Developed by AITSL in partnership with the Queensland Department of Education and in consultation with the profession, the authority say the Middle Leader Standards are not mandatory and designed to “guide reflection, goal setting, feedback, and professional learning”, to fortify educators’ leadership skills without imposing extra responsibilities.

Tim Bullard, AITSL CEO, said middle leaders are the ‘engine room of our schools’.

 “…they connect strategy with classroom practice and are essential to the success of all learners.

“These new standards recognise the important expertise of middle leaders and can be used to further support their growth and development, helping them to progress further in their career.”

AITSL research shows that at least 90 per cent of middle leaders in our schools hold teaching roles in addition to their leadership and management responsibilities.

Until now their unique roles balancing classroom responsibilities with leadership and management have not been fully represented within the suite of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals.

“These Standards can be used by current middle leaders to develop their capabilities, or guide those aspiring to become a principal.

“They can also be used to highlight career pathways for teachers aspiring to become a middle leader,” Bullard added.

Sandwiched between the directives of senior leadership and the dynamics of teaching staff, relatively little has been documented about the actual day-to-day practices of middle leaders and the particular tensions they face in their multi-faceted role.

Earlier this year, research led by Griffith University’s Professor Peter Grootenboer set about changing this, teasing out the messy and ‘on the fly’ nature of middle leadership in schools.

Shadowing middle leaders for five days proved an especially eye-opening method of data collection, Grootenboer reported.

“We saw one middle leader, in the space of three hours, she had like 150 transactional shifts that she had to do. Between working with parents, working with senior managers, working with students, working with other teachers.

“And so they were constantly just changing (tack) and trying to respond to things that were happening in the moment.”

Much of this leadership was done informally, the researcher said, with middle leaders grappling with an influx of decisions that needed to be made on the spot.

 “A lot of their actions can’t be ‘oh, I’ll write that down and then I’ll come back to you tomorrow with a thought-out response’,” Grootenboer explained.

“They had to give people an in-the-moment response and make decisions quickly … they’re always being pulled and pushed, and they have to make [calls] off the cuff.

“And in a sense it makes it difficult, because it’s not thoughtless decision making, but you can’t have a nice reflective practice where you sit [on situations].”

Navigating power dynamics amongst colleagues is a crucial – and extremely delicate – aspect of middle leaders’ role, the researcher flagged.

Likening them to the captain of a sports team that has to fulfill the coach’s commands while simultaneously acting as a model and advocate for teammates, the expert said middle leaders must somehow provide leadership and inspiration in schools while also ‘playing the game’.

“That gets relationally complex, because often senior managers will try and pull them up to do more of the administration and managerial work at the school and draw them away from the classroom - the very things they were good at.”

Tricker still is being thrust into a coaching position for teaching staff with whom you’ve always worked alongside as an equal, Grootenboer said.

“These are often your colleagues and your mates, and it can be hard to then be seen [in this way].

“So, you’ve got to sort of work alongside them rather than be a leader who works over them, in a sense.”

The Middle Leader Standards are split into two groups, the first being the ‘enabling standards’ which outline specific dispositions, knowledge and skills required in the role, followed by the ‘core standards’ which include:

  • Enhancing understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples;
  • Coordinating high-impact teaching and learning;
  • Leading improvement in teaching practice; and,
  • Managing effectively.

The new Standards chart a continuum of increasing leadership capabilities. Unlike the Teacher Standards, the proficient level is considered a starting point for middle leadership development. AITSL note the majority are working beyond this level.

Under the Standards, those with the highest ‘expert capability’ initiate and lead improvement widely across their school and in their area of responsibility.

“They are recognised within and beyond the school as an expert middle leader, who is knowledgeable, courageous, and successful in collaboratively establishing policies and routines that improve student learning and wellbeing,” the Standards state.

“They may mentor other middle leaders or aspiring middle leaders. They work at a systemic level to build networks beyond the school to improve the teaching and leadership capabilities of a wider range of people.”

Expert middle leaders might coach or mentor other middle leaders in their school, while their expertise may also be recognised via roles in professional teaching associations or in syllabus and exam committees.

“…. expert middle leaders may work with other education experts at the system, state, territory or national levels,” the Standards elaborate.

“They consult with their principal (as appropriate) to connect with the wider school community to build relationships that are responsive to the needs of the local context.”

AITSL report the early response from the profession has been “highly positive”, with many schools already using the framework to strengthen leadership development.

“This national adoption is a huge milestone for AITSL and for the profession.

“The adoption of the Middle Leader Standards by all education ministers demonstrates strong support for the profession and ensures every child and young person benefits from effective leadership at every level,” Bullard said.