Mr Sean Curtis’s evolution from PE teacher to strategic school leader reflects Marsden’s dynamic growth, diverse community, and commitment to nurturing excellence through inclusive leadership.
When Mr Sean Curtis first arrived at Marsden State High School in 2010 as a young PE teacher, he could not have imagined that within a decade he would be second-in-command of the largest high school in the southern hemisphere. Today, as Associate Principal of the Logan-based school, Mr Curtis oversees a community of nearly 4,000 students and 400 staff, guiding a leadership team that feels more like the executive of a large organisation than a traditional school.
Marsden’s sheer scale brings a unique complexity. “We’ve got students from 99 language backgrounds, 36 per cent are EAL/D, 14 per cent students with disability, and 8 per cent First Nations students,” Mr Curtis says. “It’s a diverse, multicultural place, and that makes it challenging but also incredibly rewarding. The job is about understanding people and bringing them together.”
Mr Curtis’s own background in semi-professional soccer and coaching continues to shape his approach to leadership. “Coaching is leadership, and leadership is coaching. They’re the same thing to me. It’s about how you get the best out of people, how you bring them together, and how you solve problems to reach a collective goal,” he explains. “I grew up in Logan, and never had a specific ambition to be a principal or associate principal – it happened organically. I’ve always been comfortable leading from that coaching perspective.”
That philosophy has guided him through Marsden’s leadership ranks, from running its soccer excellence program to leading year levels, then returning from a two-year stint at Cleveland High School to step into deputy and now associate principal roles. Today he manages 10 deputy principals and more than 40 heads of department. “It’s a big moving piece,” he says. “Each deputy has either a year-level cohort of around 700 students or a specialist portfolio like staffing, pedagogy, curriculum or operations. My role is to make sure all those moving parts are aligned with our strategic plan and pulling in the same direction.”
For Mr Curtis, the greatest challenge is not infrastructure or logistics – it’s people. “The hardest part isn’t always the kids. It’s the adults. Everyone’s at a different stage, with different pressures outside of school, and you’ve got to work with that. Sometimes the students are easier. With staff, you’ve got to know when to push, when to support, when to pull back a little. That’s the art of leadership.”
The students, however, present their own evolving complexities. “We’re seeing more anxiety, more trauma, more wellbeing needs than ever before,” he says. “If kids don’t feel safe, or their anxiety is too high, or they’ve got trauma that isn’t addressed, the learning just won’t happen. That’s the reality. And schools like ours don’t have psychiatrists or trauma specialists on staff. We do our best with the training we have, but at the end of the day, we trained to be teachers, not clinicians.”
Mr Curtis says Marsden’s strategic vision is grounded in the Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence framework, which the school contextualises for its own community.
“We’re refining our excellence programs, making sure attendance and behaviour are aligned, and embedding inclusive practices in every classroom,” he says. “Differentiation is hard work for teachers – when you’ve got 28 students in a class, every one of them different, that’s a big ask. But it’s essential if we’re serious about equity.”
Recognition of his leadership has come quickly. Mr Curtis received the inaugural Leadership Award at the National Education Summit’s Teacher Awards in Brisbane this year. “It was a real surprise. I didn’t even know I’d been nominated – one of my colleagues put my name forward. Suddenly I was up there accepting the award. It was humbling.
“That’s one of the great things about Marsden. It’s a place where leaders grow. A lot of our deputies go on to be principals. The opportunities here are huge.”
Mr Curtis invests in his own development, too. A member of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association, he has begun working with an executive coach, Mr Neil Carrington. “Just like athletes need coaches, leaders do too,” he says. “I coach others, but I need someone coaching me as well. Leadership is about growth, and you can’t expect to help others improve if you’re not improving yourself.”
Despite the demands of his role, Mr Curtis maintains his connection to sport. He has coached the Queensland under-16 soccer team for the past eight years and continues to support Marsden’s soccer excellence program. “We’re in the Schools Premier League – the top 16 soccer schools in Queensland. We’re sitting about fourth right now. It’s growing every year, especially with more of our African student population joining. They bring so much talent and passion for the game.”
Rugby league, though, remains the school’s crown jewel. “About 15 of our Year 12 boys already have NRL contracts,” he says. “That shows the strength of our rugby league program. But we’ve also got strong basketball, netball and volleyball pathways. Sport is a huge part of who we are as a school.”
Looking ahead, Mr Curtis says the mission remains clear: keep building a school that balances excellence with equity. “Marsden is a special place. It’s not perfect, and it’s not easy. But every day we’re working to make sure kids feel safe, supported and inspired to succeed. That’s what leadership is about – creating the conditions for people to thrive. And for me, that’s the most rewarding part of the job.”
He also believes the lessons learned at Marsden have value far beyond Logan.
“When you’re leading a school this size, you’re really running a complex organisation,” he says.
“The things we’re doing here – around inclusion, wellbeing, and staff development – could apply to any big system, whether it’s education or not. But at the end of the day, it’s still about people, and it’s still about giving young people the best possible chance to succeed.”
