HALT Reimagined: How NSW Schools Are Recognising Excellence Through the HALT Talent Pipeline

In this episode of Professional Learnings for Leaders in Education, host Drew Janetzki speaks with Krystal Bevin, Coordinator of the HALT Talent Pipeline at the NSW Department of Education. Together, they explore how the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation process has been completely redesigned, making recognition more accessible, achievable, and aligned to real classroom practice.

Krystal unpacks how the new HALT model removes barriers, reduces workload, and strengthens school culture by recognising teachers who demonstrate expert practice every day. She highlights the dramatic surge in applications across NSW, the role of the HALT Hub, and the practical ways principals can support and celebrate excellence in their staff.

This episode is essential listening for principals wanting to grow capability, lift professional identity, and embed a culture of instructional leadership in their school.

In This Episode:
• How the HALT accreditation process has changed
• What’s driving the surge in applications across NSW
• The role of the HALT Hub and statewide community of practice
• How principals can identify, support, and mentor potential HALTs
• How HALT aligns with the School Excellence Framework and school improvement
• Practical steps for getting started in 2025 and 2026. Links for Listeners:
HALT Accreditation (NESA):
https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/teacher-accreditation/halt-accreditation

HALT Hub (NSW DoE):
https://edu.nsw.link/haltcop

Department of Education – HALT Information:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/inside-the-department/human-resources/learning/highly-accomplished-and-lead-teachers

Email the HALT Team:
HALTaccreditation@det.nsw.edu.au

About our guest Krystal Beavin

Krystal Bevin is an experienced and strategic educational leader with 25 years in the NSW Department of Education, currently serving as the Coordinator of the HALT Talent Pipeline. In this statewide role she leads a framework of high-level support, advice, and contextualised resources for teachers and leaders working towards Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher accreditation. Her work focuses on strengthening teacher quality, system leadership, and professional learning in ways that are practical for schools to integrate and embed within existing processes and practices.

Krystal’s leadership spans a wide range of contexts, including remote Aboriginal communities, Central schools, and selective settings. As Principal of West Wallsend High School for the past five years, her focus on high expectations, strong support, and a deep sense of belonging has contributed to significant whole-school improvement. The school has received multiple state and national accolades, including the NSW Secretary’s Award for an Outstanding School Initiative and recognition as one of The Educator’s Top 50 Innovative Schools.

Krystal is committed to ensuring that school leaders have access to relevant supports that work in real school settings. She is deeply committed to equitable access to professional learning and career-growth opportunities, and to

Links and References:

To view our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

What happens when educational leaders face back-to-back crises? How do they support traumatised communities while managing their own wellbeing? Leadership coach Annette Gray takes us deep into these questions, drawing from her powerful work with school principals following the devastating Black Summer bushfires.

The principals Annette coached were carrying an extraordinary burden—not just rebuilding physically destroyed schools, but becoming the emotional anchors for entire communities. "The principal was holding everything together and they were just incredibly exhausted," she shares. One leader, facing both bushfires and floods, confessed he simply couldn't make any more decisions. The emotional toll was palpable.

This experience illuminates a critical leadership challenge: how to navigate overwhelming circumstances while supporting others. Annette's approach focuses on creating space for leaders to be heard without judgment. Rather than dispensing advice, she guides them to discover their own solutions—a coaching mindset that transforms conversations.

The distinction between coaching and advice-giving emerges as crucial for all educational leaders. When Annette's daughter, a teacher struggling with challenging classroom behaviours, encountered leaders who bombarded her with strategies she'd already tried, the approach felt dismissive rather than supportive. "Coach-like conversations" instead begin with genuine curiosity: "What do you want from this conversation? What would make a difference?"

For busy principals, Annette offers immediate, practical suggestions. Being truly present matters more than availability—"If now's not a good time, when would be?" Simple acknowledgments like this demonstrate that you value the conversation enough to give it proper attention.

Beyond individual interactions, Annette advocates for group coaching, where leaders learn from each other's experiences and develop complementary leadership styles. This collaborative approach recognises that no single leader possesses all necessary competencies—especially important in today's complex educational landscape.

Self-awareness emerges as the fundamental leadership skill. Understanding your triggers, managing your responses, and creating boundaries around difficult conversations creates the foundation for effective leadership. As Annette puts it: "How do I bring my best self, best version of me, to this conversation?"

Ready to transform your leadership conversations? Connect with Annette at annettegray.com.au or explore her YouTube channel for more insights into creating human-centred, inclusive school cultures through the power of coaching.

Links and References:

To view our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue

In this episode of the NSWPPA Professional Learnings: Leading with Data series, host Drew Janetzki reconnects with psychologist and author Michael Hawton, Director of Parentshop, to explore the evolution of The Anxiety Project.

Together they unpack how this whole-school initiative—now reaching more than 113 schools and 47,000 students—is transforming the way teachers, parents and children understand and respond to anxiety.

Michael explains why resilience is learned through challenge, not avoidance, and how small, consistent language shifts in classrooms are changing culture and confidence across school communities.

Featuring insights from the 2025 Student Wellbeing Seminar with Professor Patrick McGorry and Professor Terry Laidler, this episode shows why early intervention, collective practice and data-driven leadership are key to addressing Australia’s youth mental health crisis.

A child refuses school, melts down, and gets a day at home with a device—short-term relief, long-term cost. We unpack how that accommodation cycle takes hold and share a practical, lay-led alternative that’s helping schools replace avoidance with agency.

Psychologist and author Michael Hawton traces The Anxiety Project’s journey from a principal survey to a statewide culture shift built on shared language, quick scripts, and early intervention.

We explore CBT-informed tools teachers can use in real time—how to “strike while the iron is hot” when a student catastrophises, and how to “strike while the iron is cold” through short lessons on brains, bodies, and self-talk. You’ll hear why “my amygdala threw a grenade” has become a powerful classroom phrase, how consistent staff language boosts engagement, and why fewer unhelpful accommodations can actually grow resilience.

Michael connects the dots with Professor McGorry’s national findings on youth mental health, showing how unattended childhood anxiety can escalate in adolescence—and how schools can bend that curve without turning teachers into therapists.

We also map a clear implementation pathway: align leadership, appoint a hands-on coach, train staff, teach students, and involve parents in non-blaming, tool-focused sessions. Along the way, we discuss phones and social media as amplifiers rather than root causes, and highlight measurable reductions in anxiety when entire school teams commit to the work.

If you’re a principal, teacher or parent looking for a clear, practical model to help kids stay in the learning struggle—take a breath, grab the language, and start small.

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share with a colleague, and let us know which strategy you’ll try first.

Learn more about The Anxiety Project and the research shaping this episode:

• NSWPPA – The Anxiety Project:
  https://www.nswppa.org.au/the-anxiety-project
  
  
• Parentshop (Michael Hawton):
  https://www.parentshop.com.au
  
  
• Hilton Education Consulting (2023–2025):
  Independent evaluation of The Anxiety Project outcomes in NSW schools
• Australian Mental Health Commission (2024):
  National Report Card 2024
  PDF L

Links and References:

To view our Professional Learning Offerings, visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

To view our latest offerings, visit: https://www.nswppa.org.au/catalogue