Supported leadership opportunities at Trinity
Moving between roles can be a tricky task. After spending 2023 on maternity leave, Ms Julia Malley was ready to spend some time re-adjusting to her dual role as an English teacher in Trinity’s Middle and Senior School and a Senior School Housemaster for Henderson House.
While some may have considered the return to work enough of a challenge, Ms Malley added more to her plate, taking on the role of Acting Deputy Head of the Middle School in Term 2.
This foray into a new area of leadership at Trinity hasn’t come out of the blue. In fact, the very things she admired about Trinity before she joined the staff team are what have driven her to take on new opportunities to grow her skills, particularly in pastoral care.
“I wanted to work at Trinity as it had a well-established English faculty who are forward thinking and able to challenge students to be their best,” she recalls. “It was appealing to work at a school that provides both the HSC and IB credentials.”
“Although Trinity is a larger school, every boy is known and valued. This is not easy to achieve but I think Trinity does this well. It was also exciting to work amongst a staff that has a breadth of knowledge and experience.”
Through her role as a Senior School Housemaster, she already knew that pastoral care was a particular interest of hers, but taking on the Acting Deputy Head of the Middle School role has solidified this for her even further, providing more opportunities to get to know students in order to best support them pastorally, academically and socially.
“The role is very dynamic and every day is different,” she says. “I felt privileged to work with and provide support for a range of students in the Middle School.”
Having primarily worked with Senior School students, taking on this new leadership role saw her with more dedicated time to connect with a broader range of students, including Middle School students, and understand the specific issues pertaining to each age group.
“More than anything, [taking on this role] has made me realise how passionate I am about pastoral care and all the nuances and complexities associated with it.”
From the moment she joined Trinity’s staff team, Ms Malley says that she has been supported by both the Executive team and her own peers.
“Trinity is generous in providing professional development opportunities in areas of interest to staff,” she says. “For me, Trinity has provided further learning in youth mental health and pastoral care. I think if you can articulate your professional goals and aspirations, Trinity will support you in building up the skills to get there.”
“I will always be grateful for my initial appointment as Senior School Housemaster, as this helped me showcase my skills but also provided me with the opportunity to continually refine them.”
Ms Malley’s stint as Acting Deputy Head of Middle School may be over, but she says that the lessons she learnt during that term will be with her as she pursues further study and shapes the trajectory of her career moving forward.
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