The Pruning Principle Program
MASTERING THE ART OF STRATEGIC SUBTRACTION
Practical. Doable. Regenergising.
The Pruning Principle program will give leadership teams a way to achieve calm, meaningful progress.
What if the answer to inducing positive change in our teams, schools and systems lies in doing less?
Educators, leaders, schools and systems are overloaded and exhausted, and many of us are ready to explore a better way of pursuing sustainable improvement.
The Pruning Principle Program is a highly practical program for educational leaders and their teams who want to find a pathway to calm and meaningful progress. During the program, you will learn practical strategies and apply actionable tools you can immediately use with your broader staff.
Another top professional learning with such relevance to the current demands of the job of Principal. Simon is easy to listen to, provides excellent resources and has his finger on the pulse!
Program Format
Our program can be delivered flexibly to suit your context. It can be run online as three 2-hour workshop sessions with Dr Simon Breakspear (6 hours of live workshop time in total), or as a full-day in-person workshop. Online sessions are always recorded and made available for on-demand watching.
Learning Outcomes
The Pruning Principle Program will focus you and your team on the most essential elements of your role and improvement strategy.
❤️ Embrace the Pruning Principle: Achieve more by doing less through strategic subtraction.
✂️ Implement the Pruning Cycle: Apply the 3-Phase Educational Pruning Cycle in your role.
🚀 Identify Pruning Opportunities: Spot commitments and programs that need pruning.
🛠️ Apply Pruning Tools: Enhance collective decision-making with the effective use of pruning tools.
🧑 Manage Subtractive Change: Master the human side of subtractive change management.
🥼 Conduct Pruning Experiments: Plan and execute pruning experiments to monitor the benefits.
Practical and transformational. Such incredible reflection tools for better impact in schools.
Enquire Now
Reach out for current availability and pricing.
Fill in the form below or reach out to Renee directly on renee@simonbreakspear.com.
About Simon Breakspear
Program Instructor
Simon is a researcher, advisor and speaker on educational leadership, policy and change. Simon develops frameworks and tools that make evidence-based ideas actionable and easy to understand. Over the last decade his capability building work has given him the opportunity to work with over 100,000 educators across more than 10 countries.
Simon is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at UNSW. He serves as an advisor to the NSW Department of Education and sits on an expert steering committee for the Australia Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Simon received his BPsych (Hons) from UNSW, his MSc in Comparative and International Education from the University of Oxford and his PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge. Simon began his work in education as a high school teacher.
Loved by learners across the globe
Find out what some past participants have to say about our program
At the heart of The Pruning Principle is the idea that less is more. We often feel pulled in a hundred directions, trying to manage competing priorities. This program helps you identify what’s essential, eliminate distractions, and create space for deep work and strategic impact. It’s not just about doing less – it’s about doing what matters most. The program is structured around clear, implementable steps and great resources to use to achieve a positive outcome.
Excellent learning for all educationalists. This type of cultural change is paramount to the future of education in general.
I think all leaders in education need to complete this program. How can we get a collective shift in the add-on culture if we don’t get everyone on board?
I think these sessions were magical for me personally, as they gave me the confidence to challenge respectfully.
The Pruning Principle is what our education sector needs right now. This webinar gave insight into what is found in the text and could be experienced by those new to the principle and those who were well-versed in it.
A great opportunity to think about how we can reshape our work and not only be additive, focusing on fewer areas and doing them well and making those changes respectfully.
Excellent opportunity to think about how to get off the additive wheel and to become more focused. Good to do with a professional group you can discuss ideas with.
It gives us Principals the time to reflect on what you do daily that you might not need to do, time-saving.
It genuinely makes sense; it is not overcomplicated. You just need to be open to it.
Supports leaders in rethinking their beliefs about improvement, staff wellbeing, and change management.
To any leader experiencing the constraints of competing priorities at school, this professional learning is a must. You must devote time towards saving and protecting time. And PRUNING is the answer. Strategic subtraction. Doing less but having a greater impact. The Pruning Principle provides the templates, tools and strategies for this to be a success for your teams.
Excellent at streamlining ideas and providing a clear way forward in a busy school with a challenging community. Review, aspire, and prune to maximise children’s learning.
Excellent learning for all educationalists. This type of cultural change is paramount to the future of education in general. We have been in this space for a while (without the terminology/tools), so the content aligns with our school well.