Top teaching honour for Doyle

SWAN HILL Primary School principal Hayley Doyle is one of four finalists vying for the Outstanding Primary Principal title at the Victorian Education Excellence Awards.

The school community congratulated Ms Doyle in a Facebook post, writing: “A huge congratulations to our calm, fair, approachable, knowledgeable and caring leader that always puts students at the centre of everything she does.”

Ms Doyle said she was overwhelmed at the news, and swiftly handed the credit back to her staff.

“It’s certainly a great honour to be recognised at that level, and I have a strong belief that I’m able to do what I can because of the great team around me,” Ms Doyle said.

“I have a passion for making sure that everyone has a voice in all decisions we make, especially teachers, in relation to instructional matters.”

Originally from Kerang, Ms Doyle said she was inspired to choose a fulfilling career in education by her own schooling experience.

“I really enjoyed my primary and secondary school years in Kerang, it’s part of why I was inspired to become a teacher,” Ms Doyle said.

Having started as a teacher in Swan Hill and then Bendigo, Ms Doyle was briefly the principal at Quambatook Group School before joining Swan Hill Primary School.

“I’ve been principal at Swan Hill Primary School for nearly five years now, but I’ve been teaching here since 2004,” Ms Doyle said.

Ms Doyle subscribes to a “bottom up” approach to leadership, rather than an authoritarian one.

“I’m really passionate about teachers having a voice in decisions that are made in relation to initiatives that they have to deliver, like new teaching practices and ways of working,” she said.

“I also have a passion for making sure the students in Swan Hill are provided with the same opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts.

“So it’s about ensuring we’re innovative in what we do, and trying to think outside the box a little bit.”

Great leadership and teamwork has lead to great results for students, as Ms Doyle explains.

“We have had lots of great results academically in recent years, particularly for our Aboriginal students,” Ms Doyle said.

Swan Hill Primary School also has some of the highest results in the state for staff culture and climate, based on data collected by the Department of Education and Training.

“I put a lot of thought into how we keep our staff morale high,” Ms Doyle said.

“If the teachers are happy I tend to think the children are happy – if they’re happy to go to work they’re more likely to engage the kids.”

The award winner will be announced at the Victorian Education Excellence Awards online presentation in October.