John Cleary | Director, Students as Partners (Education Services Australia) and Doctoral Candidate
University Of Melbourne

John Cleary is an experienced former principal and system executive, leading school and system improvement reform in the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Education, Australia. His experience as an educator stretches from Manchester and London (UK) to some of the most remote schools in the world during his 18 years supporting students and educators across 1.35 million square kilometres of the NT. John has also been recognised as a Gold Medal Recipient (2024) and National Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (FACEL) and was named as a National Teaching Fellow (Schools Plus) for his work leading improvement in the Katherine Region, NT. He is currently Director, Students as Partners at Education Services Australia (ESA) and is an advisor and contributor to policy design for organisations at the state, territory and national level, including the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA), Learning Creates Australia, the Menzies Foundation and Ochre Education. John is a Doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, with his work exploring the factors that contribute to a successful partnership with students in leading improvement at the school and system level.