9 School Principals to Follow in Australia and NZ

School principals shape the conditions in which students, staff and families learn together. This guide introduces nine current principals and heads of school across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand whose public work offers useful ideas about culture, learning, clarity and community.

As of August 2026, these leaders work across government, independent, faith-based and primary-school settings, from Perth to Darwin to Auckland. The names are presented alphabetically for easy navigation. Each profile starts with a current school role and then points to one public detail that may help another school leader think about their own context.

Why school principals matter

A principal helps turn a school's purpose into daily routines. That includes setting expectations, making room for staff learning, listening to students and families, and keeping the work connected to what young people need. The role can look very different from one school to another, but the need for calm direction and clear relationships is remarkably consistent.

The people below work in different systems and communities. They are not presented as a single model for every school. Instead, each profile offers one small doorway into how another leader is approaching a real school setting.

1. Alan Jones

Principal, Christ Church Grammar School

Alan Jones is Principal of Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont, Perth, a role he commenced in 2016. His work is a useful example of long-term school stewardship in Western Australia, where a leader has had time to see decisions settle into practice.

The school records that in 2016 he initiated its membership with the Council of International Schools, making Christ Church the first school in Western Australia to receive that membership. That is a practical example for principals weighing whether an external accreditation framework is worth the effort, and what it can give a school community in return.

2. Anne Johnstone

Head of School, Cranbrook School

Dr Anne Johnstone is Head of School at Cranbrook School in Sydney, and the ninth person to hold that role. She leads a large school through a period of change, so her work is relevant for principals thinking about culture, learning and transition at the same time.

Cranbrook describes her as a pioneer in Positive Education and notes that she is Global Chair of the International Positive Education Network and a founding Director of the Positive Education Schools Association. For school leaders, that is a useful reminder that wellbeing work holds together best when it is built into learning rather than run alongside it as a separate program.

3. Anthony Micallef

Headmaster, Brisbane Grammar School

Anthony Micallef is Headmaster of Brisbane Grammar School, the twelfth person in that role, having commenced in 2014. The school records that he has served Brisbane Grammar in a number of key leadership roles across the past 33 years, which makes his experience useful for readers considering the value of deep commitment to one school community.

The school also notes that he serves on the Board of the International Boys Schools Coalition and has completed a sabbatical at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. That combination is a helpful reminder that principals can keep learning from peers well beyond their own campus while staying grounded in local relationships.

4. Esther Hill

Principal, The Friends' School

Esther Hill is Principal of The Friends' School in Hobart, having commenced in the role in 2024. Her leadership sits in a school with a clear Quaker identity, offering a strong example of how a principal can hold culture, learning and community together.

The school's announcement of her appointment records that she was one of the driving forces in establishing The Studio School in Fremantle, described as an Australian first model of personalised studio learning, where she was Head of Campus during the start-up phase. That work is worth noting because it links school leadership with deliberate experimentation in how young people learn.

5. Fathma Mauger

Principal, Larrakeyah Primary School

Fathma Mauger is Principal of Larrakeyah Primary School in Darwin, a Northern Territory government independent public school. The school records that its leadership team is led by the Principal, with 30 years in Northern Territory education behind her, which gives readers a view of sustained leadership in a smaller jurisdiction.

Larrakeyah Primary won the Best Use of Technology award for a custom-built artificial intelligence tool the school calls IntelliLearn, used to improve writing in upper primary. That is a genuinely useful case for principals who want to know what it looks like when a school builds a tool around its own teaching problem rather than buying a product and hoping it fits.

6. Nardi Leonard

Principal, Jean Batten School

Nardi Leonard is Principal of Jean Batten School in Māngere East, Auckland, a state contributing school for years one to six. The role is a useful inclusion for readers interested in current primary-school leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand, where the whole school community is small enough for a leader's decisions to be felt quickly.

The school sets out a plain vision that its High Fliers will be confident, life-long learners navigating their path through a culturally rich world. Its current staff page also places the principal within a clearly named senior leadership team, which is a simple and effective way for families and staff to understand who holds responsibility across a school.

7. Nicole Archard

Principal K-12, Loreto Kirribilli

Dr Nicole Archard is Principal K-12 at Loreto Kirribilli in Sydney. Her work is relevant for school leaders who are thinking carefully about identity, belonging and the purpose of a girls' education.

The school records that under her leadership Loreto Kirribilli became the first school in Australia to introduce a Recreational Pilot's Licence within the curriculum, and the first independent school to establish a formal educational partnership with Taronga Zoo. It also notes that she chairs the International Coalition of Girls' Schools Regional Advisory Council for Australasia. Both examples are useful for principals who want ambitious programs to grow out of a school's stated purpose rather than sit beside it.

8. Paul Burgis

Principal, PLC Sydney

Dr Paul Burgis is Principal of PLC Sydney, the Presbyterian Ladies College, and has held the role since 2011. That long tenure gives readers a useful perspective on leading sustained school-wide work rather than treating change as a short project.

The College records the development of its Learning Virtues, described as Inquiry and Discipline, Courage and Purpose, and Respect and Integrity, alongside the decision to introduce Cambridge IGCSE and A Level courses. It also notes the school has grown from 1175 to over 1400 students in that time. Those examples are useful for principals who need to connect curriculum choices with a clear picture of the capabilities students should develop.

9. Sarah Martin

Principal, Stonefields School

Sarah Martin is Principal of Stonefields School in Auckland, where the school's current staff page lists her as Sarah Martin Sao. She has led the school since it opened in 2011, so her profile is useful for readers who want to explore what it takes to establish and then sustain a contemporary primary-school setting.

The Stonefields Collaborative Trust describes her as an educational provocateur who thrives on problem-solving, conceptualising solutions, and challenging the mindsets and thinking of teachers and leaders. The school also makes its leadership team easy to see, which is a helpful example of clear public-facing school communication.

What these leaders show us about school leadership

The strongest common thread is not one program or leadership style. It is the effort to make a school's values visible in the way people learn, meet, communicate and make decisions. That work can show up in curriculum design, a clear leadership team, an accreditation choice, a purpose-built tool, or a thoughtful stance on wellbeing.

For another principal, the useful question is not whether to copy a program from one of these schools. It is what problem the program was trying to solve, who needed to be involved, and how the school made the idea practical for its own students and staff.

How to use this list

Start with one profile that feels close to your own context. Read the linked school page, then notice the language used about learning, culture and community. Keep a short note of one idea you could explore with your leadership team.

Next, turn the idea into a small written experiment. State the problem, who needs to help, what would change in practice and when you will review it. A small test is often more useful than a broad promise because it gives people something real to learn from together.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a school principal do?

A school principal gives direction to the whole school while working with staff, students, families and governance groups. The role includes learning, culture, operations and community relationships. The practical mix changes by school, but the job is always about helping people work toward a clear purpose.

How can principals learn from other schools?

Principals can learn by reading a school's public material, talking with peers and studying how another team makes its values practical. The most useful learning usually starts with a specific local question. It then adapts useful ideas rather than copying another school's approach without context.

What makes school leadership practical?

Practical school leadership connects a clear priority with a routine people can use. That might be a better staff conversation, a clearer student pathway, a consistent wellbeing practice or a simple decision process. Small, repeatable actions make a leadership intention easier for a whole community to carry.

Why should school culture be a leadership focus?

Culture shapes how people experience the school each day. When expectations, relationships and routines fit together, staff and students have a clearer sense of what matters. Principals can support this by making values visible in decisions, communication and the way people are treated when things are difficult.

Conclusion

These nine principals lead in very different places, from a Northern Territory government primary school to large independent schools in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Hobart, and two state schools in Auckland. Each public profile points back to the same core task: help a school community make its purpose real. That takes patient attention to people, learning and the routines that hold a busy school together.

Use this guide as a starting point, not a template. Choose one idea that fits your context, write down the problem it could help solve, and invite the right people to shape a small next step. Clear, steady progress is often the most useful form of leadership.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. The Working Genius framework was created by Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group. Jonno works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world.

Related Reading

For ideas about team energy and execution, read Working Genius for Leaders. For a practical look at bringing a leadership team with you on a new idea, see getting leadership buy-in for Working Genius. You can also explore how Working Genius changes the way executive teams work.

A practical next step

If your school leadership team needs a clearer way to work through culture, communication or execution, I can help with a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to start the conversation in writing.