Women educators in boys’ schools | 2025 Trinity Grammar School Professional Growth Initiative

Throughout 2025, Trinity Grammar School held a new Professional Growth Initiative, designed to focus on the experience of women educators in boys’ schools. 

All Trinity staff – academic, professional, and administrative – were invited to join the events held once per term across the year. Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn (Head of Research and Professional Growth) led this initiative, and says that ensuring this was a whole staff approach was essential to its success. 

“These events were for everyone – female staff, along with male colleagues who seek to contribute to building our positive and inclusive community.” 

A mix of panel discussions and discussion circles, the events focused on various aspects of women’s experiences in boys’ schools. 

Term 1’s panel discussion featured female teachers from across campuses discussing their unique experiences educating in a boys’ school, what they’ve been found to be helpful, and how they believe Trinity – and other boys’ schools – can continue their culture of inclusivity. 

Ms Emelia Moraitis (Economics Teacher, Senior School) reflected on her early experiences at Trinity as a 22-year-old teacher, teaching 17-year-old boys. 

“It was hard for me, but it was also probably difficult for them,” she said. “Sometimes, based on their experiences, boys might view females – especially mother figures who often set rules – as harsh, strict, or mean. At the same time, when they encounter the softer, more nurturing side of women, they may mistakenly believe they can get away with anything.” 

Ms Moraitis reflected that Trinity offers the opportunity for boys to understand that there is a middle ground: women are complex, with a range of personalities and characteristics. 

“Helping them to learn that has just been a joy in my life. Probably the best part about being a teacher in a boys’ school has been teaching boys how to develop productive and respectful relationships with women.

“Sometimes that means they make mistakes, they get in trouble, they say the wrong thing and boundaries have to be put in place, but sometimes that means we can have some of the most amazing conversations and just talk about life.” 

In concluding the panel discussion, Ms O’Neill shared her hopes for the future of women in boys’ learning spaces. 

“Hopefully, over time, we’ll just be ‘people’ in a boys’ school, but I’m glad to be a part of this conversation that will get us there. It’s about inclusivity for everyone and having a balance of all different types of people.” 

The theme of the Term 2 discussion circles expanded on the panel discussion. The focus reading was Chapter 1,  ‘Gender Justice and Teaching Boys’ from the book ‘Teaching Boys: Developing classroom practices that work’ by Australian academics Amanda Keddie and Martin Mills (2007). 

Dr Pressick-Kilborn said that the reading got each campus discussion group thinking about the differences amongst boys, not just the differences in what can be a stereotyped gender dichotomy. 

“It also focused us on the Productive Pedagogies Framework, which highlights intellectual quality, connectedness, supportive classroom environment, and working with and valuing difference, as dimensions through which we can challenge and broaden constructions of masculinity in teaching boys.”

The panel discussion in Term 3 focused on women in leadership roles across Trinity. The panellists discussed imposter syndrome, stereotypes, Trinity’s legacy culture, the importance of different perspectives and diverse role models, as well as how male colleagues can step up to call out and support when things aren’t right. 

Women in leadership often face the challenge of the immediate, visible difference of being a woman and it can come with perceived drawbacks.

Aside from the stereotypes that can float around any workplace, at Trinity, this fact means that they are not Old Boys, embedded in the Trinity tradition. Ms Nadia Nero, Head of Trinity’s Middle School, said that it’s something women at Trinity and the wider Trinity community just need to move on from. 

“The reality is that we will never be an Old Boy. That’s something that I keep saying to myself. We’re not male, we haven’t had the same experiences, but what we do bring is a new perspective.

“There is a place for women to help educate young men around things like respect, there is a place for us to teach boys what’s important in the process of growing good men.” 

The fourth and final event in the Women Educating in Boys’ Schools 2025 initiative was a discussion circle in Term 4, held across each campus. 

In advance of the discussion, participants read a journal article published in 2024 in School Leadership and Management written by Australian researchers Barbara Watterson and Lisa Ehrich: ‘Women’s Leadership development is everybody’s business: if not now, when?’ 

The article raised four key questions: 

• Why a focus on gender and leadership?
• What are some of the barriers impeding women leaders?
• Why is it important to have multiple faces of leadership?
• Why is women’s leadership development everyone’s responsibility?

An important emphasis in this article was on the advantages of having diversity in schools as workplaces, but also amongst educational leaders in schools.

Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn says that across the year’s discussions, her highlight is the space that has been created for Trinity staff to share their experiences and reflections.

“We have female and male colleagues with different roles in our School, at different career stages, who join the conversation willing to listen to the ideas of others, with a view to growing an understanding of others’ perspectives, informed by themes arising in relevant research. 

“We are choosing to set aside some time, away from the busyness of everyday life in our School, to talk about big issues that matter in our society more widely, and in our own School context more specifically.” 

“This 2025 Program has enhanced a sense of belonging and connection for many of the female staff in our School, as well as focusing us on the importance of mentoring and networks to support women aspiring to leadership in educational contexts.”