Applications for Unlocking Potential: Principal Preparation

The following information outlines everything you need to know about the application process for Unlocking Potential: Principal Preparation (UP).  

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the UP program you must: 

• aspire to move into a substantive principal role within the next 2 years 
• be an employee of the Department of Education 
• have a minimum of 5 years’ teaching experience 
• have the support of your school principal to apply for and participate in the program. 

Preparing your application  

As part of your application you will need to:  

• respond to the key selection criteria 
• upload a digital story (2-3 minutes) 
• provide your curriculum vitae 
• have principal endorsement. 

Key selection criteria 

The key selection criteria align to the Australian Professional Standard for Principals (Standard) and the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA).   

You are strongly encouraged to familiarise yourself with the Standard and VAPA before developing your responses.  

Please provide up to a 200-word response for each KSC. 

KSC 1: Leading Teaching, Learning and Wellbeing 

Describe your leadership of a school initiative that improved learning or wellbeing outcomes for students whilst embedding a positive culture. Detail the actions you took, who was involved and the results of your actions. 

KSC 2: Developing others and leading teams  

Describe a time when you assessed there was need for professional development for a team member, team or whole school. Detail the strategies you used to create change and share the impact of this change. 

KSC 3: Developing self 

Explain how participation in this program will support you to build your leadership capabilities in preparation for a principal role? 

Digital story  

Describe your core leadership values and discuss your approach to leading school improvement. Video should be 2 to 3 minutes in length and can be uploaded as an avi, m4v, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpeg4, mpg or wmv file. 

Curriculum vitae 

Attach a one-page curriculum vitae outlining your: 

• professional career, including responsibilities 
• achievements (within and outside of education) 
• recent relevant professional learning. 

Endorsement  

Upon registration, your principal will be sent a link where they can endorse your application. 

Successfully addressing the KSC 

A strong response to each criterion will:    

• use concrete example(s) that relate to the focus of the question 
• illustrate your achievements (past) and your potential (future) 
• discuss the what (actions), the how (processes) and the why (rationale) 
• draw on appropriate evidence in relation to impacts/outcomes. 

To create clear and concise answers we suggest you apply the situation, action and outcome (SAO) approach: 

• situation: what was the initial context and observations of the situation 
• action: what you did and how you did it 
• outcome: what was the result of your actions. 

The most successful applications provide deep and detailed responses; focus on an example that illustrates your capabilities in an area and use that to convey the approach you use to all your work. 

We encourage you to seek feedback and advice about your draft responses from your principal and/or other colleagues before submitting your final application. 

Responses to the KSC are limited to 200 words per criteria. 

More information 

For further information on the process, download our frequently asked questions (DOC 191KB).