At OneSchool Global (OSG), leadership isn’t a badge, it’s a behaviour. That’s why we recently launched our 2025 Learning to Lead program, empowering our students across Australia with the tools and knowledge they need to lead with courage, compassion and purpose.
This event brought 60 student leaders from 11 different campuses together to explore key questions that define authentic leadership. It gave our students the opportunity to reflect on leadership styles and the important role they play in nurturing and developing younger students on their campus.
Each OSG campus has a Student Leadership Team (SLT) that’s appointed annually, with a purpose to embody and promote the school values, advocate for student wellbeing and be positive role models. They also help to plan and execute campus events and drive communication and marketing efforts, so developing their leadership skills is key to creating a high-performing school culture.
Spearheaded by Perth Campus Principal Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, the Learning to Lead program unites the SLT representatives and provides them with an opportunity to consider the kind of leader they want to be and how they will achieve it. It centres around the idea of students identifying and embracing their own approach to leadership.
“The training program doesn’t promote a cookie-cutter approach, because we understand there are many different styles of leadership, each with its own characteristics that resonate with different personality types. The goal of our program is to help students reflect on their own leadership style and develop skills that they can take away
and implement on their campus.”
Mr Kayler-Thomson said that while embracing different leadership styles is important, the program ultimately aims to develop traits that all young leaders should embrace, particularly those closely aligned with the school’s values.
“Our values of integrity, care and compassion, respect, responsibility, and commitment are at the core of everything we do. When I think of the best leaders I’ve learnt from, they all possessed some or all of these traits, and that’s the message we want to drive home to students.” Mr Kayler-Thomson also praised the willingness of the SLT to lean into the program and get the most out of themselves for each session. “I’m really proud of everyone who contributed so well to the program. The energy, reflection, and genuine commitment from our young leaders was inspiring, proof that when leadership learning is grounded in purpose and identity, growth invariably follows.”
