Douglas Andrews has been welcomed by students and staff members at Radley Private School as their new principal and head.
Andrews was deputy principal at Crawford Lonehill for over five years and said that he was happy to take up the new challenge of leading Radley College. “I believe that Radley Private School is an amazing school and I hope that I can only add to it,” he said.
He takes over from Louisa Robinson who was the principal from 2001.
Andrews comes from a line of teachers, as his mother and grandmother were also in the profession and he developed a taste for teaching from a young age. “I have a deep-seated love for teaching and I am committed to seeing education play out to change our country,” he explained.
This father of one is currently working towards his PhD in inclusive education and his thesis is titled Affordances and constraints in the teacher’s ability to implement inclusive pedagogy in the classroom. He holds a master’s in research psychology and was also a lecturer at Varsity College where he taught psychology.
Andrews began his teaching career at Northcliff High School where he taught maths and science. The subject he emphasised was life orientation as it gives schoolchildren a platform to understand their growth and teaches them how to be constructive citizens.
He was previously a police reservist for Fairland Police Station and is now a trauma counsellor while working closely with the Community Policing Forum (CPF). “I am involved in the CPF because we need to find solutions to protect children from crime, drugs and risky behaviour,” he pointed out.
When Andrews is not at work or being kept busy with police matters, he spends time at home with his wife and daughter watching sports or going out on a hike.
He explained that one of the reasons he took the post, was because he believes in the holistic approach that Radley Private School takes. “Here we don’t put children in categories, instead we celebrate their differences and these differences are applied when teaching each one,” he said.
One of his favourite things about the school was its different classrooms where learners are given the option to either sit at a traditional chair and table, or stand or sit on big exercise balls or even on a comfortable couch while the teacher is teaching.
“High-quality teachers are essential, as dedicated teachers are able to nurture the learner. This will show in their academic results because their emotions and self-esteem will grow as they are not just a number,” he said.
Details: Radley Private School 011 787 0297.
