Position Paper - Learnings from COVID -19 - Senior Curriculum Delivery

Introduction
1. Principal autonomy is pivotal to improved community confidence in school operation (Heffernan and Pierpoint 2020).
2. Principals are best placed to lead their communities in times of stress and pressure. This was highlighted in 2020 as Principals successfully and professionally led their respective communities through the COVID–19 situation.
3. The management of the COVID-19 response had as a central pillar the notion of remote learning – that underpinned the continuity of learning for students. Principals (and their staff) developed, delivered engaging and effective learning packages for students.
4. The broad community reaction to schools response to COVID was accepted as highly professional and positive. The learnings prompted by an ‘external motivator’ in the form of COVID should be used to develop additional change in our schools.
5. A report published by the Coalition of Australian Principals (CAP) and Pivot Professional Learning (Leading Australian Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from 2020) also noted that community confidence and trust in the Principals judgment has never been stronger.