Avila Leadership Program

Through 2024 and 2025, EREA NSW has had a number of staff participating in the Catholic Schools New South Wales Avila Leadership Program. The program seeks to address:

-         the uniquely Catholic aspects of school leadership, including the Catholic intellectual tradition, ecclesiology, spirituality, theology, evangelisation and mission.

-         the range of new skills and knowledge required for contemporary educational governance and operations. The programme draws on high quality leadership research and practice, ensuring our aspiring principals are well prepared for the complexities of principalship in a contemporary Catholic school setting

Across the course, participants engaged with expert facilitators, explored critical leadership challenges, and developed insight into strategic school leadership.

Jodie Hughes, Deputy Principal at Edmund Rice College in Wollongong reflected on her participation:

The 2024/2025 Avila program significantly enhanced my leadership skills as a senior leader in a Catholic school. It offered a comprehensive exploration of senior leadership, deepening my understanding of the Catholic school's vision and mission, authentic leadership, governance, finance, legal considerations, staff formation, parent engagement, leading conversations, and building high-quality teams and expert teachers.

The program's outstanding presenters delivered passionate and authentic input, fostering reflection and deeper understanding. The sense of community among participants from across NSW, supported by the facilitators was invaluable. I also greatly appreciated the insights from experienced principals, which added to the depth and breadth of the course 

The program provided a valuable platform for reflection and applying my learning to the Australian Professional Standards for Principal within my current context. I am looking forward to the Principal Shadowing experience. I highly recommend this course to anyone who has the opportunity to participate.  Additionally, as part of the course generous support of professional learning for participants beyond the course has been exceptionally valuable and I am so grateful to have been afforded this opportunity through the support of EREA Colleges NSW and my school.