The Game Changers podcast celebrates true pioneers who inspire us to take the big step forward and up in education and beyond. In episode 210 (Part 3) of Game Changers, Phil Cummins joins in conversation with Ross Featherston & Dr Ray Swann!
Ross Featherston, BA, Dip Ed, M Ed, was appointed eighth Headmaster of Brighton Grammar in January 2014. Victorian born, Ross was educated in regional Victoria and is a graduate of the University of Melbourne. He joined Brighton Grammar in 2012 as Head of Senior School.
From 2006 - 2011 Ross held a wide range of leadership roles in teaching and learning and pastoral care at Geelong Grammar School, including Director of the International Baccalaureate Program, Head of Humanities and Head of History, as well as senior rowing coach and assistant coach of the First XVIII. Prior to this, he held teaching roles at Carey Baptist School and Melbourne Grammar School.
Since taking up the position of Headmaster at BGS in 2014, Ross has overseen a new strategic vision for the School.
He has been instrumental in prioritising student wellbeing and building the Positive Masculinity framework - making it a central focus of the School's agenda. As part of this work, he co-authored research on positive masculinity which was published in the Health Promotion International
Journal in 2021. His dedication to fostering a nurturing and supportive environment has greatly contributed to the success of BGS and also the wider community.
Ross was invited to join the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) as a Board Trustee in 2020, one of only five Australian Trustees of IBSC which has almost 300 member schools from more than 20 countries and five continents. Ross is currently the Vice Chair, Australasia, IBSC.
He was also recognised as one of Australia's most influential educators by The Educator in 2021.
Dr Ray Swann, Deputy Headmaster at Brighton Grammar School / Head of the Crowther Centre.
Ray completed his PhD in medical education at the Austin Hospital, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne and his Masters by research at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. He is presently an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne.
Ray has worked across government, independent and single gender contexts, and now leads change in the wellbeing programs and evidence informed practice.
He was recognised as a national Top 50 educator in 2019 and received an Australian Council of Educational Leadership New Voice scholarship in 2020. Previously, Ray was a Head of School, and school improvement consultant working for a large organisation. Ray is an internationally published academic author and reviewer, author of a children’s book (Brio Publications due in 2022), host of the Understanding Boys podcast (which has trended in the Top 5 parenting podcasts in Australia with 65k followers), and a sought-after consultant in identity performance coaching for medical and surgical trainees (assisting them with preparations and building confidence for their gruelling interview process prior to residency).
Ray has also run allied health workshops through the award-winning not-for-profit company Identity Theatre which he founded in 2002.
The Game Changers podcast is produced by Evan Phillips supported by a School for tomorrow (aschoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE. The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at
[email protected], on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Phil and Adriano via LinkedIn and Twitter. Let’s go!
Ireland