“At 37,that was quite young to become principal. It did feel a bit risky,and I always thought if it didn’t work I could go back to maths teaching. I loved teaching,and it was always my fallback if I didn’t do a good job as head,” she said.
Interviewed by theHeraldin 1995,Allum said she was undaunted by the challenge of becoming principal and being “in your late 30s or early 40s” was the right time to embark on such a role.
SCEGGS in Darlinghurst has had only five heads in its 130-year history.Credit:Edwina Pickles
While Allum said much had changed at the school,teaching fundamentals remained the same.
“Teaching hasn’t changed at all – not an iota. It’s about the relationship between the teacher and the student. An expert teacher who knows the student will know what they need,” she said.
“Whether that’s a quiet word,a joke or a strong disciplinary statement,they know what the right thing is to get the best out of the child. That sense of knowing the student and instilling a love of learning – that hasn’t changed.”
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Allum said after decades of teaching in single-sex schools,she remains “completely committed to girls’ education”. “Building a strong feminist,independent school has always been my priority,and driving a strong school community where students feel supported,” she said.
The school’s governing council told parents it would spend coming months ensuring the next head was “the right person to lead SCEGGS in the next decade and beyond”.
“The board is also cognisant that there will be new challenges for our school to navigate in coming decades as the educational,technological and social context in which we operate continues to evolve.
“We will of course also be focused on facilitating a smooth transition as Jenny departs and our new head of school takes charge in early 2026.”
Allum is the second longest-serving head in SCEGGS’ history,with the school’s third head,Barbara Chisholm,holding the role for just over three decades before retiring in 1977.
The school has appointed recruitment firm Korn Ferry to conduct the search for the new head.
SCEGGS,which charges almost $50,000 for year 12,is one of several top private schools to announce a new head in recent months.
Anne Johnstone was appointed as the first female head at Cranbrook in November,while Wenona has appointed Linda Douglas,former head of a Melbourne girls’ school,toreplace Briony Scott,who was head for 14 years.
Private boys’ school Shore appointed Peter Miller principal to replace veteran headmaster John Collier,while St Aloysius’ head Mark Tannock started as St Ignatius’ College Riverview’s head this year.
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