Association (PPA) and NSWDET.

Increasingly Council’s work is being done in national and international forums as secondary principals are asked to address a range of critical educational issues.  We are affiliated with the Australian Secondary Principals' Association (ASPA) and the International Confederation of Principals (ICP). Membership of our Council is open to all principals of public high schools, colleges, community schools (K-12), central schools and schools for specific purposes with secondary enrolments. The Council has a participative model of expert reference groups of principals who volunteer to work in specific areas including staffing, assets, curriculum and assessment. It also has project teams whose work is to develop policy and practice in emerging areas of educational priority. The state level work is underpinned by a  regional organisation that is a democratic, representative model of decision making, from which regional delegates and issues are forwarded to State Assembly, the strategic decision making body of the Council.

Ninety-eight per cent of those eligible belong to our Council. This gives us the legitimacy to speak for and represent the principals of our public secondary schools. It also means we have access to high levels of expertise and skill in responding to the complex issues which challenge educational policy and decision-makers as they shape the future for the young people of NSW.

In 2010, this includes contributing to improvements in the MySchool website; representing the views of Council to federal and state politicians; developing and explaining a strong position for a fairer school funding model; ensuring NSW secondary students benefit from proposed changes to national curriculum and assessment; and providing expert advice on the implementation of National Partnerships and the best ways the education system in NSW can achieve greater equity and better overall academic and social outcomes for all students.

Christine Cawsey
President, NSW Secondary Principals' Council.
June 2010