Principal's Message Week 10 Term One

We know boys

We are unashamedly a boys’ school, belonging to a network of Edmund Rice schools around the country that mostly provide education to boys. We have a long history and tradition of providing an education that is bespoke for boys. We understand their needs, their ways of engaging, and how to assist them with navigating their adolescence.

Everything we do here at Ambrose Treacy College is planned through the lens of providing an education that is fit for purpose for young men. Of course, I respect parent choice when it comes to selecting a school that is the most appropriate for their child, but I am an advocate of single sex education. I have led in co-educational schools, single sex boys’, and single sex girls’ environments.

In 2026 our approach is to send explicit and overt messages to boys about being enough, being a good man, being a man of courage, and a sign of faith (signum fidei). I am always keen that this messaging is inclusive of letting boys know that there are many types and ways of being a man, and that we do not have to subscribe to a narrow, stereotypical or outdated model of what masculinity is, and looks like.

The reasons for me being drawn back into a boys’ school in the Edmund Rice tradition are many. I love the charism; I love the emphasis on service as a tangible, actionable sign of our faith. I am drawn to the simplicity of the Four Touchstones, and how they intersect. I also love to see the boy with his footy boots over one shoulder, and his clarinet or sax or trumpet on his arm.

I love that boys will engage in drama, and music, and sing, in an all-boys environment. I love the ready affection that boys show to one another. I am often amused by their humour and banter – appropriately placed of course. I am often bemused by the fervour with which they will scream a war-cry, and barrack for their mates.

We are careful to plan and deliver the curriculum by engaging pedagogical approaches that consider a boy’s need to be on the move; to cater to his need to expend energy, and to have spaces and times equally for reflection and pause. When we package our lessons and develop our school culture in ways that are respectful of a boy’s developing brain, we are subtly letting him know he is ok just as he is. And that he will be ok even after making a choice that falls short of the mark.

We are also careful to instruct boys in unambiguous ways, to hold them to a high standard, with a clear line in the sand. We teach them what accountability is. We must educate boys about respect for all; consent and what that looks like; and how to be both a gentle man and a gentleman. We teach them how to ask for, and receive forgiveness, and how to move on from less-than-ideal situations. We attempt to nurture and restore relationships when they are tested.

Our before and after school clubs, Saturday sport program, service learning and immersion opportunities, and our faith formation all contribute to the holistic approach we have to boys’ education.

We know boys.

We cater to their needs.

We unlock their passions, skills and interests, and we teach them well.

We are growing good men of faith and courage.

I am proud to belong to this boys’ school. I thank you for placing trust in us with your sons’ education.

Dr Craig Wattam

College Principal