2025 Agenda

7:50

Registration and Morning Coffee

8:20

OPENING | Opening remarks from the Chair

Noel Towell, Education Editor, The Age

Key Challenges for Victoria Schools in 2025

8:30

Keynote Address and Fireside chat |

The Hon Ben Carroll MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education

9:00

Keynote Address | The implementation challenge

• Taking evidence-led change to scale
• Addressing teacher workload in a world of increasing change and rapid technological advancement
• Learning and wellbeing: the symbiotic connection

David Howes, Deputy Secretary, Department of Education, Victoria

9:30

Panel Discussion| Where are our future Principals coming from?

• Assessing the evolving role, challenges, and competences of middle leaders in today’s schools
• How sustainable is the leadership pipeline?
• Managing Principal workloads
• Achieving diversity in educational leadership
• Successfully identifying and supporting aspiring middle leaders

Kendra Parker, Director, Leadership Excellence Division, Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership
Edwina Dohle, Chief Executive Officer, Teach for Australia
Tina King, President, Australian Principals Federation
Tim Bullard, CEO, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
Moderated by Caroline Schelle, Education Reporter, The Age

10:00

Networking & refreshment break

Behaviour Management, Wellbeing and Inclusion

10:30

Keynote Address | Interventions to promote school attendance and build systemic change

• Risk factors for attendance difficulties
• The multi-tiered systems of support

A/Prof Lisa McKay Brown, Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion, Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne

11:00

Keynote Address| An evidence-based approach to classroom management

• The engaged classroom initiative
• De-escalating misbehaviour and conflict
• Maximising students’ learning time

Dr Tim McDonald, CEO, the Y WA; Subject Matter Expert, The Engaged Classroom Initiative, AERO

11:30

Reclaiming the classroom – an integrated system-wide blueprint

• Empowering teachers to teach and students to learn
• Digital devices and the distracted generation

Dr Edward Simons, Executive Director, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools

12:00

Panel Discussion | How successful classroom management can enhance wellbeing

• How to create a whole-of-school approach to wellbeing?
• What are high-impact wellbeing strategies and what are their benefits?
• How positive behaviour programs can enhance wellbeing and help to nurture respect, inclusiveness and belonging
• How successful classroom management can alleviate bullying and harassment

Sarah Asome, Principal, Bentleigh West Primary School
Justin Roberts, ReLate National Program Director, The Mackillop Institute
Alain Van Gurp, Student Wellbeing Leader, St Kevin’s College
Bernadette Cronin, Chief of Student Services, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools
Moderated by Bridie Smith, Education Reporter, The Age

12:30

Panel Discussion | Disability and Inclusion

• Determining the needs of individual students. What works best for them and their classmates?
• Building knowledge and increasing awareness of student needs
• Staff training and development to enable inclusive education to excel
• Building inclusive education capability through outreach coaching

Charlotte Peverett, Head of Teaching and Learning and Inclusion Outreach Coach, Lake Colac School
Michelle Gillett, Principal, St Francis of Assisi Tarneit
Karina Stocker, Learning Specialist and Instructional Coach, Docklands Primary School
Sally Lasslett, Executive Principal, The Hester Hornbrook Academy
Moderated by Nicole Precel, Education Reporter, The Age

1:00

Lunch

Curriculum Reform and School Improvement

2:00

Challenges schools are facing with implementing the curriculum

• What’s working well for schools
• The most common areas of concern for schools implementing the curriculum
• Structuring teaching and learning to overcome curriculum challenges

Dr Ben Jensen, CEO, Learning First

2:20

The Maths Guarantee: Boosting Learning in Primary Schools

• What the evidence says about effective primary maths teaching
• What schools can do to boost outcomes
• What policy reforms are needed to get better results

Dr Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director, Grattan Institute

2:40

Panel Discussion | School Improvement

• What does school improvement look like? Is continual growth possible?
• What are the major impediments to school improvement and how are they best overcome?
• Achieving staff buy-in to new programs and ideas
• Prioritising future growth opportunities

Shane Elevato, Principal, Surf Coast Secondary College
Sam Butterfield, Director of Teaching and Learning, Hume Anglican Grammar School
Andrew Houghton, Principal, Ilim College
Ella Price, Assistant Principal (Teaching & Learning), Auburn High School
Moderated by Craig Butt, National Data Editor, The Age

3:10

Networking & refreshment break

3:30

Implementing responsive teaching

• Why should we invest in explicit and responsive teaching?
• Everyday barriers on the ground
• Supports to sustain improvement in schools

Bronwyn Ryrie Jones Teacher Educator & Instructional Leader

4:00

Panel Discussion | Implementing explicit teaching with fidelity

• The first steps to making big instructional shifts across a school
• The professional learning teachers need to be successful
• Ensuring fidelity to the evidence on explicit teaching
• How to monitor and evaluate whether implementation is working to improve student learning

Katie Roberts-Hull, CEO, Think Forward Educators
Sonia Loudon, Assistant Principal for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Elevation Secondary School
Penny Wade, Junior School English Coordinator, MLC School
Chloe Painter, Deputy Principal, St Roberts Primary School
Moderated by Noel Towell, Education Editor, The Age

4:30

Networking Drinks Sponsor

James Smith, Founder, Mark My Words

4:35

Closing remarks from the Chair and Networking Drinks