Meet the Principal 2019: Ian Macpherson of Medbury School

While Medbury School enjoys a strong reputation as a progressive preparatory school for boys locally, nationally and internationally, the School has at its core, an engaging family feel, which extends both within and beyond the school gate. Traditional Christian values, supported by a strong emphasis on manners and respect, underpin the School’s mission ‘to unlock the potential of every boy’. Now in his second year as Headmaster, Mr Ian Macpherson has overseen Medbury join the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) and partner with Swinburne University to establish programmes to support emotional intelligence.

With 30 years as a specialist in boys’ education, Mr Macpherson and has seen first-hand the difference a boy-friendly approach has on maximising academic engagement as well as social and emotional development. “A boy with values is a boy set for life. The School motto, Play the Game, reinforces the standard for all student behavior and attitudes, whether in the classroom, on the playing field, in social interaction and activities, or beyond the school gates,” Mr Macpherson says.

The School’s Boarding House is an integral part of school life and home to boarders from different areas of New Zealand and overseas. “Helping boys master skills, which help them tackle greater obstacles and ask more ‘why’ questions, drives our curriculum development and implementation programmes,” he says. “We also value the learning opportunities that take place beyond the classroom and Medbury boys are truly blessed to be extended in so many ways.”

Medbury’s partnership with Swinburne University of Technology is a new and exciting initiative aimed at developing emotional intelligence (EI) via the Aristotle-EI programme. “When a Medbury boy leaves for secondary school, he does so with an education equipping him for life in the 21st century. He will leave us a well-rounded individual; a motivated and independent learner; and a critical thinker with high self-esteem, who reacts to others and the changing world around him, with confidence and good grace,” Mr Macpherson says.

“Friendships, values and a quiet self-confidence that comes with sound preparation, will provide an invaluable foundation for his journey ahead. Selecting a school to meet your high expectations and your son’s needs is important. I would like to invite you to Medbury to show you first-hand what sets our school apart as an exceptional Australasian preparatory school.”