Head of Junior School Appointment

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Ross Halliday in the position of Head of Junior School, commencing in Term 1, 2023. Ross joins us after concluding his most recent tenure as a Primary School Principal at an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he has gained invaluable experience in IB programmes.

Ross also has extensive experience in his previous roles, as Principal and as Deputy Head of the Junior School at Caulfield Grammar School (Wheelers Hill Campus), in addition to more than a decade of experience teaching at various year levels (PK-12).

In recent years Ross has been awarded a Certificate of School Management and Leadership from Harvard University, and has also been accredited by Growth Coaching International as a fully accredited Growth Coach. He is currently studying a  Masters of Business Administration (MBA) which he hopes to complete early in 2023.

A passionate PYP educator, Ross believes that strong relationships are the foundation upon which the best schools in the world are built. He believes that each child deserves to be challenged to achieve their absolute best every day.

Having now returned from Vietnam to Australia with his wife and two daughters, Ross is excited to begin his next chapter at Mentone Girls' Grammar. "I believe that it is the magical moments that happen between the teachers and students each day that ultimately have the greatest impact on student learning outcomes," says Ross. I know you will join me in giving Ross a very warm welcome to our School community next year.

About Ross

For the last two decades, Ross has worked in schools in a variety of teaching and leadership roles in countries across three continents.

Growing up in the west coast of Scotland, Ross could be found playing sport in nearby parks, climbing trees, building things out of random materials, as well as practicing a variety of musical instruments. It is fair to say that Ross’s impressions of his own schooling were mixed. A collection of the very best and ‘not the best’ teachers (and the impact they had on him) led him to pursue his passion: to make school a place where students are inspired, where they develop curiosity, dream, invent, learn by doing and to foster an environment in which students can pursue their interests and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Simultaneous with a short period as a professional footballer, the completion of his undergraduate Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Edinburgh affirmed Ross’s decision that improving the quality of education - and life chances - for young people was to be his driving purpose in life. Following his formative years in the teaching profession, a mixture of football and education led Ross to Australia fifteen years ago where he has since worked in both the government school system as well as the independent school system including a period as Deputy Head of Junior School at Caulfield Grammar School. In 2017, Ross and his young family moved to Vietnam where he has since led significant change and improvement in the role of Primary School Principal in an internationally
recognized IB school, navigating the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic along the way.

Ross and his wife have two primary school aged daughters, and together the family are residents in the Bayside area of Melbourne.
Ross is committed to the long term future growth of Mentone Girls Grammar School and hopes that the rich and varied experiences he has been fortunate to enjoy in both his personal and professional life will provide a strong foundation upon which to help the school pursue its mission to empower girls to aspire to excellence, make a difference and rise courageously to the opportunities and challenges of their times. Ross very much looks forward to joining Mentone Girls Grammar in 2023 and beginning to build strong
relationships with the students, staff and broader community.