Craig Angel appointed as new Sunshine Coast Grammar School leader

A teaching veteran with almost two decades experience at an elite Sunshine Coast school has been confirmed as its newest leader following a ‘rigorous recruitment process’.

Sunshine Coast Grammar School new head of primary Craig Angel.

An elite Sunshine Coast school has appointed a new leader following a “rigorous recruitment process” which attracted a “high calibre of candidates”.

Craig Angel says he is “proud and honoured” to take up the post as head of primary at Sunshine Coast Grammar in Forest Glen.

Mr Angel joins the executive team alongside business manager Lyn Stokes, head of secondary McLeod-Paterson and principal Anna Owens.

Previously the principal at Cobbitty Public School, a semirural school near Camden in New South Wales, Mr Angel relocated to the Sunshine Coast and joined the school as a primary teacher in 2004.

“For me it was good to go back into the classroom and learn how things are done in Queensland a bit differently,” Mr Angel said.

“It was a nice way to move into Queensland into a classroom position before moving into a leadership position.”

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Over 20 years at the school, Mr Angel has progressed from classroom teacher to dean of primary 3-6 to assistant head of primary, before he was appointed acting head of primary in 2022.

Mr Angel says he believes it vital as a teacher to provoke curiosity to create lifelong learners.

“It’s about a way of being, creating curiosity,” Mr Angel said.

Sunshine Coast Grammar School new head of primary Craig Angel.

“It’s the language you use, it’s the opportunity you give to students to ask the questions, it’s not just about us telling, it’s about the students thinking and coming back to us.

“So provoking that thought.”

Principal Anna Owens said Mr Angel’s “loyalty, commitment, professionalism and resilience for his staff and students during a challenging year” cemented the opinion he is the right person for the job.

“In addition to 2022, it is fair to say that Craig has been a fundamental pillar of the primary school’s evolution and there is no one who knows the Grammar Primary School better,” Ms Owens said.

Invested in developing the “whole child – academically, culturally, sporting and spiritually”, Mr Angel says he relates to students well and is at school “to help them”.

“I suppose as a teacher you need to remember that is the purpose you’re here for, to engage students in their learning and to be really professional in how you make decisions around their learning,” he said.

“We have really good relationships with our students, but I have a really clear purpose in what we want them to be able to achieve, and students at our school are fantastic.

“They are some of the nicest students I’ve ever engaged with and that’s the real reason I’ve never left here, because of the community and the students.”