LEADERSHIP & COACHING | KAIĀRAHITANGA
Leadership can be lonely. It doesn't have to be.
Facilitated, high-trust peer groups for Principals, DPs, APs and Senior Leaders, meeting in person across New Zealand and online.
For more than twenty years, The Education Group has facilitated Professional Learning Groups for school leaders. Demand has never slowed, because PLGs give leaders something that is hard to find anywhere else: a trusted circle of peers who understand the job, guided by an experienced facilitator who keeps the time focused and worthwhile.
Each group is a small network of senior leaders in similar roles. You step away from your school, talk openly about what is really happening, stay on top of new legislation and policy, and leave with practical ways forward.
THE CHALLENGES
Whatever the size or type of school, the same pressures come up again and again.
The issues that keep you up at night often can't be shared with staff, your board or whānau. Many leaders carry them alone.
New legislation, policy shifts, curriculum changes and reporting requirements arrive faster than most leaders can absorb them, on top of running a school.
Complex staffing matters, difficult conversations, community concerns and student issues rarely come with a clear answer.
The day-to-day pulls you into reactive mode. Thinking strategically about your school, and your own leadership, gets pushed to the bottom of the list.
Leaders in schools down the road are facing the same challenges, but there is seldom a structured way to share what's working.
You invest in everyone else's development. Your own wellbeing and professional learning can quietly slip.
HOW A PLG HELPS
THE BENEFITS
Over time, your group becomes a network you can rely on, within meetings and beyond them. Many of our groups have been meeting for years.
Every group is led by an Education Group facilitator who has been in your shoes. Our team have Principal and senior leadership experience, are internationally accredited leadership coaches and stay current with the latest sector developments. They keep each meeting focused, bring expert knowledge and questioning, and hold the trust that makes the group work.
Senior leaders tell us they grow best in a group with a high level of trust and rapport. Every PLG is built on confidentiality, so you can bring the real issues, not the polished version.
Stay across new legislation, policy and sector changes, and hear how other schools are responding before you have to make your own call.
Bring a challenge, leave with options. Discussion is solutions-focused, drawing on the collective experience of the room and the facilitator.
Stepping away from your school gives you the space to think clearly, recharge and come back with fresh perspective.
When leaders are supported, connected and current, their schools benefit.
"The Education Group are highly experienced facilitators and AMAZING at what they do."
Maree Todd, Principal, Churchill Park Primary
HOW PLGs WORK
Experience has shown that an independent facilitator is crucial to a group's success. Each PLG is led by one of our team, all of whom have Principal and/or senior leadership experience and are accredited leadership coaches.
Groups bring together leaders in similar roles: Principals, Deputy Principals, Assistant Principals and other Senior Leaders. [Typical group size: X–X leaders.]
The agenda reflects what members need: new legislation and sector updates, challenges members are facing, best practice from other schools, and members' own growth and wellbeing.
[Groups meet X times a year, for X hours.] Meetings are held away from school, so you can be fully present.
WAYS TO JOIN
We facilitate many established PLGs across the country. Where there is space, new members can join an existing group in their area.
New groups are forming all the time. Join one in your region, or bring together colleagues from your Kāhui Ako, cluster or network and we'll facilitate it.
Can't easily get to a regular meeting? Our online PLGs offer the same high-trust, facilitated experience, connecting leaders from across Aotearoa, wherever they are.
FAQs
Can't see your question? Call us on (09) 953 0523.
Principals, Deputy Principals, Assistant Principals and Senior Leaders in primary, intermediate and secondary schools.
[X times per year, X hours each.]
[X–X leaders, small enough to build genuine trust.]
Yes. Confidentiality is the foundation of every group and is agreed by all members.
[Yes, where an established group has space / New groups start in Term X.]
Yes. Get in touch and we'll talk through how we can set it up.
[Contact us for 2027 pricing.]
Enquire now about joining a 2027 PLG in your area, starting a new group, or joining online.
(09) 953 0523 | info@educationgroup.co.nz