Lead Forward | 2026 Principals & School Leaders Summit
Description
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.
FAQs
- Is there an online attendance option?
Yes. The $15 online ticket includes live access via Zoom to the Opening, Keynote Presentation and BOTH workshops.
Online attendees will be able to view and hear the presentations and facilitated discussion. Some hands-on and small-group activities are designed for people attending in the room, so the online experience may differ slightly from face-to-face participation.
- How will I receive the Zoom link?
Online attendees will receive their Zoom access details at the email address used to register approximately 48 hours before the event, with a reminder sent the day before.
Please check your junk or spam folder. If you have not received the email by Saturday 26 September, use the Contact Host button on the event page.
- Can I change my ticket from online to face-to-face, or vice versa?
Yes, subject to ticket availability. Please use the Contact Host button at least seven days before the event to request a ticket type change. Community Languages Victoria will advise you about availability and any difference in ticket price.
- What is included in a face-to-face ticket?
Your face-to-face ticket includes:
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
- Will recordings be available after the summit?
Yes. The Opening, Keynote Presentation and presenter-led content from all workshops will be recorded.
Everyone who purchases a face-to-face or online ticket will receive access to the recordings by email after the summit.
Recordings and accompanying resources are provided exclusively to registered ticket holders and must not be shared or redistributed.
- Are dietary requirements catered for?
Yes. Please provide your dietary requirements during registration. If you have already booked, update your order details or contact the host as early as possible.
While reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate dietary requirements, an allergen-free environment cannot be guaranteed.
- What is the refund policy?
Full ticket refunds are available for cancellations made before the event. To request a refund, use the Contact Host button on the Humanitix event page or in your order confirmation email.
Refunds will be returned to the original payment method.
- Can I transfer my ticket to another person?
Yes. Open your Humanitix order confirmation email, select Manage Order, and update the attendee’s name, email address and other registration details.
If the new attendee needs a different workshop or ticket type, please contact the host, as changes are subject to availability.
- How do I get to the venue, and is parking available?
The summit will be held in the Learning and Teaching Building (Building 92), 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University Clayton Campus.
Travelling by public transport
Public transport fares are currently half price across Victoria, including trains, trams and buses.
If travelling by train, take a Cranbourne or Pakenham line service to Huntingdale Station. From Huntingdale, take the Route 630 or 900 bus to the Monash University Bus Interchange. The Learning and Teaching Building is a short walk from the bus interchange.
As the summit is being held on a Sunday, please check the Transport Victoria Journey Planner before travelling for current weekend timetables and any planned disruptions.
Travelling by car
Free weekend parking is available on the Clayton campus in designated parking areas. We recommend using the underground parking area near the Learning and Teaching Building and South 1 Lecture Theatre.
Please follow the parking signs displayed on campus and allow sufficient time to park and walk to the venue. A campus map showing the venue and recommended underground parking area highlighted in blue will be included in the program booklet and pre-event information.
- What if I have accessibility or other participation requirements?
Please tell us about any accessibility or participation requirements during registration, or use the Contact Host button as early as possible. Community Languages Victoria will work with the venue to support your participation wherever reasonably possible.
- Will I receive a Certificate of Attendance?
Yes. Participants who attend the summit either face-to-face or online will receive a digital Certificate of Attendance by email after the event.
Please ensure that each attendee is registered under their correct full name and email address, as these details will be used to prepare and distribute certificates. A separate ticket is required for each person requiring a certificate.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
