From the Headmaster

A message from Headmaster Mr Patrick S Wallas - BA (Hons), PGCE, MACE

Welcome to the All Saints Anglican School website, and thank you for your interest in our remarkable school. Before outlining some of the central influences that underscore the educational philosophy that guide the daily operations in our school, let me extend a warm welcome to all visiting this site to drop in and see us whenever you are in the neighbourhood. Ours is a happy school, a place where students and staff appreciate each other, and where a generosity of spirit abounds. The only true way of discovering this for yourself is to pay us a visit!

So what are some of the influences that guide us as a school in our policy and decision making? In a rapidly changing, often inconsistent world, it falls to our schools to imbue the young with a sense of purpose and a clear set of values. The primary role for any school must be to instil in its pupils a sense of personal and collective integrity which can stand firm in the shifting sands of technological innovation and materialism.

Education, which is by definition a dynamic and proactive force in society, has undergone a transformation inspired by the rapid onset of information technology and the consequent shift in societal expectations about how young people should learn. The challenge for contemporary educators is to embrace a much greater flexibility both with regard to the individual learning styles of students, and in curriculum and syllabus design. All Saints Anglican School is ideally placed to offer such flexibility, with its commitment to regular curriculum and syllabus review, and its innovative, intellectually curious staff.

The pursuit of academic excellence must necessarily form a fundamental tenet of independent schooling, but where this is done without an accompanying concern for the spiritual and emotional development of the individual, then it can become barren and meaningless. I believe the true role of educators the world over is to prepare people to lead fulfilling lives, whatever their academic potential may be. One of the keys to this lies in the development, preferably during one's school years, of both a sense of self-discipline and a genuine sense of altruism.

We have become quite adept as a society at nurturing our physical and emotional well-being, but we are born with a spiritual identity too, and young people need some guidance in this area more than ever before. The restlessness that pervades modern life is due in part to society's attempt to fill the void left by the absence in so many peoples' lives of a sustaining religious faith. We must expect our young people to question aspects of their faith which they find difficult, but we must also provide them with a framework upon which they can rely when the questions become more urgent.

We must also work to achieve our educational goals with a sense of mutual trust and respect. In my experience, the most effective way of teaching in both academic and pastoral areas is through example. If we want the students with whom we work to be honest, positive, conscientious and committed to excellence, then we as teachers must strive to model these qualities ourselves.

At All Saints we strive to remain grateful for our place in this unique community by promoting amongst staff and students a pride in themselves and their school, and an awareness that the sense of belonging we all feel brings with it clear responsibilities and expectations. The staff at All Saints has a strong commitment to their on-going professional development, with a significant number of them currently being sponsored by the School to undertake postgraduate study in their chosen area. We are bound together by our infectious optimism and by our belief that with God's help we can truly make a difference in the lives of the young people entrusted to our care.