A Note from Craig

Dear Friends’ Community Members,

The start of 2023 has been a busy time for the Board of Governors, as I’m sure it has also been for our staff, students and families.  Since November 2021, when I advised our community of Principal Nelson File’s continued service until the end of 2023, a recruitment working group of the Board has been tasked with finding the next Principal of The Friends’ School.  This has involved conducting a world-wide search to find a person who is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (a Quaker) and also an educator who possessed the requisite qualifications, skills and dispositions required for the role of Principal. Our Rules of Association made this a priority for the Board as we moved into the recruitment process.  The Rules also provided a pathway for the School to advertise the position more widely, should we be unable to identify a suitably qualified Quaker candidate for the role.

The Board accepted a recommendation from the working group to recruit for the next Principal of our School more widely with the assistance of executive search firm Fish & Nankivell.  Over the last 9 months the working group, along with Fish & Nankivell, have been conducting a thorough process to identify the best possible candidate to be our next Principal, which included continuing to seek Quaker educators who might be interested in the role.

The comprehensive recruitment process has progressed very well and I look forward to providing you with another update soon.  I would like to thank and acknowledge the Principal recruitment working group’s discernment and work to date with this process.  

As Nelson has eluded, we recently reopened the transformed WN Oats Centre.  This new and first-class learning facility is the result and final part of the Commercial Road Campus Redevelopment Phase One.  I was delighted to see the positive student and teacher feedback to this new facility, which will support flexible and collaborative learning for many years to come.  I would like to sincerely thank all those from our community who donated to the Illuminate Campaign, which supported the Campus Redevelopment Phase One.  Together we continue to make a positive difference to the lives of our young people.

The Board was delighted to see that 1,310 students commenced the year at Friends’.  Thank you to new and continuing families for their support of the School and positively contributing to the fabric and community ethos of our School.

Warm Regards,

Craig Stephens

Presiding Member, The Board of Governors

The Friends’ School