Headquarters:
Sydney, NSW
Year founded:
1890
Number of employees:
537
Phone:
8438 7999
Email:
reception@barker.nsw.edu.au
Website:
barker.college
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/school/barker-college
Phillip Heath, AM
Head
Alison Binet
Deputy Head, People and Culture
Martin Lubrano
Head of Junior School
Leadership
Phillip Heath, AM achieved a first-class honours degree in reformation history and has had extensive leadership experience in the education sector overseas and in Australia before being appointed as head of Barker College in 2014. In 2018, he was appointed member in the general division of the Order of Australia for his service to education and his commitment to creating greater opportunities for Indigenous students. In 2023, he was awarded the Australian School Principal of the Year at the Australian Education Awards.
Heath formed a humanitarian school, Marri Mittigar, in 2024 for children of a refugee background and three Indigenous campuses: the first in 2016, Darkinjung Barker (Central Coast of NSW); the second in 2020, Ngarralingayil Barker (Hunter Region of NSW); and the third, Dhupuma Barker On Country (Northeast Arnhem Land, NT) in 2021.
Head
Phillip Heath, AM
Alison Binet is deputy head of people and culture, with a strong background in the education sector and contemporary HR management. She brings experience across the not-for-profit and corporate sectors. Her work in education has encompassed cultural strategy, workforce planning, organisational health and safety, employee wellbeing and child safety. She advises senior leaders on workforce strategy, governance and compliance, and organisational culture, supporting sustainable organisational performance through people-focused practice.
Binet is committed to fostering psychologically safe workplaces and advancing sustainable, evidence informed approaches to workforce wellbeing. She holds qualifications in psychology and rehabilitation counselling, is an accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and has undertaken leadership studies through Monash University and Women in Leadership Australia. She was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute in 2025, recognising her contribution to the profession.
Deputy Head, People and Culture
Alison Binet
Martin Lubrano has been head of junior school at Barker College since 2015. He has led significant educational and organisational change, including the introduction of inquiry-based learning, the establishment of a Pre-Kindergarten program, the implementation of co education, and major building projects to support enrolment growth. He also oversees Barker College’s three Aboriginal primary schools: Darkinjung Barker, Ngarralingayil Barker and Dhupuma Barker.
Lubrano is national president of the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia and a Fellow of IPSHA. A committed educational leader, he is passionate about the growth and development of both students and staff. He places strong emphasis on building safe, caring environments that enable people to thrive.
Head of Junior School
Martin Lubrano
Melissa Brady
Head of Curriculum and Academics
Melissa Brady is head of curriculum and academics, with over 25 years of classroom teaching experience. She was among the first teachers in NSW to be recognised by BOSTES (now NESA) as a Highly Accomplished Teacher, and she has since supported colleagues in the Independent sector to achieve and maintain higher levels of accreditation.
Melissa holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (Humanities). She is a passionate history teacher who believes all students should have meaningful access to the stories of the past, using this understanding to better reflect on the challenges of the present.
Head of Curriculum and Academics
Melissa Brady
James Koulouris
Chief Operating Officer
James Koulouris is the COO of Barker College. He is responsible for the school’s operations and master plan. He has over 30 years’ senior executive experience, delivering major reform, and organisational transformation, and leading complex service delivery across the government, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Koulouris has held senior executive appointments as a deputy commissioner, acting director general and COO across a range of complex human services and justice agencies in the public sector. He has led workforces of more than 10,000 people, managed billion-dollar operational budgets, and oversaw major ICT and infrastructure programs exceeding $4 billion.
Koulouris currently serves on several boards, including the Commercial Law Association of Australia, Epilepsy Australia and Partners in Aid. He holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Macquarie University, and a Diploma of Government (Investigations).
Chief Operating Officer
James Koulouris
Tim Eastman
Head of Middle School
Natalie Potent
Deputy Head, Student Experience
Nick Moss
Head of Senior School
David Sexton
Director Business Services
Tim Eastman is head of middle school, bringing extensive experience across the pastoral, academic and co-curricular dimensions of schooling. He is committed to fostering an environment in which students can discover and grow their God-given gifts in service of others, and holds a strong conviction that middle schooling must lay the foundations for students to flourish.
Holding master’s degrees in both Teaching and Educational Leadership, Eastman is deeply committed to lifelong learning, demonstrated through his completion of the National Flagship Program and his current Aspirant Membership with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. He currently mentors staff at Barker and externally through his role as a Leadership Partner with the Arrow Executive Leaders Program.
Head of Middle School
Tim Eastman
Natalie Potent is deputy head of student experience, bringing to this role leadership experience in PDHPE, her skills in coaching and convening sports, and the oversight of pastoral and academic care of students as dean of senior school. Her deep understanding of the student experience has helped her take a leading role in the school’s award-winning building programs.
Potent has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Sydney University and experience in the AIS National Emerging Leaders Program. She studied gratitude in education at the University of Tasmania, and has a deep interest in how cocurricular experiences grow character and build capacity in young people.
Deputy Head, Student Experience
Natalie Potent
Nick Moss is head of senior school, responsible for leading the culture and strategic vision of the Senior School as well as enhancing student experiences, academic excellence and staff engagement.
Across leadership roles spanning curriculum, staffing, senior studies and pastoral care, Moss has built a reputation for evidence-informed decision-making, strong relationships with students, staff and families, and a clear focus on academic care. He is committed to ensuring every student is known, guided and challenged in the academic, pastoral care, spiritual, co-curricular and leadership elements of their education.
Moss holds a Master of Instructional Leadership (University of Melbourne), a Bachelor of Education (University of Canberra) and a Bachelor of Science (University of Sydney). In 2024, he completed the National Flagship Program with the Association of Independent Schools of NSW.
Head of Senior School
Nick Moss
As Director of Business Services, David oversees the financial, operational and commercial aspects of the School. In this role, he contributes to shaping and implementing strategic initiatives, supports business sustainability and enables the next phase of campus development, including the 10-year Master Plan and Strategic Plan (2026–2028).
He is an accomplished executive leader with over 25 years of experience at C-Suite and Board level spanning diverse sectors including education, not-for-profit, disability, sport and professional services. He has extensive experience shaping and executing strategic plans, driving income growth and diversification, master planning and major capital projects, stakeholder engagement, leading high-performing teams and managing complex budgets.
Director Business Services
David Sexton
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Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
“Having close connections with our parents, staff and community, is integral to a rich learning environment. When we work together, we can achieve amazing things”
Karen Yager,
Hills Grammar
“I believe that students learn in a supportive environment with passionate and inspiring teachers and staff. We surround our students with positive creative and inspiring people, enthusiastic about their own learning and keen to immerse students in the spirit of life-long learning across the whole community”
Karen Yager,
Hills Grammar
Barker College is a leading co-educational Anglican school operating an early learning program, three primary schools, a senior school, a boarding college, an outdoor education facility and an in-house research facility. The primary service is the education of young Australians for the future and includes campuses and programs in both metropolitan Sydney, regional New South Wales and remote Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
Barker College is driven to be a leader in Christian education that is characterised by a global vision that inspires hope. A number of foundational programs mark Barker College as an innovator in the Australian education sector, including co-education from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, three on-country Indigenous schools, a humanitarian program, an international robotics program and an in-house research facility, the Barker Institute. Barker also offers the IB PYP and is a member of global education network Round Square.
Under the visionary leadership of Phillip Heath, Barker College’s employee engagement strategy provides broad professional development opportunities and a sense of community within a large education workforce, connected by a mutually agreed mission to inspire every learner, every experience, every day.
Employees enjoy a physically beautiful work environment and a holistic employee health and wellbeing program to sustain a healthy workforce. A modern and outward-facing recruitment, retention and staff wellbeing program elevates people and culture in an educational context, with valuing and caring for its staff being one of the school’s four key domains of its strategic plan.
Learning designed for educators
The centrepiece of Hills Grammar’s approach to staff development is its Professional Learning Model, led by director of professional learning Dr. Chris Furner. Grounded in adult learning pedagogies, aligned with the school’s strategic intent and staff profile and standards, the model deliberately moves away from compliance-driven professional development towards something more meaningful. This is delivered as learning that is authentic, research-based and tailored to where each educator is in their career journey.
Supporting this is the Learning Centre Staff Program, which creates structured opportunities for staff to share practice, reflect on their work and learn from one another. Mentoring, leadership development and action research opportunities are embedded throughout, making professional growth a continuous and collegial practice rather than a periodic obligation. It is a model that reflects Hills Grammar’s commitment to investing in the people responsible for delivering its educational vision.
Future-forward leadership
The school’s commitment to its team extends to how Hills Grammar approaches leadership. Working in partnership with the governing council, school leaders maintain a shared focus on developing what the school describes as a ‘future fit’ graduate and the workforce equipped to teach them. Innovation is encouraged, and the culture is one where academic ambition and professional development are seen as inseparable.
Wellbeing in a remarkable setting
Staff also benefit from complimentary wellbeing programs, a genuine commitment to work-life balance and access to an Employee Assistance Program. Additionally, for educators who value a workplace where the physical environment itself is part of the daily experience, Hills Grammar’s picturesque campus offers a setting that is as restorative as it is inspiring.
There is also a proactive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such that employees are informed and educated through integrated professional learning frameworks. Hills Grammar is proud to be actively shaping bold thinkers, and in turn empowering the people who teach them.
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