Lead the adults first
Why a principal's real classroom is the staffroom — and how investing in teachers, not chasing children's marks, produces both.
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01 · The head
— Dr Rajesh Menon · in trust, for every child
A school is a promise kept to every child
I spent my first decade as a teacher and a further stretch as a vice-principal before I ever sat in the head's chair, and I'm glad of it — because it taught me the job is stewardship, not authority. A principal holds something in trust: the growth of every child and the confidence of every family who chose the school.
In twelve years leading three institutions I've turned around a school on the brink of losing its affiliation, opened a new senior wing to demand, and lifted a tired staffroom into one that people transferred in to join. The board metrics — a 100% board pass, enrolment up by a third, retention above 95% — matter, but they followed the culture work; they never led it.
If your board or trust needs a principal who builds culture before chasing numbers, who is safe with governance, finance and safeguarding, and who treats a school as a promise made to every child in it — my record, references and governance experience are ready for your scrutiny.
PRINCIPAL
Leadership card
Particulars · one glanceBaseKochi, Kerala
RolePrincipal (K-12)
BoardsCBSE · CISCE experience
ScaleUp to 2,100 students · 140 staff
LanguagesEnglish · Malayalam · Hindi
StatusOpen to principal / head roles
02 · The remit
SignaturePeople-firstUncompromisingGovernanceTrusted3 schools
What I lead & steward
Academics to culture, finance to safeguarding — the whole institution held to one standard.
Academic leadership
curriculum, results, teaching standardsStaff development & HR
recruitment, appraisal, retention, mentoringSafeguarding & welfare
child protection, discipline, pastoral careFinance & administration
budgets, fees, infrastructure, complianceCommunity & board relations
parents, trustees, affiliations, PRStrategy & growth
vision, expansion, admissions, turnaround
03 · Philosophy
Lead the adults, and the children flourish
A principal cannot teach two thousand children — but can shape the hundred adults who do. So I lead the staff first: hire well, trust deeply, hold to a clear standard, and remove what gets in a good teacher's way. A school with confident, supported teachers and unambiguous values becomes a place children are safe enough to take risks in — and that, not any exam table, is where real results begin. I run the institution so the classroom can breathe.
- CultureSet the tone from the top — values that are lived, not laminated. A child feels a school's culture in the first five minutes.
- PeopleRecruit, develop and retain great teachers, then get obstacles out of their way. The staffroom is the engine room.
- SystemsTimetable, safeguarding, finance, communication — the unglamorous machinery that lets everything else run calmly.
- CommunityParents, board and neighbourhood as partners, not audiences. A school is held up by the trust around it.
04 · Leadership
Twenty-four years, classroom to corner office
2018 — PRESENT
Principal
Trinity Global School, Kochi (K-12, 2,100 students)
Lead a 2,100-student K-12 school and 140 staff. Rebuilt the staff-development framework, opened a new senior-secondary wing to meet demand, and hold a 100% board pass with enrolment up a third and retention above 95%.
2013 — 2018
Principal
St. Aloysius Vidya Bhavan, Thrissur
Took over a school at risk of losing its CBSE affiliation; restored compliance, rebuilt the leadership team, and returned it to a waitlist within four years.
2007 — 2013
Vice-Principal & Academic Head
Rajagiri Public School, Kochi
Ran academics and daily operations for a 1,500-student school; designed the appraisal and mentoring system still in use, and led the CBSE re-accreditation.
2000 — 2007
Teacher → Senior Coordinator
Various CBSE schools, Kerala
Taught senior science and progressed through coordination roles — the classroom grounding every good principal needs.
05 · Credentials
Education
2011 — 2015
Thesis on school turnaround
Ph.D — Educational Leadership
University of KeralaThesis on school turnaround
2004
First rank
M.Ed
University of CalicutFirst rank
1998 — 2000
First class
M.Sc + B.Ed
Mahatma Gandhi UniversityFirst class
06 · Qualifications
Certifications
Certified School Leader — Leadership programmeNIEPA / national · 2016
POCSO & safeguarding lead certificationcurrent · renewed 2025
School finance & governanceCBSE leadership course · 2019
Assessment & CBSE affiliation processesCBSE certified
07 · Honours
Recognised & awarded
National Award to Teachers (earlier career)Ministry of Education
2012Best Principal — regionalEducation leadership forum
2022School turnaround recognisedSt. Aloysius, affiliation restored
2017100% board pass, sustainedTrinity Global School
2019–
08 · Address
MAY 2026 FEB 2026 OCT 2025
From the head's desk
Culture before numbers
Every turnaround I've led started with the invisible things — tone, trust, safety. The metrics always followed, never led.
Read →The head as steward
A school is held in trust, not owned. What that shift in mindset changes about how you make every difficult decision.
Read →
09 · From the community
What they say
FROM THE COMMUNITY · 01
Dr Menon restored our school when we were close to losing affiliation. Calm, principled, and utterly trustworthy with governance.
Board ChairmanST. ALOYSIUS TRUSTFROM THE COMMUNITY · 01
He is the reason I stayed in teaching. He leads staff the way great teachers lead children — high standards, real support.
Senior TeacherTRINITY GLOBAL SCHOOLFROM THE COMMUNITY · 01
As a parent I felt the difference within a term. The school simply felt safer, calmer and prouder of itself under his headship.
Parent & PTA memberK-12 PARENT
10 · For boards & trusts
The appointment brief
✦ AVAILABLE 2027 · GLAD TO PRESENT A 90-DAY PLAN TO YOUR BOARD BEFORE APPOINTMENT
Current rolePrincipal, Trinity Global School
Open toPrincipal · head of school · director of education
ScaleK-12 · up to 2,500 students
Expected package₹24–36 LPA / negotiable
Notice periodOne term / 90 days
Willing to relocateYes — Kerala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gulf & international schools
Chairman, Trinity Education TrustCURRENT · SHARED ON REQUEST
Chairman, St. Aloysius Trust2013–18 · SHARED ON REQUEST