Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School (colloquially known just as
Grammar) is a non-
denominational,
independent school for boys located in
Sydney,
Australia founded in
1854. As one of the oldest and most famous schools in Australia, it claims to offer the "classic" or "grammar" type of education thought of as liberal, humane, pre-vocational pedagogy. As well as the high school in
Darlinghurst, there are two preparatory schools in
St Ives and
Edgecliff.
The
Sydney Public Free Grammar School opened in 1825 with L. H. Halloran as Head Master. In 1830
Sydney College was founded. Sir Francis Forbes, Chief Justice, became President of the College and laid the foundation stone of the present building in College Street on
26 January,
1830. In 1835 Sydney College opened in this building with W.T. Cape as Head Master. In 1842 he resigned and was succeeded by T.H. Braim. In 1850 Sydney College was closed.
In 1854
Sydney Grammar School (SGS) was incorporated by Act of Parliament and acquired the land and building in College Street which had been temporarily occupied by the newly-founded
University of Sydney in 1852. It was opened on
3 August 1857 specifically as a 'feeder-school' for the University.
The
preamble of the Sydney Grammar School Act 1854 states that:
It is deemed expedient for the better advancement of religion and morality and the promotion of useful knowledge to establish in Sydney a public school for conferring on all classes and denominations of Her Majesty's subjects resident in the Colony of New South Wales without any distinction whatsoever the advantages of a regular and liberal course of education.[
1]
The Act provides that the Trustees of the School shall consist of twelve persons, of whom six shall be persons holding the following offices respectively:
*The Honourable the
Attorney-General of
New South Wales*The Honourable the President of the
New South Wales Legislative Council*The Honourable the Speaker of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly*The
Chancellor of the
University of Sydney*The Principal
Professor of
Classics of the
University of Sydney*The Senior
Professor of
Mathematics of the
University of SydneyThe Act also provides that the
Governor of New South Wales shall be the official
Visitor of the School.
Sydney Grammar prides itself on the liberal, pre-vocational nature of its education, and this sentiment is reflected in its academic structure and subject choices. The academic departments are:
*Classics
*Design and Technology
*Economics
*English
*Geography
*History
*Mathematics
*Modern Languages (Asian and European)
*Music
*Physical Education
*Science
*Visual Arts.
Subjects offered for the Higher School Certificate include English Standard, English Advanced, English Extension 1, English Extension 2, Mathematics, Mathematics Extension 1, Mathematics Extension 2, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Earth and Envirnomental Science, Geography, Modern History, Ancient History, History Extension, Economics, Latin, Latin Extension, Classical Greek, Classical Greek Extension, French Continuers, French Extension, Italian Continuers, Italian Extension, German Continuers, German Extension, Chinese Continuers, Chinese Extension, Japanese Beginners, Music 1 and 2, Music Extension, Visual Art and PDHPE. Sanskrit and Design & Technology are also offered as non-HSC courses.
 |
The Middle Playground |
Sydney Grammar is a private school and is one of the most selective schools in Australia, measured by the scholarship entry examination results produced by the Australian Council of Educational Research. Currently, it is the most academically proficient private school in NSW as measured by consistent performance in the
Higher School Certificate. Its only consistent rival in state-wide academic standings is James Ruse Agricultural College.[
2]
At $19,463 per annum (for Forms I - VI, non-boarding ), the school fees are amongst the highest of any secondary school in the country.
Sydney Grammar is located near the centre of the
Sydney Central Business District. The campus is small in land area, consisting of multi-storey buildings (up to seven floors) in a concrete landscape setting. Sydney Grammar is situated on the eastern side of Sydney's
Hyde Park, next to the
Australian Museum. The school extends from College Street to Yurong Street. The designs of the school's buildings illustrate many different architectural eras; from the colonial era "Big School", dating from the early 19th Century, the Blackett Buildings, which are annexed onto either side of "Big School", the Palladium Building, exhibiting a rather unsightly example of
International Style architecture, to the Science Building, featuring the A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson Library, and Stanley Street Buildings, including one cottage, still used as a classroom, dating from 1867.
The school's sporting grounds and facilities, named 'Weigall' after former Headmaster A.B. Weigall, are located in Rushcutters Bay next to the school's Edgecliff preparatory school. The sporting facilities include tennis courts, cricket pitches and fields for rugby and soccer.
Sydney Grammar's music programme is amongst the best of any secondary-school in Australia. SGS has won the
AMEB Music Shield 10 times in the past 11 years. Two-thirds of students in the school play a musical instrument or are involved with music in some way. SGS boasts scores of musical groups in mostly
classical,
chamber,
jazz and 'big band' styles. The School Orchestra has received wide-acclaim and frequently engages in tours across Australia and the World. Grammar's extensive choir-programme involves hundreds of boys, 'Old Boys' and parents, participating every-which-way in its many annual concerts. The school's
a capella group is known as 'The Grammarphones' and is composed of the best tenors, basses and baritones in the senior years.
Recently, SGS has embarked upon a 5 year programme entitled 'Bach: 2010' in which all the known choral cantatas of
J.S. Bach will be performed in a series of concerts between 2005 and 2010. Sydney Grammar is one of the few institutions in the world seeking to engage in such an exercise and, with its newly installed Mander Organ in the 'Big School', is well-equipped to do so. [
3]
Under the current Head Master, an organic Rock-&-Roll movement has emerged and is currently thriving. The end of 2004 saw the consummation of years of practice in the 'Grammarpalooza' Rock Concert, which included the musical style of an 'Old Boy' band of some-note,
Dappled Cities Fly.
Sydney Grammar School is one of eight
Sydney schools known collectively as the
GPS Schools. GPS sporting events are contested keenly in rugby, football, cricket, tennis, volleyball, cross country, basketball, rowing, athletics, rifle shooting, and debating. SGS also runs a fencing and chess programme, which are very successful in their respective competitions.
Grammar participates in the Tri-Grammar Cup (
Cricket) in which Sydney,
Brisbane and
Melbourne Grammar Schools each send their best cricket team to compete for the title, known as the "shield". Sydney Grammar School and Melbourne Grammar School compete for a "bat" in the same competition. The Sydney-Melbourne match dates back to 1876.
Competition in
rowing culminates in the Riverview Gold Cup (for Junior Crews) and the
Head of the River for Senior Crews. In 2001, a new rowing competition - the Tri-Grammar Series - was begun. A rowing regatta between Sydney Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar and Brisbane Grammar held in each city in rotation. To ensure a friendly atmosphere and spirit, each member of the host crew offers accommodation to their counterpart from a rival crew.
The school's main sport field is Weigall, named after former Headmaster
A.B. Weigall. It is located in
Rushcutters Bay, in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. It is routinely used for Saturday sports matches, Physical Education and as a recreational area for Grammar's Edgecliff Preparatory School.
In May 2005, headmaster John Vallance announced that the school would lead a consortium to purchase 30 Alma St
Paddington, known as '
White City', from Tennis New South Wales, thus extending the Weigall grounds substantially. [
4] As of mid 2006, development applications to subdivide the White City tennis courts (numbered DA 20/2006 and DA 302/2006) were lodged with Woollahra Council (NSW, Australia) to develop the site to accommodate more tennis and basketball courts, although the results of the application are yet to be known.[https://ecouncil.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/eservice/daEnquiryInit.do?nodeNum=5270]
Sydney Grammar has a total enrolment of 1840 boys across Years K-12. The main High School campus has an enrolment of 1115 boys in Forms I-VI (Years 7-12). There are also two primary-level Preparatory Schools: Edgecliff Preparatory in the Eastern Suburbs, which has 300 boys, and St. Ives Preparatory in the Northern Suburbs, which has 440. Each year, approximately two-thirds of the incoming Form I at College St are from the two Preparatory Schools, while the rest are from various other schools across Sydney, Australia and the World.
Dozens of clubs and societies service the extended student body of the school.
[ ] These include:
*Air Force Cadets (The oldest squadron in Australia (306sqn))
*
Anime Society
*Army Cadet Corps (which pre-dates the existence of the Australian army (SGSCC)
Sydney Grammar School Cadet Corps)
*Asian Education Club
*Audio-Visual Team
*Ceramics Club
*
Chess Club (renowned to be one of the best in NSW, having won the State Senior, Intermediate and Junior divisions in
2002, the first school to have done so in the competition)
*Classical Culture Society
*Computer Club
*Gourmet Food society
*Creative Writing Club, run by
Dr. Hughes *
Debating club
*
Drama Club
*Endeavour Club
*Film Club
*Fly fishing club
*'Kaleidoscope Eyes', an academic extension magazine
*Library team
*Mathematics Club
*
Philosophy Club
*Student Advisory Council
*'Tiger' magazine, a satirical
school newspaperA number of boys also assist in editing the school's almanac, 'The Sydneian' which has been produced by students since
1875.
Former students of the school are known as Old Sydneians. For notable Old Sydneians, see
List of famous Old Sydneians.
The current Headmaster of Sydney Grammar School is Dr. John T. Vallance. Dr. Vallance attended
St John's College, Cambridge and was later a fellow of
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge at which time he wrote
The Lost Theory of Asclepiades of Bithynia (ISBN 0198242484), which is cited by a number of other histories of philosophy and of medicine. [
5] Dr. Vallance is also the author of the entries on medicine and anthropology in the
Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd edition).
Dr. Vallance succeeded Dr. Ralph Townsend in his role as Headmaster. After a period at
Oundle School, Dr. Townsend is now currently Headmaster of
Winchester School, England.
The school's colours - Black and Gold - are said to be based on those of
Brasenose College, Oxford, the alma mater of A.B. Weigall. The window mosaic situated next to Weigall's memorial in the Big School room is that of the coat of arms of
Brasenose, a testament to the connection between the two institutions.
| Years | Sydney College |
|---|
| 1835-1841 | W. T. Cape |
| 1841-1846 | Thomas Henry Braim, MA |
| 1847-1849 | D. Patterson |
| 1850 | Charles Woodward, LLB |
| - bgcolor="#FFCC33" | Years | Sydney Grammar School |
|---|
| 1857-1866 | W. J. Stephens, MA |
| 1867-1912 | Albert Bythesea Weigall, CMG, MA |
| 1913-1920 | H. N. P. Sloman, MC, MA |
| 1920-1923 | A. H. S. Lucas, MA, BSc |
| 1923-1939 | H. S. Dettmann, MA, BCL |
| 1940-1950 | F. G. Phillips, MA |
| 1951-1964 | C. O. Healey, OBE, TD, MA |
| 1965-1968 | S. P. T. Houldsworth, MA, DipEd |
| 1969-1989 | A. M. Mackerras, AO, MA |
| 1989-1999 | Dr. Ralph D. Townsend, MA, D.Phil |
| 1999- | Dr. John. T. Vallance, MA, Ph.D. |
*
List of Non-Government schools in New South Wales*
Sydney Grammar School website*
The Old Sydneians Union*
The Sydneian Bach Choir
