Timothy Hawkes

Dr Timothy Francis Hawkes is an Anglo-Australian educator and writer, known for his contributions to Australian education. He is currently Headmaster of The King's School, Sydney. Hawkes regularly contributes to debates about gender issues in education and educating boys.

Early Life and Education

Hawkes completed his secondary education as a boarder at King's School, Rochester in England. He had a particular talent for rugby, playing at County level. He undertook undergraduate studies at Durham University, England, graduating with a B Ed (Hon). After teaching at Loughborough Grammar School, Hawkes returned to Australia to become the Senior Boarding Master at Knox Grammar School, Sydney. He undertook postgraduate studies at Macquarie University in north western Sydney where he obtained his PhD in May 1988. His thesis was entitled 'A study of factors influencing children’s ability to recognize features on black and white aerial photographs.'

Hawkes and his wife, Jane, have been married for 33 years. They met at Durham University in England and have three children.

Headmaster of St Leonard's College

In 1989 Hawkes accepted the position of Headmaster of St Leonard's College, Melbourne, a co-educational private school. He continued the school's philosophy of coeducational education, which had originated in the 1970s when the school changed from being a Presbyterian school for girls to being a Uniting Church coeducational school.

Headmaster of the King's School

In 1998 he moved to Sydney to become Headmaster of The King's School, an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys. Soon after joining the school, he was the star of an ABC documentary about the school and its new headmaster entitled 'King's School.' Hawkes has regularly contributed to media debates on education and has attended a number of education conferences. His focus is the education of boys, and more recently the teaching of 'leadership' to students. His works are largely confined to primary and secondary level education. His published works include Duty of Care, Boy Oh Boy, and a four book series 'Learning Leadership'.

During the 2004 Australian Federal Election, Hawkes became an active participant in the national discussion on education with The King's School being frequently cited by the then-opposition Australian Labor Party as an exemplar of a well-funded private school in receipt of significant government funding. Dr Hawkes defended the higher level of funding his school received in comparison to less well equipped government schools against claims that the policy was inequitable. This continued into the 2007 election.

Criticisms

Hawkes has been criticised for his vocal support of intelligent design. In particular, Hawkes has lent his support to the controversial DVD, Unlocking the Mystery of Life, created by the Campus Crusade for Christ. Subsequently, Hawkes was nominated for the satirical Bent Spoon Award, 'Presented annually to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudo-scientific piffle.'

External links

• The King's School
• Training in Leadership