Armidale Secondary College (ASC) has announced their new Principal will be Kim Allford, expected to join the troubled school later this month.
Allford is a Deputy Principal, and for a significant period has been relieving principal, at Bonnyrigg Highschool in Western Sydney where she is understood to have been teaching for over a decade.
A particularly challenging school with over 90% of its students from non-English speaking backgrounds, Allford will be in for a bit of a transition to the Armidale community, but those close to her appointment say it is her understanding of how to manage a culturally diverse community and creating a consistent learning environment for all regardless of cultural or socio economic background that won her the role.
Like ASC, Bonnyrigg is a partially selective school with a significant ESL program, and is a similar size, so in that respect it should be a smooth transition for the new principal.
Current acting principal of ASC, Sarah Travis, has accepted the position of Principal at Yudi Gunyi School, a School for Specific Purposes in Sydney. In an email to the school community she said “it has been a privilege to serve the school as Principal, and I sincerely appreciate the trust and support you have extended to me during my tenure.”
“While I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, I will miss being part of the Armidale community. I have every confidence in our executive team and know that our new, incoming Principal, Kim Allford, will lead with the same dedication you have come to expect.”
Matt Hobbs, the Director of Educational Leadership, Armidale Principals network, thanked Ms Travis for her efforts and all the teachers at ASC for their dedication in a letter announcing the appointment. He said Ms Allford was “looking forward to the future”, and is expected to begin on November 25.
With the exit of Travis, the entire leadership team of Armidale Secondary College has now been turned over, following the extraordinary level of dysfunction and violence being revealed in a series of media reports across multiple news outlets, including New England Times’ series of stories in 2023. Since then the school has received priority recruitment support from the Department of Education and more than a dozen new staff have been appointed.
Parents of the school report a calming in some respects, and a noticeable decrease in police presence, but ongoing issues with bullying and problems with the built environment at the school persist.
The push to re-open Duval High also continues, with Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland describing only having one high school as the “second biggest challenge” Armidale faces at an event in August.
Top image: Kim Allford hosted Education Minister Prue Car at Bonnyrigg High School late last year. (Facebook)
Something going on in your part of the region you think people should know about? Send us a news tip or email newsdesk@netimes.com.au.