In 2022, we published our new Strategic Plan, Towards 2030. At that time, I announced to the Melbourne Grammar community that Towards 2030 was a confident response to the changing world around us, and one that built on our pursuit of excellence in all its forms. Towards 2030 also honoured our heritage, articulated our strategic intentions, affirmed our mission, vision, and values, and defined our future priorities.
With Towards 2030 now halfway through its implementation, now is an opportune time to celebrate the important work that has been completed.
Providing a holistic education was the first of our priorities. This articulates our ambition to foster each student’s intellectual, spiritual, physical, psychological, and emotional growth.
Consistently strong VCE and NAPLAN results are a testament to our achievement in this area, as is our new sport performance strategy, designed to ensure Melbourne Grammar’s tradition of excellence on the sporting field continues. Our creative and performing arts, outdoor education, and service programs provide further opportunities to develop the whole person, fostering kindness, creativity, and a commitment to giving back. The Jack Morrow Centre for Humanities will soon add to our world-class teaching and learning spaces, developing critical independent thinkers for a complex world.
A great school rises and falls according to the quality, commitment, and care of its teaching and professional staff.
Our priority to attract, support, and retain exceptional staff aligns closely with our ambition for our students. Our new Exceptional Staff Fund enables us to offer a generous Professional Development program and dedicated support for staff health and wellbeing. The quality and calibre of these offerings ensure staff are supported and encouraged to excel.
An engaged School community is another crucial priority outlined in Towards 2030. I feel we can take pride in strong engagement across our School Council and sub committees, the diversity and quality of events for students, staff, parents and Old Melburnians, and the dedication of our volunteer community. I also celebrate the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Melbourne Girls Grammar, which cements the commitment to the positive collaborative opportunities between our schools and provides a defined pathway for our Grimwade girls. Our success as a School relies on the contributions of parents, alumni, and friends of the School. I continue to be grateful for the collective effort to build and maintain a strong school community.
As the world beyond our gates has continued to grow in complexity over just four short years, and in creating Towards 2030, we understood how important it was for our School to embrace the wider world. Melbourne Grammar is part of a global community, and the School continues to strengthen its links with international programs that bring our students and staff into contact with new perspectives, cultures, ideas, and understandings.
Finally, we have worked to ensure that the quality and accessibility of our offerings are upheld, as are our sustainable social, environmental, and financial practices. Our strong First Nations program, wide range of access scholarships, full enrolment, and generous philanthropic support all demonstrate our success in this area.
We began planning Towards 2030 during a time of great global uncertainty. Since then, our School community has risen to each challenge with critical, independent thinking, and with a desire to push beyond what we already knew we were capable of.
I look towards my final year as Headmaster of Melbourne Grammar School with great confidence that our students are prepared for an ever-changing world and inspired to make a significant and meaningful contribution to our School and beyond.
Headmaster
