Staff and Student Leadership

Leadership is at the heart of the Somerset Experience, for our students, our staff, and our community. This week, we are proud to share insights from two perspectives: our Headmaster, Chris Ivey, on staff leadership development and the impact of student leadership. Our Deputy Head - Pastoral continues the theme, with how pastoral care underpins student growth and wellbeing. Together, these perspectives demonstrate how we are fostering a culture of care, collaboration, and personal growth across the College.

Staff and Student Leadership – A Message from the Headmaster

Over the past few months, we have begun a new staff leadership development programme, which in 2025 has included a number of our teams here within the College. As a community, we know we have incredible teams, people who are keen to learn and grow and so it is important for us to have a strategy that enables them to achieve their personal success as leaders and educators.

I believe it is important for our community to be aware of the time and investment we place in our leadership development programme, because my expectation is that the benefits will be seen in the way we lead and manage this incredible organisation.

For our College Leadership Team, we have undertaken a programme that focuses on how we lead self, lead others, and lead across the organisation. This programme has enabled the team to focus on their own ways of thinking and operating, ensuring we have alignment around the vision for Somerset whilst acknowledging the diversity of the team and how we harness these.

At the same time, we are working with our Pastoral Care Team, many of whom are new in their roles this year. They have been undertaking a similar programme this year, but in particular, looking at some of the fundamental skills of leading others.

The other programme we have implemented this year is a more effective and engaging review process for our leaders. As those of you in leadership know, the 360oReview doesn’t hold the same power it once did, so we have engaged with an organisation that undertakes leadership reviews through conversations with a wide variety of staff who report to, work with or lead the staff member undergoing the review. The benefits of this more personalised approach are the capacity to drill into to particular areas where needed and because it is not anonymous, but undertaken by an external third party, there is greater transparency.

For me, learning and developing isn’t just for our students, it’s for our staff and I’m excited by the impact these programmes are having on our leaders and on our teams. I am keen to explore student voice in this journey, to hear from our students about how they see the impact of what we are doing on the student experience. Student voice is an important part of what we do here at Somerset. As we see in our student leadership process, student voice is one of several different inputs we consider in the process.

As a College, we are committed to ongoing learning and improvement for our staff and,in particular, for our leaders. As we begin to roll out a new strategy in 2026, we are keen to develop our leaders, enabling them to embrace the challenge and ensuring they are passionate about working collaboratively and respectfully.

Alongside developing our leaders, pastoral care remains central to the Somerset Experience, ensuring every student feels supported as they grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

Supporting Student Wellbeing – A Message from the Deputy Head - Pastoral

On Friday we host one of our signature events, the Student Leadership Assembly. The Assembly gives the outgoing class the opportunity to acknowledge their Senior Year, reminiscing on the speed in which Year 12 seems to travel. It provides students in younger year levels with the opportunity to consider the contribution our leaders make to the College community and reflect on ways they might like to initiate action and involvement.

The process of appointing student leaders is generally an engaging one. What is important to remember however, there is an opportunity for all students to lead at Somerset, irrespective of Year Level. Whether it be in Year Level Meetings, on Camp, through Service Learning, or demonstrating the values of a Somerset student in everyday interactions with peers and teachers. Students can practice their skills in communication and collaboration across all areas of College life, preparing them for life beyond Somerset.

At the beginning of Term Three, we spoke with Year 11 about what matters. We are incredibly proud of the academic rigour that our students enjoy, and the ways endeavour is at the heart of the Somerset Experience for our students. Overwhelmingly, research continues to highlight the connection between increased academic outcomes and belonging and active engagement in schools. Wellbeing and educating the heart are at the forefront of our work and one of the things we shared with Year 11 was that relationships matter. We also shared that peace of mind, health, and character matter. As we look to the development of a new Strategic Plan that will propel Somerset forward, leadership will be integral to all we do. For the Class of 2026, and those who experience the same rite of passage in the years to come, it is about cultivating relationships built on foundations of trust, care and kindness. The challenge of leadership is to find the opportunities to lift and serve others, to focus on the connectedness and culture of our College.

When we talk about leadership and what matters – we talk about impact. Whether we impact one, 10, 100 or 1000 people is not important; what is important is connecting what we want to deliver and how we want to go about doing that, in a way that cultivates a community of kindness punctuated by friendship.

At the very heart of education is preparing people for friendship. How we bring leadership to life is by knowing each other – understanding the lives and experiences of others. There also must be an unwavering commitment to community – to care for one another as you care for yourself. To share in purposeful work and share in its rewards; to experience the Senior journey together and take joy in the company and spirit of your peers. The how of leadership is the epicentre of our shared responsibility here at Somerset – be a force for good in the communities we forge and the communities we inhabit.