Setting the strategic direction for the School is one of the most important responsibilities of the Council of Governors.
The most recent review of Queenwood’s Strategic Plan, which has just concluded, was set in motion in late 2019. At the time there was much discussion in the press about how best to prepare students for a future characterised by rapid technological change, access to ubiquitous content and increasingly complex socio-cultural issues.
What we could not have known when our discussions began was how the COVID-19 pandemic would accelerate change and test our values-centred approach to education. As some of the challenges and possibilities became clear over the course of 2020, we continued to test these ideas with stakeholders and their efficacy under stress has reinforced their enduring value.
In surveys and focus groups, our parents, students, alumnae and staff all affirmed that the fundamental values established at the School’s inception in 1925 had served our community well and would offer continuity and focus into the future. Academic excellence is naturally the sine qua non for a school with our aspirations, but the feedback from parents, in particular, confirmed that character and commitment to service were just as important. As our students step out into the world as young women, we are interested not just in what they can do, but who they will become. Together with our families, we work to shape the character of future generations to ensure they are equipped and motivated to make a difference in the world. For that reason, the School values remain at the heart of our mission.
In truth we:
- seek knowledge and a deep understanding of the world;
- act with honesty and integrity;
- grow in wisdom and self-knowledge;
- lead upright lives with a strong moral compass.
With courage we:
- persevere through adversity;
- think and act with independence;
- engage openly and confidently with diverse people and ideas;
- rise to the challenge of the complex and the unfamiliar.
Through service we:
- respect the value of humanity in all its diversity;
- seek justice and peace with humility and compassion;
- stand with the vulnerable and marginalised in our local community and beyond;
- cultivate a generous and joyful spirit.
Our determination to provide an intellectual education of exceptional quality and breadth remains similarly unaltered and is focussed on:
- A Liberal Education that equips students with the skills to be open to the views of others, navigate contemporary sources of information and argument and develop the habits and dispositions which allow young people to manage complexity, diversity and change.
- Independence embedded in our curriculum and programs encouraging each girl to develop confidence, autonomy and self-respect.
- Perspective developed by engaging with differing world views and generating meaningful links with people with different lives.
- Contribution that encapsulates the desire and capacity to respond to the vulnerable and marginalised with respect and compassion; to speak out for them with courage; and to take action in their service.
All this can only be achieved within a vibrant community which shares a commitment to deep-seated values and the pandemic has brought sharply into focus how vital the energy and goodwill of you, our parents, is in building a school in which every girl can flourish. I am very grateful for the positive and supportive response of parents; the girls follow your lead and your steady trust in us builds confidence in the girls, ensuring we can continue to focus on delivering an exceptional education.
We cannot predict what the future holds, but how our community has supported the School’s Strategic Vision and come together to respond to COVID-19 can certainly give us a sense of optimism about our ability to manage a world of complexity and change now and into the future.