Simon Herd
Medowie Christian School

Simon Herd is an inspirational leader and speaker whose commitment, dedication and innovative thinking drove his team to use the COVID-19 outbreak as an opportunity to foster stronger ties within the community, grow Medowie Christian School, and offer something unique in education.

Following the pandemic outbreak in 2020, Herd’s forward thinking and encouragement of his staff saw his school rapidly evolve its method of educational delivery, with such incredible results that a new concept – borderless learning – was born. In 2020, MCS became one of the first independent schools in NSW to become NESA accredited to deliver distance education from kindergarten to Year 12, including the HSC. Herd’s innovative thinking and distributive leadership led to the development of a remote learning program that offered something others did not – a focus on relationships and inclusion for distance learners. He secured training for staff in flipping lessons through Harvard University’s professor in the neuroscience of learning, Tracey Tokuhama- Espinosa. Herd values growth in his team and heavily invested in professional development, with his staff working alongside Phil Lambert, lead curriculum expert to the OECD’s Education 2030 project, and Switch Inc’s Phill Nosworthy. Herd’s strengths also include clarity and forward-thinking in a crisis. Using his superior interpersonal and negotiation skills, he is able to unite teams and foster collaboration with the community.

Herd has a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s in educational leadership and management, a master’s in educational studies and a master’s in business administration. He is studying for a doctorate in strategic leadership through Liberty University. Herd is deputy chairman of the Association of Christian Schools and was recognised as a Top 40 school leader. He was a Young Citizen of the Year and has presented at education conferences in Australia, Vanuatu, South Africa, the USA and Ireland. He chaired a global online conference in 2021.