Message from the Headmaster

‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus‘

Galatians 3:28

Dear Parents and Carers

Recognition and celebration of International Women’s Day last week has timed well with peak activities with one of our major partner girls’ schools. The powerful advocacy of women’s rights and respect for women and girls at last week’s Assembly by Ms Douglas, Principal of Wenona, the Wenona Head Prefect, Zara Yee, and our own Senior Prefect, Angus Leslie, was followed on Monday by our Annual Cadet Passing Out Parade. Nearly 700 students from Shore and Wenona combined together in military pageantry to reflect the best traditions of the Australian Army. Women are now able to serve in all roles in the Australian Army, including combat positions, receiving the same training, salaries and opportunities as men. Similarly, the Shore and Wenona Student Officer Corps is comprised of boys and girls. The Cadet Unit is a peak activity of the positive relationship Shore has established with seven leading girls’ schools within easy transport of Shore.

The Cadet week of prominence, one of several throughout the year, concluded with a magnificent Cadet Dining-In Night on Thursday evening with the Cadets from both schools resplendent in their dress uniforms. The rapport between students of our two participating schools is a very positive aspect of our partnership.

This notion of respect is consistent with our Anglican heritage. Jesus broke down all of these divides and discriminations: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. Galatians 3:28

This week, we celebrate Harmony Day. Each year, Shore invites the Senior Executive and student leaders from Holroyd High School in Merrylands to address our boys at Senior School Assembly. What we hear from their girls (only boys came this year) is characteristically that they have fled oppression in other countries, such as Afghanistan. It is impressive that they are so articulate as many under repressive regimes were denied education in their home countries. While we may not be able to exercise much immediate effect on such situations, we can include our voices in this condemnation of denial of fundamental rights to women.

Shore’s annual WGEA (Workplace Gender Equality Agency) Report has also arrived within this same timespan. It indicates that the average salaries of our women on staff exceed the salaries of our men. This compares to the lingering gender pay gap across the education sector and the wider Australian workforce, with women continuing to be paid less on average. Our results are essentially for two reasons: we have notionally equal numbers of male and female teachers but most of our sporting coaches are young males and most of these are casual employees paid at rates according to their age and level of experience, hence a lower rate of pay compared to the work performed by women.  However, the positive skewing towards female salaries also masks that at Executive Leadership Team level, two thirds of the members are male and one third female. We anticipate this discrepancy will resolve over time; it is axiomatic that women, being half the population, will represent 50% of the skills base for such positions.

Shore has made gains in the upper middle pay quartile with more professional women employed as managers and directors. In the recent past, we have appointed more females than males to managerial roles, mostly at middle leadership level, and currently have 40% women and 60% men in management (an increase of 5% on last year). Shore is committed to gender equity and to respect for men and women. Important programs which are designed to assist our boys to develop healthy respect include the teaching of the Consent curriculum to mixed groups of Shore boys and girls from our partner schools.

In essence, Shore offers single sex education which concentrates on pedagogy which is effective for boys, but within a framework of sound structured programs for our boys and the girls of our seven partner schools, and within a context where Shore models effective adulthood of men and women with authority over our boys. Good manhood absolutely requires respect for women and girls.

Dr John Collier
Headmaster