Heathcliff SchembriMy journey in education began in a primary classroom in Malta, and that experience continues to shape who I am as an educator, researcher and leader. Since then, I have worked as a curriculum support teacher, Head of Department, lecturer, researcher and programme coordinator. Today, I am a Senior Lecturer and Institute Coordinator at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), where I coordinate a team of 43 lecturers teaching undergraduate education programmes and postgraduate programmes related to applied educational research.
What connects these different roles is my belief that educational leadership should make a difference to people. Research, policy and strategy matter most when they improve the experiences of our students, our educators and the communities in which we live.
I completed my PhD in Education at the University of East Anglia, where I studied how system-wide educational reform is experienced and enacted in Malta by educational leaders and teachers. I was very honoured when this work received the 2026 BELMAS Doctoral Thesis Award at the BELMAS conference in Cardiff, Wales. My research now spans educational leadership, policy enactment, curriculum reform, teacher education, early childhood education and vocational education, with a particular interest in small-state contexts and voices that are not always sufficiently represented in international discussion.
Alongside my work at MCAST, I serve as an External Examiner at the University of Buckingham and contribute to educational quality assurance, accreditation and policy work in Malta and internationally, such as in Ireland, Georgia and Lithuania. I am also Managing Coordinator of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) and Secretary of the Malta Society of Educational Administration and Management (MSEAM), which is currently undergoing restructuring to become Educational Leadership Malta (ELM). I have also been a school adviser to a K-12 school in Malta for the past 4 years. These roles have taught me the value of governance, responsibility and turning good ideas into sustained action. I am also a visiting lecturer at the Institute for Education where I supervise Master students in educational leadership dissertations.
BELMAS has been an important part of my professional journey since my first conference in 2022. Through attending conferences, supporting international activities, helping on the bursary support committee, writing for the blog and the doctoral award, I have experienced BELMAS as an intellectually stimulating and welcoming community.
I would now like to give something back. As a Trustee, I would bring energy, integrity, an international perspective and a connection to both research and practice. I would listen, learn from experienced colleagues, work collaboratively and remain focused on ensuring that BELMAS continues to serve and represent its members and to always evolve and improve so that it remains the strong society that it is. Thank you for reading this.
I wish to join the BELMAS Board because BELMAS has played an important part in my own development as a researcher and educational leader. Since attending my first conference in 2022, I have experienced a community that takes scholarship seriously while remaining welcoming, supportive and open to new ideas. I would now like to give something back.
If elected, I would support in three areas:
1. Opening the door earlier
I would like BELMAS to become a community that student teachers, doctoral students, novice researchers and early-career researchers (ECRs) encounter at the beginning of their professional journeys, not only once they have already established themselves. This could include introductory events, mentoring opportunities, writing and publishing support, conference guidance, and clearer routes into BELMAS Research Interest Groups. I would also encourage opportunities for student teachers and novice researchers to contribute their perspectives rather than participate only as listeners. Early-career members can enrich the society’s work. I joined BELMAS as an ECR and this has helped me a lot. I would also wish for BELMAS to organise a summer or winter school for ECRs.
2. Making international engagement collaborative
Coming from Malta, I understand how important it is to feel that one’s context and contribution matter within an international organisation. I would work to strengthen BELMAS’s relationships with educational leadership societies across Europe, the Commonwealth and beyond through joint seminars, symposia, publications and research exchanges.
For me, being international is not about having members from different countries. It means creating opportunities for members to learn with one another, initiate shared work and ensure that smaller, less frequently represented education systems contribute to major conversations about leadership. My work with CCEAM, MSEAM and international quality-assurance organisations would help me build these connections responsibly.
3. Strengthening member engagement
I would like to help BELMAS remain connected to its members and ensure that membership feels important throughout the year, not only during the annual conference. This means listening to members, communicating opportunities, recognising their contributions and creating ways for them to participate in the Society’s activities.
I would support greater visibility for members’ work, and for opportunities to contribute to Research Interest Groups, publications, committees, awards and other BELMAS initiatives. I would also encourage stronger engagement with practitioners and educational leaders who may value BELMAS’s work but do not yet see themselves as active members of this learned society.
I would approach the Trustee role as a representative responsibility. I would remain approachable, take members’ views seriously, and ensure their interests inform the Board’s discussions and decisions. Thank you for reading this.
