Canberra Grammar School
Canberra Grammar School is a co-educational, independent, day and boarding school, located in Red Hill, a suburb of Canberra, the capital of Australia.
The school is affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia and provides an education from pre-school to Year 12 for boys and girls. In October 2015, the school announced that it would extend co-education to all years, commencing in 2016 with an intake of girls in Years 3 and 4. By 2018 the school became fully co-educational.
The school was founded in 1929 when the existing Monaro Grammar School was relocated to Canberra from Cooma. The foundation stone was laid on 4 December 1928 by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce. Initially it was attended by only 63 students, but has grown considerably since the early 1950s to a total attendance of 1,749 students as of June 2015.
The school has educated one Australian Prime Minister and has a long list of notable alumni.
Curriculum
In the primary school, the Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework requirements are incorporated through International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.In the senior school, from years 7 to 10, the school follows the Australia Curriculum and the ACT Every chance to learn curriculum framework. Unlike other schools in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra Grammar School does not follow the ACT Year 12 Curriculum. Instead, students in years 11 and 12 have the option to study either the New South Wales Higher School Certificate or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In 2012, Canberra Grammar became an International Baccalaureate World School.
Co-curricular
The school offers many activities outside school hours. These include sport, music and other activities.- Junior School: athletics, ball games, basketball, chess, cricket, cross country running, drama, European handball, gardening, golf, indoor soccer, mini volleyball, multimedia, orienteering, rugby, art, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, triathlon
- Senior School: badminton, basketball, chess, Code Cadets, community service, cricket, cross country, debating, dragon boat, drama, Duke of Edinburgh awards, football, golf, hockey, mountain biking, orienteering, outdoor education, rowing, rugby, sailing, snowsports, Sustainable CGS, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, triathlon, water polo
- Junior School Music: Junior School Chorale, Junior Choir, Senior Choir, String Orchestra, Concert Band, Canberra Grammar School Stage Band
- Senior School Music is made up of two streams of performance groups:
- *The Advanced Musicians Program consists of a senior concert band, Chamber Orchestra, senior Jazz band, senior percussion ensemble, brass ensemble and Motet. These students have high level performance opportunities.
- *The Large ensemble Program provides larger ensemble-based experiences, including two concert bands, junior jazz band, two string ensembles, a choir, an electric guitar ensemble, junior percussion ensemble and a piano ensemble.
Houses
List of houses
As with most Australian schools, Canberra Grammar utilises a house system. The Senior School consists of ten houses:House | Colour | Mascot |
Burgmann | Lion rampant | |
Blaxland | Swan | |
Garran | Bull | |
Garnsey | Dove with olive branch | |
Eddison | Eagle | |
Hay | Murray cod | |
Jones | Dark | Dragon |
Sheaffe | Pegasus | |
Edwards | Kookaburra | |
Middleton | Stag |
Eddison House is the current holder of the Manaro House Shield, the award for the culmination of inter-house competitions.
The school also has three Year 7 houses:
House | Mascot |
Clements | Agnus Dei |
Burgess | Kangaroo |
Snow | Horse |
The Junior School has four houses:
House | Colour |
Edwards | Green |
Radford | Red |
Garnsey | Blue |
CJ Shakespeare | Gold |
Inter-house competitions
Houses form the basis of much of the inter-school competition that occurs throughout the academic calendar. Currently, the three prizes are awarded annually to houses these are the Manaro House Shield, the Captain's Cup, and the Sports master's Cup.Manaro House Shield
Events:- Swimming
- Cross Country
- Athletics
- House music
- Effort grades
Captain's Cup
The exact events of the Captain's Cup are at the discretion of the captains and vice-captains of the school, and thus vary on a year-to-year basis. Typical events include:- Soccer
- Touch football
- Cricket
- Tennis
- Netball
- Medical warfare
- Debating
- Chess
- Basketball
- The CGS Race
The Captain's Cup is currently held by Edwards House.
Sports master's Cup
The Sports master's Cup is determined by:- Spirit
- Attendance
- Participation
Heads of school
Notable alumni
;Academia- Peter David Arthur Garnsey
- Professor Geoffrey Garrett, political scientist
- Professor Malcolm Gillies, Vice-Chancellor and President, City University, London; Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University
- Professor Jeffrey Grey, Australian military historian
- Professor Toby Miller, sociologist
- Kerry Packer, publishing, media and gaming tycoon
- Terry Snow, Executive Director of the Canberra Airport Group, Australian businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
- Richard Glover, author, journalist, ABC radio presenter
- Alister Grierson, film director and scriptwriter
- Francis James, RAF pilot and POW during WWII, journalist and publisher, activist against the Vietnam War
- Peter Leonard, former WIN News Canberra reader
- James O'Loghlin, ABC Sydney presenter
- Dan O'Malley, author of The Rook
- Fred Smith, musician, writer and diplomat
- Mark Walmsley, musician and composer for ABC children's CDs
- Wal Fife, Liberal Party of Australia Federal member for Hume, New South Wales
- Robert Piper, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary General
- Shane Rattenbury, Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 2008–present and Speaker
- Andrew Refshauge, deputy Premier of New South Wales 1995–2005
- Richard Refshauge, ACT Supreme Court Justice
- Jon Richardson, Former Australian High Commissioner to Ghana and Nigeria
- Peter Webb, New South Wales State member for Monaro 1999–2003
- Gough Whitlam, Prime Minister of Australia, 1972–1975
- Andrew Constance, New South Wales State member for Bega 2003-Current
- Edward Bissaker, Junior World Champion cyclist
- Bob Brown, former Wallabies rugby union player
- Josh Bruce, St Kilda, Australian rules football player
- Andy Friend, ACT Brumbies former Head Coach
- David Gallop, former Chairman of the National Rugby League
- Rod Kafer, Wallabies rugby union player
- Peter Kimlin, Wallabies rugby union player
- Michael Milton, world and Australian record holder, Winter Paralympic gold medalist
- Nick McDonald-Crowley, Olympic rower
- Cody Meakin, Australian wheelchair rugby paralympian
- Fergus Pragnell, Australian representative rower
- Guy Shepherdson, Wallabies rugby union player
- Ben Treffers, Junior World Champion swimmer
- Richard Freedman, Horse trainer and media personality
- David Eastman, former Dux found not guilty of murder on 22 November 2018, after a retrial on a quashed murder conviction
- Dr James Muecke AM, Australian of the Year 2020Class of 1981