20 May 2026
Chris Bateman joined as Head of SACE and Adrian Gan as Head of IB, each arriving with careers built across multiple schools and systems. Together, they oversee the two pathways available to Pembroke's senior students: the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP).
In speaking with both Chris and Adrian, there are more similarities than differences. Both describe their role as creating the conditions for others to thrive through Pembroke’s highly capable staff and effective programs. Both spoke about the shift away from content delivery towards how students learn and think, and how they build inquiry skills and independent thinking. And both describe the other program without competition, measuring success by student growth rather than raw achievement.
Chris Bateman: Head of SACE
Chris began his teaching career in 2009 at Xavier College in Gawler, where he spent 14 years teaching English, Drama and Research Project, eventually becoming English Curriculum Leader and then Director of Teaching and Learning. After spending time as Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning at Gleeson College, he came to Pembroke.
His version of the Head of SACE role is broader than the title implies. While the administrative layer is everpresent, including subject selection, system entries, VET enrolments and ensuring every student has a plan, Chris is incorporating Pembroke’s signature caring nature within the role. Students come to him to discuss their pathways, find help when they are struggling with work and access support when needed. Chris works closely with Year Level Coordinators on subject changes and provisions, and sees the role as one that sits at the intersection of academic planning and student welfare.
Pembroke teachers enjoy a well-earned high level of trust in running their own subjects, and as a result, Pembroke benefits from a strong culture of ingenuity. Chris works closely with staff as the SACE Board implements subject renewals, ensuring that the program is implemented in a way that works for Pembroke. Here, we’ll incorporate more student agency, more natural and authentic evidence and encourage deeper levels of understanding. Chris describes a staff culture with no silos, where teachers work together rather than in parallel, and where the shared commitment is to students rather than to any particular set of outcomes.
The major benefit of the SACE is its flexibility. The range of what counts towards a student's credential is broader than most families realise: VET qualifications, university subjects and external courses all have a place. Around 10-15% of Year 12 SACE students at Pembroke currently study university subjects as part of their program. 'Students can choose to be a jack of all trades, or delightfully skewed. The structure accommodates both,' says Chris.
Adrian Gan: Head of IB
Adrian began teaching in 1997 at a government girls' school in Sydney before his career took him to the Australian International School in Singapore, back to Australia for his first IB school at St Paul's Grammar in Penrith, to Canberra Grammar School, then to Hong Kong where he served as IB Middle Years Coordinator and Vice Principal. A stint as IB Middle Years Coordinator at Seoul Foreign School in South Korea followed, before heading back to Canberra. Now, Adrian has made the move to Adelaide for the role of Head of IB at Pembroke.
Alongside school-based roles, Adrian fills his time with work that keeps him connected to the broader IB world. He is a Workshop Leader and Visiting Team Leader within the IB Educator Network, assessing schools across the Asia-Pacific region and working with schools in the candidacy phase as they prepare to adopt IB programmes. He has also worked as a Visible Learning Consultant, engaging with the research of Professor John Hattie on the influences that most affect student outcomes, with teacher efficacy sitting at the top of the list. That body of work led to a presentation at last year's IB Global Conference.
His description of the Head of IB role centres on conditions rather than content. He explains that his role is to create an environment where teachers and students can do their best work, maintaining programme integrity, building teacher capacity, and ensuring the IB Diploma is taught both with fidelity to its assessment requirements and in the spirit it was designed for. He is particularly drawn to the programme's core components, the Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and the Creativity, Activity, Service component, which he describes as the connective tissue between subjects and the elements that make the Diploma transformative.
The IB offers a well-rounded experience, suiting students best when they are curious, open to challenge and willing to engage with ideas. Adrian explains that persistence when things become challenging is more important than academic performance by far.
After careers spanning Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, Adrian is not short of opinions about what good IB practice looks like on the global stage. The main outcome of choosing IB, he explains, is that Pembroke students will develop the disposition needed to enter our increasingly complex world, and to tackle that with agency and optimism.
Gabbi Agnew
Publications Manager