A few days ago, I announced to the staff that I would be stepping down as Principal of GPCC at the end of the year to assume a full time role as Executive Principal of The Melos Foundation. You should have received an email to this effect as well. 

The education landscape is changing rapidly, and independent schools are facing increasing pressures from rising costs, growing compliance regulations and constant change. Directors of school companies are becoming harder to find and as we cannot legally pay Directors’ fees, these positions are becoming harder to fill. More schools are clustering together to resolve these issues and ensure they can continue strongly into the future.

Green Point Christian College Directors made the decision to explore this option four years ago and established The Melos Foundation as a vehicle to support schools in the key areas of governance, business management and leadership. They invited other schools to consider joining with GPCC to work together to ensure our survival and flourishing into the future. We have been pleasantly surprised at the response with a membership of six schools now plus a school property which we will re-open as a new school in 2025. There are three other schools in conversation with us about joining the Foundation. 

The Melos Foundation Board appointed me as the Executive Principal of the group and it has become very difficult to give proper attention to the principalship of GPCC and to serve the other schools well. We had always assumed the time would come when a change would be required but it has come sooner than we anticipated. My background has for many years been in school groups rather than individual schools, so I am excited to move into the Executive Principal role full time.

The GPCC Business Manager, Mr Michael Lowbridge is also the Executive Business Manager of The Melos Foundation, and we will be making this move together. We have worked closely in both GPCC and the Foundation and are looking forward to growing the Foundation and serving all its members, including GPCC well. YVCS is also an important part of this and a Melos Foundation member. We are hoping to take the lessons we learned in establishing YVCS to other schools so that children on the autism spectrum in every location can have an environment in which they too can flourish.

The beauty of the structure we have created is that I continue to work with GPCC and will be supporting the new Principal when appointed to ensure the good work we have begun in the College continues on strongly. I have a very capable Executive team and am confident that the changes we have been making will bear good fruit in the lives of GPCC students going forward.

Thank you for your support as parents over the past four years. Without us working together we cannot make GPCC the school we all want it to be. It will be a vital part of the College’s success that we continue to partner together for the benefit of our children.

Phillip Nash