I'd highly recommend this to people that want to get in touch with the kind of leaders they are, who they want to be, and to do it in the very safest and best hands.

 I applied for the FASTstream program because I have an unwavering belief in the power of public education.

The FASTstream program amplifies impact. Impact on students, staff and communities. I believe the program and all the benefits and all the supports that it entails will inspire me to develop, learn and become the teacher and leader that I hope to be.

I applied for the program essentially because I want to become a better leader. I've spoken to a couple of colleagues that have been through the program. They spoke so highly of it and they've actually both become permanent principals now as a result. 

 I would really encourage my colleagues to become, you know, heavily involved with the School Leadership Institute. It can be done in so many effective ways, as has been my experience. Whether it be through conferences, professional learning, network meetings, or simply the individuals in which you help encourage, take up some of the leadership opportunities that, from beginning teacher through to experienced principal, help to further their skills and help them to become more effective in what they do.

The School Leadership Institute team is really passionate about supporting all current and future school leaders because we know that having skilled leaders in our schools is crucial in helping students to achieve their best.

Ann McIntyre

The School Leadership Institute in New South Wales was developed at a really important time.

It was a time when there was a recognition of the value of school leaders in making a difference in schools.

Making a difference in terms of teacher learning and also making a difference in terms of student learning.

And as we set about developing the programs within the School Leadership Institute, we were focused on three things.

The first was that things needed to be world class. And by world class we didn't mean scouring the world to try and find things that we wanted to superimpose on NSW schools, but rather contextually developing something that was going to be responsive to the quite unique needs of NSW public schools.

The second thing that we were mindful of was the importance of having an evidence-informed approach.

We quite intentionally use the term evidence-informed because we were wanting to focus on what we could learn that was focused on the future rather than having something that was evidence-based and focusing on something that had happened in the past and another time.

And the third point was that we needed to be future focused. We needed to make sure that we were actually developing school leaders who were going to carry the moral purpose of NSW schools to make a difference in the hearts and minds of every child in the future, knowing that there were substantial changes that were occurring in terms of the leadership roles within our schools.

Bill Louden

And what was so interesting at the beginning was we came together as a group of people during the initial planning.

Some of us knew each other and some of us didn't. And we had a white board in Bridge Street and we started writing down, what would world-class look like?

And I thought this was pretty interesting because I expected, not knowing these people, that we might have quite different ideas about what we ought to do and what really would count.

But what was very surprising to me is how quickly we settled on the same sort of characteristics. We wanted programs that took people on a journey over some length.

We wanted to select people carefully to make sure that we were working with people who are on the edge of further growth and development.

And we wanted to make sure that being in the program meant they had to do something substantial, so, hard to get into and hard to get out of.

And I think that's what we've achieved. And that's why it's having such a good effect.

Simon Breakspear

I think what was so exciting about the opportunity to have a NSW School Leadership Institute is to build something that was truly for the school leaders of NSW.

And this meant it could be built in deep partnership with the profession, with the professional associations, with the Teachers Federation coming together to say what do we want for our leaders and what do we need them to know, do and understand.

And from the very outset this has been designed in partnership with the profession and with a real focus on NSW school contexts.

Our 2200 or so schools that have unique needs and being able to start with those school needs and what those leaders are navigating within those contexts gave us, I think, a really rich insight into how to design programs that were fit for purpose in NSW.

And lastly, whilst we had learning from international research and international approaches, we needed to make sure our leaders were developing confidence and capabilities in implementing school improvement and developing teacher learning within the context of our policy architecture and our frameworks.

And so, right at the core we've been able to develop programs that allowed leaders to, yes, build their general capabilities, but be able to apply those within the NSW policy context.