Margaret Hutchinson was one of over 100 principals from the Mid North Coast region who had an opportunity to engage with NSW education leaders at a forum in Port Macquarie on May 30.

Ms Hutchinson said the challenge for Camden Haven High School is it located a long way from the TAFE.

"My students have to access TAFE at Port Macquarie or Taree which is a long way to go, especially if you are in Year 10 and rely on your parents or public transport.

"It is disappointing for me that when trade training centres were being handed out that Camden Haven High didn't attract a trade training centre in metals or hospitality."

Ms Hutchinson said she was pleased to hear there will be more support for people in leadership roles in schools such as head teachers and principals.

Deputy Secretary of Educational Services Georgina Harrisson and Deputy Secretary of School Operations and Performance Murat Dizdar attended the forum with Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott joining by Skype.

Ms Harrisson said the forum was all about "lifting student outcomes and lifting the performance of schools".

"Our message is that the principals are the most important leaders in our system, they are the people the community knows, they engage with families, they are instrumental in the culture of the school and in how the schools performs and developing the teachers in the school that are going to be the leaders of the future," Ms Harrisson said.

Mr Dizdar said it was all about hearing the "contextual challenges" of different schools.

"It is really powerful when you engage with principals across the state, when you get a strong flavour of what opportunities and challenges there are."

Principal of Port Macquarie Public School Brett Thurgate said he appreciated the face-to-face time with the leaders of the education department.

"The change is we can give honest and very clear feedback in relation to really supporting significant changes based on what is best for kids and their families," Mr Thurgate said.

Principal of Melville High School in Kempsey Victoria Staunton said she was particularly concerned about the coordination of service regarding children in out of home care.

"We see a lot of students who exhibit trauma and need to access services ( mental health, medical, family and community services, police) and sometimes it isn't possible and the kids get lost in the system," Ms Staunton said.

"There is not enough coordination."

Ms Staunton said on any given day she spends around 80 per cent of her day attending to high-risk kids.