Last week, the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) took part in the 2025 Government Schools Principals Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Run by the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership, the conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with Victorian government school leaders, discover new ways of thinking about leadership excellence and learn and reflect from one another.

This year, VIT enjoyed a busy and rewarding experience exhibiting and presenting on day two of the conference. Our Professional Practice and Teacher Engagement & Registration teams engaged with principals and assistant principals to discuss relevant topics including permission to teach requirements, supporting provisionally registered / beginning teachers in their schools, supporting mentors, international teacher requirements (including qualifications and provisional to full), and code of conduct supporting resources.

The VIT’s CEO, Martin Fletcher, and Senior Professional Practice Officers, Lucy Buncle and Matt Woodley, led VIT’s workshop, “A stronger workforce: Elevating quality and support”. The key themes from the session were that

• we all want students to have the best teachers
• to have and keep good teachers in the profession, we need to invest in their growth
• early experiences in the profession are crucial
• the VIT process should not be viewed as a regulatory ‘tick box’ – it promotes and supports professional growth.

Mr Fletcher said, “some of the key takeaway messages from me included that principals are among the most trusted leaders in many local communities, more and more is being expected of schools and their leaders, and no education system can ever exceed the quality of its teachers!”.

Thanks to the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership and everyone who stopped by to connect with us.