community

As Chair of the Board I am honoured to be leading a team of professionals who share a common purpose, which simply put is to ensure Grammar maintains and grows its reputation as Tasmania’s leading coeducational school.

This year we celebrate the 50-year milestone of this significant change in our school. The 1972 Board of Governors, under the inspired leadership of Board Chair David Gunn and Headmaster Robert Hutchings, created an opportunity for our school to thrive into the future. In 1983 the community welcomed the coming together of two of Tasmania’s great schools Launceston Church Grammar School and the Broadland Church of England Girls School.

The amalgamation strengthened the commitment to coeducation and the opportunity for the school to acknowledge and celebrate diversity and inclusion. We are a strong community where difference is celebrated, and inclusion sits at the heart of all we do. We are committed to being a school that is relevant and provides an educational offering that allows young people to experience learning that sets them up for future success.

The Board’s purpose is to provide strategic leadership and governance to our school. As you may be aware our strategic objectives have been designed to:

1. provide holistic, excellent educational opportunities in a nurturing, challenging and inspiring environment;

2. facilitate a constructive culture, encouraging an environment of continuous improvement and learning;

3. equip our people with the skills to adapt to a rapidly changing world;

4. strengthen belonging and involvement across the School Community and beyond;

5. prioritise and manage business development activities through the responsible use of our resources;

6. embed socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible practice in the School’s decision making; and

7. be agile and progressive, advancing our systems and technology platforms.

These directives enable our Senior Leadership Team to focus on their core responsibility of leading school operations.

The single most important role of the Board is to appoint the Chief Executive Officer. As you know we conducted an extensive and thorough search process in 2022 and were delighted to announce Dale Bennett as our 21st Head of the School and 1st Principal.

Although only 5 months into his headship, Dale has proven to be the dynamic and community-minded leader we desired for our school. He is well supported by his Senior Leadership Team: Adrienne Kile as Executive Officer: People, Compliance, and Information; Linda Holdaway as Chief Financial Officer: Finance and Property; Nicholas Foster as Deputy Principal and Head of Senior Campus, Sheona Carter as Head of Junior Campus; and capably supported by Elysa Oliver-Bennett as Executive Assistant to the Principal.

Dale’s focus has and will continue to be to get to know the Grammar Community and I encourage you to make yourself known to him. He has also been working with the team to ensure we have a settled operational climate – understanding and strengthening the key areas of Community, Leadership Structures, Communications and Marketing, Process and Procedures, Infrastructure and Risk Management.

In 2022 the Board made the decision to acquire over 5000 metres of land and property on High Street. This was in direct response to Junior student feedback about the need for play space. The High Street property will be developed as part of the Junior Campus Masterplan, and we anticipate moving into a refurbished facility in 2026 as the final stage of the current Strategic Plan.

Construction is about to commence on the Food Technology Centre at the Senior Campus as the first stage of the Senior Campus Masterplan development. The generous support of Brian and Wendy Faulkner continues to enable us to develop learning facilities which reflect the changing nature of education. The skills and talents required to flourish into the future cannot always be taught in traditional learning spaces.

Together with the Board I look forward to us providing the strategic leadership that will see our school prosper for many years to come.

Reverend Matthew Pickering Chaplain