Scotch College

The baton is now in my hand

‘My task is… to deliver the very best education for each Scotch boy in my care.’

There is a natural flow to education that continually brings the excitement of the ‘the new’ to all involved: be it a parent sending their five-year-old off for Day One; a Year 6 boy about to make the journey down the hill to the Senior School; or a teacher walking into the first class of a new academic year. Nothing stands still.

These past nine months have been a time of high excitement for the Battys, packing up one vibrant life while embarking on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pick up the reins at Scotch. Visits from debaters, cricketers and rowers gave early notice as to the energy and openness of current Scotch boys; Old Boys were in similar good form at the OSCA London branch meeting in May, with branch president Simon Hosking leading from the front.

The warmth and generosity of the welcome we have received from all members of the Scotch Family since touching down at Tullamarine has made for a happy, smooth transition. Lee and I are very much aware of the hard work that has gone on quietly behind the scenes these past months and the debt of gratitude we owe to many, in particular to Ian and Bev Savage.

Not long into my first week I was asked about my initial impressions of Scotch and was able to reply that the many positive impressions I had formed leading into my arrival had all held true, and in far greater depth than I had imagined, or hoped. Scotch is a school happy in its skin; a school that goes about its business in exemplary fashion; a school that is blessed with a talented, professional staff of real commitment. It is a Great School. In my first assembly I made the point to the boys that Scotch is their school, theirs to leave their mark on and theirs to leave in the best possible shape for the next generation. Great schools are built on strong traditions which provide a sense of identity and the confidence to question, but they also move forward with energy and innovation. Of course, all this doesn’t happen by chance, and in taking up the Torch at my installation on 14 July I was very conscious of standing on strong, impressive shoulders: eight Principals, Councils and the Presbyterian Church of Victoria – people who have dedicated large parts of their lives to forging something special at the heart of Australian education.

School mission statements speak boldly of aims and values and much that is written has a common ring. So what is it that makes our schools different, because different they most certainly are? It is the people: boys and staff; it is in the blend of tradition and innovation, how we feed the fire without dying in its flames; it is where we place emphasis in the curriculum and the expectations we pass on to the boys. And more than anything else, it is in the quality of the relationships which exist between all members of our community. If we get the relationships right, we enable boys to gain flexibility and diversity in their own interactions; we create the intimacy and trust that enables them to question, initiate and lead; we show them they are valued and how this is inextricably linked to valuing others; and we allow them to grow in self-awareness as they start to unravel the beliefs and values which will support them on their journey.

While many thoughts pass through a mind almost undetected, others start vibrations that grow to resonate throughout a lifetime. For many years I have been interested in the relationship between the micro and the macro: the effect of small change on the big picture. In education we need to work with the detail to bring out the best in each of our boys. All is interconnected and subtle changes of what might seem a minor variable can, as with the Butterfly Effect, bring about vastly different outcomes on the broad canvas. We need to ask ourselves to what extent the experience of one boy at Scotch affects the course of the ship, and vice versa? And how when planning strategically do we ensure our aims really transfer down to the experience of individuals and are not just left as words in a glossy brochure?

This need to blend long-term goals with individual need is at the heart of my belief in education as the key building block of our societies. It provides the means by which individuals can take control of their lives. It enables generations to pass on what they have learnt, and encourages the confidence for this to be questioned. It makes for curious young minds; it nurtures leaders of integrity and tolerance; it promotes a culture of service; and it ensures the long-term viability of all our School stands for.

The past 15 years or so have seen governments take a new look at education, focusing on core skills, testing, uniformity and standards. Much good has come from this, but the endless targets and measurement have not always had the desired positive effect on the curriculum experience for teachers and their pupils. While embracing the positives we must stand firm in our independence and on what we know to be true. We know that we are an academic institution and that academic matters and results are our core business, but that this is a far more complex web than just jumping hoops; we know how important it is for boys to find a peg on which to hang their own particular hat; we know our school should educate the whole child across a broadly based, liberal curriculum; we know that we must find time for boys to reflect on their journeys as individuals and as members of a community; we know that boys must be made aware that there are more important things in life than the messages continually flashed before their eyes; we know our boys like to be active, to take risks and to compete. But above all we know they want to learn and they want to be valued and that this is best achieved in a Christian setting.

Some months ago, as I sat in the Principal’s office with Dr Donaldson, the conversation came round to the sense of a passing of the baton. I found it a powerful image – I think we both did – an image that brings together better than any other what the past months have been about. The values that define Scotch College have been honed over generations; they must be carried with great care, but also with purpose and energy, to be passed on again one day. The traditions of Scotch run deep and provide strong pillars that support our day-to-day life and allow us to step confidently into the future. They are the pillars that make for a great school: the academic, the spiritual, the social and the physical and creative, and they support a family abuzz with energy and optimism. I am the ninth principal of Scotch College in 157 years; the baton is now in my hand. Like the principals before me, my task is to preserve traditions while sailing the ship on a course that delivers the very best education for each Scotch boy in my care. It is a task I am committed to because I believe there is no greater crime in education than short-changing a boy on his one crack at the school years; and it is a task I am committed to because I believe in the values of this Great School. GS