Is your school simply surviving … or is it truly positioned to thrive?

What does sustainable school leadership look like in practice, not just in a strategic plan?

Every principal, school leader and community language school committee works incredibly hard to keep their school running. Yet sustainable schools are built through more than commitment and goodwill. They require clear leadership, strong governance, capable people, effective systems and a culture of continuous improvement.

Join us at LEAD FORWARD: 2026 Principals & School Leaders Summit — From Surviving to Thriving, a practical half-day summit designed specifically for community language school leaders who want to move beyond managing day-to-day challenges and begin building schools that will flourish well into the future.

This interactive summit moves beyond day-to-day problem-solving to explore how strong schools build sustainable leadership, effective governance, capable people, reliable systems and a culture of continuous improvement.

Through keynote insights, practical workshops, peer collaboration and proven tools, participants will strengthen their leadership capability, assess the sustainability of their school, and leave with a clear 90-day action plan and practical strategies to improve governance and audit readiness.

Because schools don't thrive by chance. They thrive through intentional leadership.

What You Will Gain

Apply practical leadership and governance principles to strengthen the sustainability and long-term success of your community language school.
Assess your school's strengths, pressures, risks and opportunities through a practical five-lens sustainability framework.
Identify one clear, measurable 90-day leadership priority rather than leaving with another overwhelming list of things to do.
Build valuable professional connections with fellow principals, school leaders and governance teams and learn from the experience of others across the sector.
Strengthen your school's review, accreditation and audit readiness by understanding how policies, practice, systems and evidence connect.
Leave with practical tools and an immediate, 30-day and 90-day action plan that you can begin applying in your school.

Why This Matters

Community language schools are built on extraordinary commitment. Principals, committee members, teachers, volunteers and families invest enormous time and energy in keeping their schools operating and serving their communities.

But commitment alone does not make a school sustainable.

Strong schools also require clear leadership, effective governance, capable people, sound systems, financial and operational oversight, quality teaching programs and the confidence of the communities they serve.

When leaders are constantly responding to the next urgent issue, it can be difficult to step back and ask the bigger questions:

Are our roles and priorities clear?

Are we developing people and future leaders?

Are our systems helping us or creating more work?

Could we demonstrate that our policies are actually being implemented?

Are we building a school that can continue to grow and improve beyond the people currently leading it?

LEAD FORWARD creates the space to ask those questions with other leaders who understand the realities of community language education.

The summit is not about asking already-busy leaders to do more.

It is about leading with greater clarity, purpose and impact

Program

9:30 am – 9:45 am
Opening, Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country

9:45 am – 10:30 am
Keynote Presentation: Why Some Schools Thrive While Others Simply Survive
Presented by Associate Professor Maria Gindidis (CLV President)

Returning to the CLV stage, Maria draws on more than 30 years of experience across school leadership, educational research, government, teacher education and community language schools to share the leadership shifts that build effective CL schools. This keynote will challenge leaders to rethink what it takes to build schools that don't simply survive - but thrive.

10:30 am – 11:00 am
Morning Tea + Lead Forward Networking

Connect with fellow principals and school leaders through a purposeful networking activity designed to uncover ideas, experience and expertise from across the community language school sector.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Workshop 1: Building a School That Thrives: A Practical Leadership Blueprint for Sustainable Community Language Schools

Following the keynote, this interactive workshop moves from inspiration to action. Leaders will use a practical five-lens framework to evaluate the health of their school, identify strengths and vulnerabilities, and develop one measurable 90-day leadership priority. Through guided reflection, collaborative discussion and practical tools, leaders will leave with greater clarity about where to focus their time, energy and leadership to build a school that thrives, not simply survives.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Workshop 2: Leading a School That Is Always Review and Audit Ready

Strong schools don't prepare for reviews the week before they happen. They build cultures, systems and practices that demonstrate quality every day.

This highly practical workshop moves beyond compliance to explore what genuine organisational readiness looks like. Participants will examine how leadership decisions translate into evidence through governance, policies, staff capability, teaching practice, risk management and continuous improvement.

Who Should Attend?

Principals & School Leaders

Principals, assistant principals, campus leaders, instructional and curriculum coordinators and others with whole-school responsibility.

Gain practical strategies to strengthen leadership, build a positive culture, establish priorities and improve long-term school sustainability.

Governance Teams

Committee members, Board directors, presidents, secretaries and treasurers.

Build greater confidence in governance, role clarity, strategic oversight, evidence-informed decision-making and accountability.

Operational & Emerging Leaders

Administrators, project leaders and aspiring leaders responsible for key school systems or initiatives.

Gain practical tools to strengthen capability, improve systems and lead meaningful improvement with confidence.

Event Details

When

Sunday 27 September 2026

9:30am–1:30pm AEST

Where

Learning and Teaching Building—Building 92
19 Ancora Imparo Way
Monash University Clayton Campus
Clayton VIC 3800

Tickets

Early Bird Face-to-Face: $20 (ends at 11:59pm on Sunday 13 September 2026)
Standard Face-to-Face: $30
Online: $15

Face-to-Face Tickets Include

Access to the full four-hour Summit program
Keynote presentation
Participation in both practical workshops
Morning tea
Purposeful networking with community language school principals, leaders and governance teams
Practical take-home tools and resources

Online Tickets Include

Live online access to the opening and keynote presentation
Live online access to both workshops via Zoom
Access to relevant participant resources and practical tools

Spaces are limited. Secure your place early.

Professional Learning Statement

LEAD FORWARD is designed as practical professional learning for leaders within Victorian community language schools.

The Summit will explore leadership, governance, school sustainability, review and audit readiness and organisational improvement. Content is intended to build leadership capability and support participants to reflect on and strengthen their own school practices.

Information presented during the Summit does not replace current Victorian Government, Department of Education, VRQA or other applicable regulatory guidance, nor does it constitute legal, financial or regulatory advice.

Child Safety Statement

Community Languages Victoria is committed to child safety and to upholding the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

Contact the host of Lead Forward | 2026 Principals & School Leaders Summit