Tasmania has begun the 2026 school year with Australia’s first government led Multi School Organisation trial, testing a UK proven model designed to lift student outcomes while giving school leaders more time to focus on teaching and learning.
The five year pilot brings together three Southern Tasmanian primary schools, New Town Primary, Risdon Vale Primary and Moonah Primary, into a single family of schools operating under a shared executive leadership structure. The model aims to reduce administrative burden, strengthen instructional leadership and improve consistency in teaching practice across campuses.
The approach draws on international evidence from England’s multi academy trust system, where more than 70 per cent of previously underperforming schools improved to “Good” or “Outstanding” after joining similar shared leadership structures. Multi Academy Trusts in England have enjoyed bipartisan political support since the early 2000s.
Research suggests a key driver of improvement in the UK model has been freeing principals from back office administration, enabling greater focus on teaching quality and professional development. Tasmania’s trial is designed to adapt the strongest elements of the UK approach to the Australian context.
“This trial is about putting the evidence first,” McKinnon CEO Mike Baird said. “The UK experience shows that when schools share leadership, services and professional learning, principals get back time for classrooms and teachers get better support. This pilot will test whether those same conditions lift outcomes for Tasmanian students.”
The Independent Review of Education in Tasmania recommended the state explore new ways of organising schools to better share resources and services, identifying Multi School Organisations as a practical mechanism.
The trial will be guided by education leaders with international experience in the model. Gail Peyton has been appointed incoming Chief Executive Officer and Joe Howlett as Head of Operations. Both are qualified teachers with extensive experience leading schools and school systems within successful UK frameworks.
Ms Peyton brings more than two decades of experience in school improvement across multi school trusts in England, while Mr Howlett is a former headteacher with a track record of building effective school systems that support teachers to focus on learning.
Principals involved in the pilot say the shift to shared leadership is already influencing practice.
Risdon Vale Primary School Principal Rachael Wells said, “This is only eight weeks after coming back from the UK, and the clarity and confidence we now have in how we roll this out and how we make sure there is really high quality teaching happening in all our schools is remarkable.”
“I think this is a real opportunity to make real change at a system level.”
Moonah Primary School Principal Alison Lacy said, “I actually feel a bit emotional, because working at the MSO I thought we can really get our teeth into purposeful professional learning for teachers and teacher assistants and actually improve teacher capacity and collaboration.”
“I am really passionate about students having equal opportunity regardless of their postcode or what part of the state they live in.”
New Town Primary School Principal Roslyn McGuiness added, “I’m really excited to be working with other principals and other schools to share our resources and for them to share with us.”
“That collaboration and shared responsibility is not just for students at New Town Primary School, but for all the students in this MSO trial.”
The MSO pilot will be independently evaluated and transparently funded. McKinnon funding will support leadership capability, shared services and evaluation. The assessment will track student outcomes, teaching practice, leadership effectiveness and school culture over time.
McKinnon’s role is to curate evidence, amplify educator voices and support the government led trial. It does not operate schools or direct day to day management.
Findings from the trial are expected to inform future education policy in Tasmania and contribute to the national conversation about how to lift standards and close equity gaps in Australian public schools.
