Our Community

Mrs Sarah Boardman
Head of Early Learning

As an educational leader, I feel privileged to be able to work alongside children as they build their knowledge and understanding of the world around them at school.  Celebrating the diverse range of “Wow” moments that occur with our students each day, brings great joy to me both personally and professionally. I strongly believe in the importance of building solid foundations for children’s ongoing learning, focussing on developing thinking and inquiry skills in partnership with literacy and numeracy skills, in a meaningful, rigorous and authentic way for all children. Furthermore, I value the opportunity to build beneficial, ongoing partnerships with families, working together with them to encourage all children to consistently challenge themselves, as they holistically develop a solid understanding of how they learn best.

I studied a Bachelor of Education at the University of Tasmania, before working in a range of different school settings, both nationally and overseas.  This hands-on experience with a range of educational approaches, supported by my ongoing work at the University of Tasmania as a Unit Coordinator as part of the Bachelor of Education degree, has given me the opportunity to continually reflect upon evolving current best practice in education, based upon relevant, research.  I have been part of Oakleigh Grammar since 2014, working as the Early Learning Centre Coordinator before becoming the Acting Head of Junior School in 2018. Within these educational leadership roles, I have developed in many ways whilst working within Oakleigh Grammar’s dynamic and collaborative community of learners.

Mr Peter Cummins
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning

Peter Cummins took up his position as Deputy Principal in 2012. Prior to this he was Deputy Principal (Curriculum) at Leibler Yavneh College (2008-12) and Head of Curriculum at Mentone Grammar (2004-08). He began his career at Scotch College Adelaide and later returned as a boarding housemaster after teaching in the UK at Bromsgrove School and Wellington College.

Peter is passionate about developing the learner in every child and giving them a sense of responsibility to play an active part in making the world a better place for all human beings. He believes that the focus must be on our students developing the agility and imagination needed for living productively in a complex world.

Peter is married to Sharon (Kindergarten Director) and has three adult sons: Andrew who is a senior project manager in construction; Tom who works at Michigan State University in communications; and Alex an industrial designer.

Mr Peter Dickinson
Deputy Principal – Operations

Peter Dickinson joined Oakleigh Grammar at the commencement of 2018, after 8 ½ years as Head of Glen Waverley Campus of Wesley College. Peter has achieved considerable success in a variety of other leadership roles at Wesley College and he is keen to make an equally valuable contribution to Oakleigh Grammar.  Peter oversees the operations of the school and overall student welfare.

Peter has a clear passion for education and his values of inclusivity, diversity and holistic development of each child are strongly aligned to the values of Oakleigh Grammar. His strong interest in student well-being and pastoral care is at the heart of his work.

Peter has had extensive experiences across the ELC to Year 12 continuum in all areas of school life. He is an experienced International Baccalaureate educator and values the importance of intercultural understanding. He has also become a strong advocate for indigenous education.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching and has been involved in a number of educational committees across Victoria. Peter thoroughly enjoys his teaching, especially History and Geography, no doubt born from his extensive international travels across more than 55 countries.

Mr Haydn Flanagan
Head of Middle School

Haydn Flanagan is a worldly educator who joined Oakleigh Grammar as the Head of Middle School and Middle Years Programme Co-ordinator in 2016. He has taught in Singapore, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as in leading independent and public schools in Melbourne. Prior to joining Oakleigh Grammar Haydn was the Year 12 Co-ordinator at the Australian International School (AIS) in Singapore.

Haydn is an advocate of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and is a passionate believer in the importance of encouraging intercultural understanding and international mindedness within education.

He holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and is currently completing a Master of Education (Management and Leadership) at Melbourne University.

Mrs Lauren Cummins
Head of Junior School

Lauren Cummins is the Head of Junior School and joined Oakleigh Grammar in 2013. She has held teaching and leadership positions at Haileybury College prior to commencing at OG including roles that include assessment and reporting Deputy Head, Deputy Head of Junior school, curriculum Coordinator and Acting Head  of Junior School and Deputy Head of the Brighton Campus.

Lauren has taught from Early Childhood to Year 6 in a number of schools and has worked as a teacher in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Cook Islands.

She holds a Bachelor of Early Childhood, Honours in Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Management from Monash University. Lauren’s Honours thesis was a government funded research project on the literacy and numeracy development in low socio economic areas of Victoria in early childhood settings and her a Masters research was on ICT practices and collaborative teacher cultures.

Having taught extensively in Junior School settings, Lauren has broad experience in managing curriculum development and the professional learning of teachers whilst focusing on whole school initiatives that nurture and sustain a culture of collaborative learning.

Lauren is a strong advocate of explicit literacy and numeracy teaching empowering all students to achieve their potential.  Every child matters every day to Lauren whom she instills a love and passion for learning. She advocates for all students to display ownership and commitment to learning with passionate purpose and strong curiosity and determination.  She believes that laughing kids learn!

Lauren has presented at many local and international professional networks and is a member of the executive team for the Independent Primary School Heads Association (IPSHA). Lauren also maintains strong ties with the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) in order to contribute and remain informed.