The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) has announced that the New South Wales Secondary Principals’ Council (NSWSPC) and the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals (VASSP) have formally affiliated with ASPA.
This historic re-unification brings together all state and territory public secondary school principals’ associations under the ASPA banner as the national peak body for the first time in a decade.
ASPA president Mr Andy Mison said the unification positions ASPA as the undisputed national voice for Australia’s more than 2,200 government combined and secondary school principals, who look after more than one million students.
“We can better advocate for principals and the communities they lead across Australia, from securing adequate funding and resources, to ensuring principals feel supported in these demanding and essential roles,” he said.
“Principals now have a stronger advocate in their corner.”
With strengthened national influence, Mr Mison said ASPA will pursue key goals including advocating for needs-based funding for all public secondary schools to reach 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard, as a minimum.
The peak body will also be calling for sustained capital investment to upgrade ageing school infrastructure across Australia.
Its key goals also include:
- Measuring and reporting on the social segregation between schools and its effect on students.
- Leading the debate about the future of secondary schooling, assessment and certification.
- Funding and developing nationally consistent approaches to supporting principal health, safety and wellbeing, including minimum standards for system-level support.
- Recognising, respecting, retaining and sustaining the current and aspiring principals who lead Australian schools in every community.
NSWSPC president Mr Craig Petersen said the NSWSPC is proud to join with its interstate colleagues.
“This will amplify our voice and influence as we advocate for the needs of NSW public school principals and their school communities. It will strengthen support for all the principals dedicated to delivering quality public education.”
VASSP president Mr Colin Axup said Victoria’s principals are excited to help unite school leaders from every jurisdiction as part of ASPA.
“Working together, we can powerfully represent the collective interests of secondary schools nationwide and lead the national secondary education dialogue.”
The Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) is the national peak body representing secondary school leaders across government schools in every Australian state and territory.
ASPA is holding a National Education Summit at Parliament House in Canberra on 26 March.
Titled ‘Equity in Australian Secondary Education: Crossing the Divide’, the summit is part of a national leadership conversation about the future of secondary school education in Australia.
