Headquarters:
220 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South, Vic 3152
Year founded:
1982
Number of employees:
120
Phone:
03 8805 3800
Email:
info@knox.vic.edu.au
Website:
knox.vic.edu.au
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/school/the-knox-school-melbourne-australia
“Ambition is a positive thing”
Rebecca Hodges,
Westbourne Grammar School
Nikki Kirkup
Principal and Chief Executive
Dwayne Wathen
Chief Financial Officer
Toni-Ann Bright
Associate Principal and Head of People and Culture
Leadership
With over 20 years of experience in education and leadership across three continents, Nikki Kirkup, originally from the UK, came to Australia in 2015 as director of senior years at Melbourne Girls Grammar (MGGS), where she was instrumental in developing, launching and leading the innovative MGGS Senior Years Holistic Model.
In 2020, Kirkup joined The Knox School (TKS) originally as deputy principal, subsequently taking on the role of principal and chief executive in 2021. With her passion for collaborative leadership, student-centred approaches, community engagement and innovation in education, Kirkup continues to champion the vision of TKS as a leader in personalised learning.
Principal and Chief Executive
Nikki Kirkup
Dwayne Wathen, a chartered accountant, worked for 13 years leading the finance team at the AFL, and before this, he spent time working in London and at Deloitte. He has amassed a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit, banking and professional sporting sectors, having held various roles during this time working with and on boards and executive teams across the country.
Wathen enjoys spending time and travelling with his family, playing football, basketball and golf, and learning how to make his own wine at a family vineyard in the King Valley.
Chief Financial Officer
Dwayne Wathen
Toni-Ann Bright started her teaching career in South Africa, cementing her belief that all students have the right to access quality education that provides the best opportunities available and meets students’ academic and wellbeing needs.
Further teaching and leadership roles in the UK and Australia provided her a wealth of operational, administrative, curriculum and strategic experience across a range of learning environments. Bright hopes her enthusiasm and love of learning inspire others to engage positively with their education. She is dedicated to fostering an environment that is student focused, engages the community, develops leadership and encourages students and teachers to achieve their best.
Associate Principal and Head of People and Culture
Toni-Ann Bright
“Ambition is a positive thing”
Rebecca Hodges,
Westbourne Grammar School
“We are seeking to make our workforce paid in the top 10 percentage of all schools in Australia, to reduce workloads in different ways, and to provide even greater flexibility in relation to their practice”
Adrian Camm,
Westbourne Grammar School
Leadership
“We are seeking to make our workforce paid in the top 10 percentage of all schools in Australia, to reduce workloads in different ways, and to provide even greater flexibility in relation to their practice”
Adrian Camm,
Westbourne Grammar School
“Ambition is a positive thing”
Rebecca Hodges, Westbourne Grammar School
Leadership
Liana Gooch
Associate Principal and Head of Learning, Teaching and Innovation
Liana Gooch has amassed a wealth of experience in the field of education, having worked in five schools across three countries in various leadership positions focused on enhancing teaching and learning.
Passionate about education, she exhibits a fervent interest in numerous facets, such as curriculum design, pedagogy, learning spaces, professional development, student wellbeing, project-based learning, technology integration, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Associate Principal and Head of Learning, Teaching and Innovation
Liana Gooch
Simon Cowell
Associate Principal and Head of Junior School
Simon Cowell is a 1995 The Knox School alumni. He has completed a degree in community development at Deakin University, leading him to work in the international community development sector. He was a board member of an educational charity in Cambodia, and this position directed him to education. Cowell completed a degree in both primary and secondary education. He has taught in various roles across both primary and secondary schools in the UK and Australia.
Cowell has a strong focus on the inquiry process through a concept-driven curriculum and the Design Thinking Model. In his own time, he enjoys travelling, especially to Cambodia, where he still maintains strong connections to the educational set.
Associate Principal and Head of Junior School
Simon Cowell
The Knox School (TKS) is an independent, co-educational values-driven institution from Early Learning to Year 12 in Melbourne.
Its educators connect, shape, provoke, challenge and position students to thrive in an ever-evolving global landscape. They activate engaging and rewarding learning experiences that support students to contribute positively and impactfully to their communities.
Principal Nikki Kirkup says, “Innovation for us is exploring how we change the ‘grammar of schooling’ to equip our students for the world they are entering, to enable a positive impact.”
TKS’s initiatives include:
“We are seeking to make our workforce paid in the top 10 percentage of all schools in Australia, to reduce workloads in different ways, and to provide even greater flexibility in relation to their practice”
Adrian Camm,
Westbourne Grammar School
Janelle Mathias
Associate Principal and Head of Senior School
Travis Parker
Associate Principal and Head of Strategic Systems
Loretta Joyce
Human Resource Manager
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Janelle Mathias successfully completed a double degree at the University of Melbourne, specialising in both science and education. Her passion for teaching led her to commence her career in education, teaching mathematics, at The Knox School (TKS) in 2009.
Throughout her tenure at TKS, Mathias has held various roles that have contributed to her development as both a teacher and a leader within the school community. She is dedicated to the holistic development of her students and is committed to fostering a learning environment that provides opportunities for students to grow and achieve their personal best.
Associate Principal and Head of Senior School
Janelle Mathias
Travis Parker is an educational leader at The Knox School. He is an authority in learning and teaching with expertise in assessment, digital project implementation, mentorship and timetabling.
Travis is a passionate advocate for designing and teaching transdisciplinary electives that encourage student agency and choice. He believes the skills and dispositions acquired by students through these programs are of vital importance as they leave school and enter an increasingly uncertain world. He is also an advocate for teachers’ work-life balance and has put in place structures that incorporate flexible work times into teacher timetables.
Associate Principal and Head of Strategic Systems
Travis Parker
Clinton Gray is the executive campus director of Savio Campus (Years 7–10). He has been at the college since 2019. His previous roles have included director of Bosco campus – learning, director of Savio campus – learning, leader of curriculum and assessment, and leader of learning – innovation. In his former life, he was a history teacher but now teaches mostly senior English classes.
Gray has completed a Master of Asian Studies and is about to complete his Master of Education, specialising in management and leadership. His approach to leadership is strongly informed by the instructional leadership model. He continues to strive to build a dynamic learning community at Salesian by focusing on teacher improvement and developing a shared teaching and learning vision to drive deeper learning with both students and teachers.
Human Resource Manager
Loretta Joyce
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
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a project-based learning framework with real-world clients
enhancing student voice and providing platforms for them to enact change, such as the ongoing development of the Student Commission, who are co-designing the TKS Norms of Engagement in conjunction with their teachers
empowering staff to drive innovation through collaborative professional learning projects or personal pursuits enabled by a teacher fellowship
Innovation is a team-based approach, as the executive team utilises design thinking to collaboratively initiate strategic projects. Liana Gooch, head of learning, teaching and innovation, also spearheads exploration.
The school tracks metrics to gauge the benefits of its innovation.
“We utilise standardised assessment results and internal data analysis systems to monitor student growth. Additionally, engagement feedback from students, teachers and parents, as well as insights from the Student Commission and Parent Ambassadors, are integral to our evaluation process,” says Gooch.
Students are empowered to co-design their learning and other aspects of school life. The continuous development of the Student Commission provides a platform for students to not only contribute input but also participate in decision-making and co-design processes.
Student agency is a common thread throughout TKS. One example is a Year 9 Cube elective with 8 student-driven projects supporting a local community house.
The Father’s Day Car Show, initiated and implemented by a student who connected it to the cause of Drive Against Depression. It has grown to become a tradition on the school’s calendar, illustrating the positive impact that student-led projects have on the school community and broader societal issues.
The creation of a student-centred podcast, TKS Flight Deck (available on Spotify), showcases student and staff voices on various topics related to the past, present and future. Student podcasters interview guest speakers and are heavily involved in all aspects of podcast production.
The school has embraced flexi-working, piloting a system where teaching staff are able to have either a full day or two half days to work from home during a 10-day cycle. The intention is to extend this pilot in 2025.
Students traverse three learning journeys:
six-month bespoke leadership and management program
overseas travelling fellowships 100% paid for by the school
further study program covering the cost of post-graduate tuition fees
regular encouragement to attend and present at conferences locally, nationally and internationally
access to external coaches along with individual career trajectory plans and personalised visibility strategies
Kirkup says, “Through an intentional focus on the development of character and contribution, our students are well positioned to advocate for themselves as learners, contribute to their own learning and that of others, and thrive in the complex world around them.”
1. Transfer of knowledge and information
2. Development of skills: communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration
3. Character building through the development of attributes and dispositions that influence the overall learning itself, determining how students respond to difficulty and uncertainty
Despite being a standout workplace and attracting teachers from across Australia, Westbourne is committed to continually raising standards.
Camm says, “We are seeking to make our workforce paid in the top 10 percentage of all schools in Australia, to reduce workloads in different ways, and to provide even greater flexibility in relation to their practice.”
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