I am excited to be joining the staff here at Toowoomba Grammar School in the role of Head of Curriculum. I grew up in a small coastal town in NSW and attended the University of Sydney to complete my undergraduate degree. Please don’t hold my NSW origin against me (Go Blues!). Teaching, and education, has always been a passion of mine and ever since I was in high school, the plan was to be a teacher. I graduated from the University of Sydney with a double degree in Education and Arts, majoring in both English and History. Since then, I have also completed a Master of Education at the University of New South Wales. I started my career in a comprehensive state high school in Sydney and I have worked in a variety of contexts across my teaching career. In addition, I have fulfilled a variety of roles, focusing on both wellbeing and pastoral care, as well as classroom and curriculum leadership. As a result of these different roles, I have developed a holistic approach to education, believing that educators should develop the whole person. In 2020, I moved from Sydney to Toowoomba with my wife, Stephanie, and we fell in love with the region. We now live on five acres on the outskirts of town with our horses, cats and dogs.
I am incredibly excited to be at Queensland’s leading regional day and boarding school for boys from Prep to Year 12. For generations, TGS has been educating boys and this sense of history and tradition was something that drew me to the School. A boys’ only education allows for not only a focus on academic success, but also to facilitate the growth of boys into young men of strong character and integrity. This is a core focus of TGS that I am keen to contribute to. A holistic approach to education, focusing on academic rigour, as well as character development and wellbeing, is central to educating boys to allow them to flourish individually and contribute to society.
My role as the Head of Curriculum is to facilitate the smooth functioning of our education program in the Senior School. Central to this is ensuring that our curriculum maintains the highest standards of academic rigour, building upon our excellent academic results in previous years, while also ensuring that strong character and wellbeing development is embedded into all facets of our curriculum. In addition, my role is to be a point of contact for all boys and their families as they move through their QCE years, so I look forward to establishing quality connections and working with families to ensure success. One of the focuses here at TGS is explicit instruction. This approach to teaching and learning involves expert teachers modelling to students the learning being delivered and allowing boys the opportunity to consolidate their understanding through practice and high-quality feedback. I am excited to develop and embed this approach to learning in all our teaching programs and continue to build upon the excellent academic results for our boys.
TGS is committed to building deep connections and offering extensive opportunities for our students, and this is something that I am eager be involved with and contribute to. I hope to be able to ensure a rigorous curriculum that focuses on the whole person, while also building upon the incredible opportunities for our boys to access. As the school year begins, I look forward to meeting all our families and working together to ensure the success of all students.
Latest Blog
Country Roads Take Me Home
Toowoomba Grammar School boarding provides the ideal living environment for our boys while they develop the values that will define their character. Throughout the course of this year, I have been privileged to visit many of the towns and properties that our TGS boarders call home. When walking around those towns wearing a shirt with a TGS crest, it doesn’t take long to meet an Old Boy or to be asked about one of the boarders currently at the School. Our boarding staff pride themselves on…
TGS Corfe House - A Home for Young Boarders
In Toowoomba Grammar School’s Boarding Program, Years 5 to 7 students reside at Corfe House – a nurturing environment providing close pastoral support and guidance to the School’s youngest boarders. The skills, relationships and perspectives that boys develop here set them up for the rest of their boarding and school journey. Toowoomba Grammar School understands the challenges for young students transitioning into boarding. Leading the way in creating a ‘home away from home’ is the Corfe House…
TGS Mates Program - Character Building Education
Current research into character education has shown that educators should not be focusing solely on preparing students for their Year 12 final exams but should be supporting them to become humans who exhibit good character and virtues to contribute to creating a healthier society (The Jubilee Centre, 2022). The Jubilee Centre, which is attached to the University of Birmingham in the UK, maintains that good character is the foundation for improved attainment, better behaviour, increased…
Our TGS Old Boys' Wall of Achievement
The next time you visit the School grounds, pause for a moment at the Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys' Wall of Achievement. This concept was the initiative of the then Deputy Headmaster, Mr Roger Buttenshaw, and was supported by the Board of Trustees, Headmasters Mr Hugh Rose and Mr Peter Hauser, and the TGSOBA - Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys' Association. The opening of the Wall of Achievement took place in 2003. Thousands of TGS Old Boys have gone on to lead productive and valuable…
A Musical Reflection
As Director of Performing Arts, there is perhaps no bigger undertaking than a School musical. It requires an enormous effort from a huge team of teachers and students, and to get all these moving parts heading in the same direction is certainly no mean feat. The 2023 co-production of Footloose was my first time involved in a Toowoomba Grammar School and Fairholme College musical, and I found it to be a very rewarding, though exhausting, experience. The process began in Term 3, 2022, as my…
TGS Success in GPS Sport
In 2023, Toowoomba Grammar School witnessed a remarkable resurgence in several of our sports programs, marking a year of triumph and growth. Although an elusive GPS premiership did not fall our way, a number of our 1st teams competed to the final whistle in Round 9 of their respective competitions, vying for their premierships. The achievements of our boys on the field and court were nothing short of exceptional, reflecting the commitment, dedication and character development that participation…
An Exceptional Learning Experience
As a member of the Junior School Leadership Team at Toowoomba Grammar School, my role involves ensuring that the Junior School’s Teaching and Learning programs are designed, implemented and managed effectively. This role is grounded in the vision, mission, and values of TGS and is crucial in supporting the Head of Junior School and the Director of Studies in providing an exceptional learning experience for our boys. At TGS Junior School, we prioritise the use of explicit teaching to ensure that…
An Inclusive Education
Toowoomba Grammar School is proud to introduce the newest addition to our education team, Amanda Gibson. Amanda commenced in Term 4, 2023 in the pivotal role of Head of Diverse Learners and will bring new direction and focus to the position in alignment with our commitment to inclusive education, aligning seamlessly with our Strategic Plan 2022-2026 and the Inclusive Education Policy. “I am very excited about developing this role,” said Amanda. “I have a passion for fostering environments where…
Get Involved in Everything
As Senior Prefect at Toowoomba Grammar School, I have had the opportunity to witness the benefits of being an all-rounder firsthand. With the various activities and programs the School offers, the ability to be involved in as many things as possible is not only enjoyable but brings about numerous benefits that extend far beyond the school years. Ranging from sports to drama and debating, participating in anything the School has to offer is an excellent way to make friends and build networks of…
