Beyond Achievement

The International Boys’ School Coalition Australasian Regional Conference was co-hosted by Prince Alfred College and St Peter’s College in Adelaide, South Australia between 3-5 May. The conference theme of Cultivating Humanity: A Compelling Responsibility in Boys’ Education drew over 150 educators from boys’ schools across Australia and New Zealand. Many of the conference keynote presentations and workshops focused on the holistic development of boys and the responsibility of boys’ schools to cultivate humanity, not merely academic achievement.

Toowoomba Grammar School was represented by Headmaster, Dr John Kinniburgh; Head of Senior School and Acting Deputy Headmaster, Mr Mark Oliphant and Head of Teacher Development, Mr Luke Rawle. The delegates also played an active part in the conference, presenting a workshop exploring the structures and professional learning used to align teaching practices to how boys learn and to position character as teachable, observable and aspirational. This included an outline of Toowoomba Grammar School’s journey in implementing strategic initiatives across teaching and learning, character development and wellbeing. Mr Rawle explored how principles from the cognitive science have informed improvements in teaching practice through intentional changes to professional learning, classroom design, schoolwide routines to align teaching with how boys learn. Mr Oliphant presented the School’s character education model, highlighting the structural reforms to embed dedicated wellbeing learning, the use of external partners to gather student voice and data, staffing structures to support delivery and the development of a bespoke taught wellbeing curriculum aligned to the School’s core purpose: educating boys and developing their good character for life.

A particular highlight of the conference was the keynote presentation by Mr Tom Bennett – No More Lost Boys. As a leading British educator, author and behaviour specialist, Mr Bennett used the motif of Peter Pan to acutely highlight many of the societal issues surrounding boys and concluded that without purpose, direction and meaning, many boys are simply drifting in society. Tom argued that boys are not broken, they are simply unanchored and currently face heightened challenges through the lure of a “Digital Neverland”. The important message for boys’ schools was that character is built, not found. Boys learn from their environment, through role models and discovering what boundaries exist, what is celebrated, valued and insisted upon.

These ideas were further emphasised by the closing keynote by Mr Andrew Lee, distinguished by his international career in law, who provided the perspective of a parent on boys’ education. His evocative presentation highlighted that the incredible success that he has enjoyed throughout his career, including postgraduate study at Harvard and Standford and subsequent international legal career, has been shaped most by his failures. He expressed that he hopes his son fails a lot, so that he can learn and grow from these experiences. Mr Lee, however, expressed that some failures should not be faced alone because they are not a reflection of effort or commitment. As such, he emphasised the importance of boys’ schools in cultivating compassion through service, to help instil a shared sense of purpose and humanity amongst students, teachers and parents.

Overall, the conference provided a valuable experience for our staff to both learn and contribute to the opportunities for collaboration, networking and sharing of best practice amongst a coalition of boys’ schools who are seeking to both build character and cultivate humanity in boys.