A Note from Nelson

Dear Friends,

As we reach the halfway mark of the School year, I would like to share with you two important aspects of the School, which I think are key examples of how we implement the School’s Purpose and Concerns:

Statement of Belief on Gender Equality

In February 2018, the Board of Governors affirmed the School’s Statement of Belief on Gender Equality.  This understanding developed out of the marriage equality referendum in 2017 and a request of a student in the High School at the time to wear a uniform of the other gender. Instead of just focusing on that one issue, it was felt a statement of support for a broader understanding was needed. After drafting it and consulting with the Clemes Council, the Statement of Belief on Gender Equality was affirmed by the Board at a meeting on 24 February 2018. 

At the June 2022 Board Meeting, the Board reviewed this statement and felt that it remains an appropriate and important statement that the School will support to enable all in the community to be accepted for who they are.  I am appreciative that our School continues to take the necessary steps to create a welcoming and safe environment for all students, staff and visitors - irrespective of their gender identity or orientation.  Some recent examples include strong participation from staff in Ally Training with the support from Working It Out and current redevelopment building works enabling gender-neutral toilets across the Commercial Road Campus. 

I’d like to thank all our staff, students and families who continue to welcome, embrace and support everyone from our community.

Learning @ Friends’ 24 Plus Program

You may have read in the recent Friends’ student publication, Focus, that the School announced the commencement of the Learning @ Friends’ 24 Plus (L@F24+) Program. As we continue the planning process of the program, I thought I ought to provide a quick recap of what L@F24+ is, and how the School got to the point we are at now.

Where we have been

Near the end of the 2019 School year, the Board of Governors tasked me with exploring how the Tasmanian Department of Education’s 9-12 program might impact The Friends’ School. That, coupled with the fact that several local Catholic schools would be extending their secondary program from Year 10 through to Year 12, was taken into account in forming the Learning @ Friends’ working group. We were all set to get the working group started early in 2020, but Covid 19 had other plans. If you remember, by mid March 2020, we were dealing with the unknowns of Covid 19 and shifting to distance learning. The Working Group was put on hold. Then, in October 2020, Steve Barrett, the Director of Teaching and Learning, left Friends’ to return to international education in Germany. Needless to say, the Working Group was unable to progress at all during the 2020 School year.

The Learning @ Friends’ working group consisted of the Principal, the Deputy Principal, the Head of Clemes, one of the co-heads of High School, the Head of Morris, Director of Teaching & Learning, the Enrolments Manager, one of the School’s Pathways Advisors, the Director of Community Engagement and a member of the Board of Governors.

In 2021, the Working Group was able to delve into its work. The Learning @ Friends’ review concluded with a recommendation to the Board in November, 2021. The Board then considered the recommendation, held additional board meetings, and at the April 2022 Board meeting directed that the Learning @ Friends 24 Plus Program be enacted at the start of the 2024 school year with the locating of Years 9-12 at the Commercial Road campus, and Years 7 & 8 at the Argyle Street campus. The program design has a clear outcome of enhancing student experiences, furthering the understanding of the Purpose and Concerns and continuing the great learning outcomes we already provide at Friends’. While the Program will be implemented for the start of the 2024 School year, improvements and refinements will continue into the School years 2025 & 2026 and beyond.

Where we are now

As a result of the decision from the Board of Governors, I spoke with all staff in early May to outline the Board's direction. At that time, the L@F24+ Program implementation management group was formed. It consists of the Principal, the Deputy Principal, the Director of Business Affairs, the Human Resources Manager, the Director of Teaching and Learning, the L@F24+ Program Coordinator, the Director of Community Engagement and a consultant who is working with this group to serve as a ‘coach’. That group now meets on a fortnightly basis.

This group has identified 8 ‘streams’ that working groups will be formed and centred around. They are:

• Communication
• Facilities (Commercial Road and Argyle Street campuses)
• Timetable (Years 9 - 12 and Years 7 & 8)
• Leadership structures and Industrial Relations factors (both campuses)
• School culture/House system/ School spirit
• Student leadership
• 7 & 8 Curriculum
• 9-12 Curriculum

The formation of the ‘streams’ is just getting underway, with each stream consisting of 6 to 8 people and predominantly staff members. The program timeline will be shared in the near future and this will include an indication of when these groups will undertake their work.

At this point, the management group is in the process of collecting information that will inform decisions down the road. The role of the working groups in the identified streams will be to provide recommendations to the program implementation management group for consideration and implementation.

What’s Next

As part of the information collection process, staff will have the opportunity to participate in feedback groups at the staff day on Monday 25 July.  Parents and students are also currently being invited to participate in relevant streams. 

Clearly, we are at the beginning of developing the new program with a great deal of work ahead of us. There is a ‘hard deadline’ of being ready for the transition for the 2024 School year, with the understanding that despite our best intentions, key implementation aspects and changes will continue beyond the February 2024 start date.

It is an incredibly exciting and somewhat transformational time in the history of The Friends’ School. While we contribute to the growth of students each day we are here, the L@F24+ program enables us to work towards what The Friends’ School will look like for decades to come.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Shaun O’Rourke or myself. 

All the best,

Nelson