The Grammar Schools Act 1860 was passed by Queensland's first parliament in 1860 and allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £1000 could be raised locally. Between the years 1863 and 1892, ten grammar schools were opened under the auspices of the Act. The first of these was Ipswich Grammar School, which opened in 1863.
History of the Act
The Grammar Schools Act was the fourth bill of the first parliament of Queensland. Along with the Primary Schools Act 1860, it aimed to bring Queensland under one general and comprehensive education systemwithout prejudice. In the early years of Australian education, denominational schools had a large influence. These schools were criticised over a number of decades for proliferating a social divide, and providing poor and biased education. By the time of the first parliament of Queensland in 1860, there was a general feeling that any system of education established in Queensland should be free of denominationalism. The Act received little opposition in either House of Parliament – revealing its popularity. It found the approval of the public in general, and even amongst sections of the Anglican community. The Act marked a departure from the education systems in place in Victoria and New South Wales, where schools were generally tied up with respective religious bodies or being provided massive, ineffective endowments, with little effort required from the community. The main points of the Act are summarised below. Basically, the Act allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £1000 could be raised locally. The Queensland Government then matched that figure. The Schools were to be administered by a seven-member Board of Trustees, of which four members were appointed by the Governor. The Act also made provision for public scholarships for students to attend university in Britain or the southern states of Australia. The act was repealed in 1975 and replaced with the Grammar Schools Act 1975.
Schools opened under the Act
There were ten grammar schools opened under the Act – eight of which remain open today. In chronological order, they were:
That where £1000 was raised by donation or subscription in any district for the purpose of establishing a Grammar School, then the Governor, if satisfied with the proposed School, paid to the Trustees "a sum not exceeding the amount raised".
That when fees to the amount of £250 per annum were promised for a period of not less than three years, the Governor shall pay out of the general revenue of the Colony £500 to the credit of the Trustees, towards the upkeep of the School.
A body of seven persons, to be called the Trustees of the School, were to be elected. Four of those seven were to be nominated by the Governor, whilst the other three were to be elected by vote of subscribers of over £5 to the funds of the School.
The Governor was permitted to, in any one year, reserve 10% of the amount payable to a School to provide for scholarships to any British or Australian university. Such scholarships were awarded after public competitive examinations.
