Guildford Grammar School

About

Guildford Grammar School, informally known as Guildford Grammar, Guildford or GGS, is an independent Anglican coeducational primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Guildford, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Initially established as a single-sex school for boys, in 2019, the School became co-educational from Kindergarten to Year 6, and in Years 7, 8 and 11 in the Senior School; in Years 9-10 and 12, the School catered for boys only. Since 2019, the School has been fully co-educational. Boarding facilities for Senior School girls were introduced from 2020. The school is a member of the Public Schools Association and the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia. The Anglican grammar school traces its origins back to 1896 when it was established by Charles Harper. In 1900, the school moved from the Harper family home to its current site near the banks of the Swan River, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from the centre of the City of Perth on 80 hectares (198 acres) of property. The East Guildford campus consists of a senior school for Year 7 to 12, a preparatory school for kindergarten to Year 6, sporting grounds and boarding facilities for 150 students.

Guildford Grammar School traces its foundations to 1896, when Charles Harper, an influential Western Australian, established in the billiard room of his house (Woodbridge House) a school (under the guidance of Frank Bennett, the first headmaster) which was to cater to the educational needs of his children and those from the surrounding district. Harper's vision was to create a school based on the English public school system, whilst also attempting to accommodate the different culture of the modern colonial society.

In 1900, the school moved to its current site. The school was originally called The Church of England Grammar School. Together with Christian Brothers College ( Aquinas ), The High School ( Hale School ) and The Alexander Scotch College ( Scotch ), the school established the Public Schools Association (PSA) in 1905. Initially, the school only had 14 students, but in 1910, with over 100 students, it was taken over by the Trustees of the Church of England. Canon Percy Henn was appointed Headmaster.

In 1914, the Chapel of St Mary and St George was consecrated and, to the east of the senior school, the preparatory school was founded by Henn and Cecil Priestley. It originally took boys only. It is now co-educational and also includes boarders. These boarders are accommodated in the Graham Malcolm Junior Hall of Residence.

In March 1942, the staff and students of the senior school were evacuated to Fairbridge Farm School near Pinjarra for 18 months as a precaution during World War II.

The Guildford Grammar School Foundation was established in 1974, to help guarantee the financial independence of the school and to develop its standing within the Western Australian education system. The board of the foundation aims to establish a large and self-perpetuating capital fund of $30 million. Currently, a portion of the income generated from the foundation's assets funds a bursaries and scholarships program.

In 2019 Guildford Grammar School had 1,097 students, with capacity for 148 boarding students.

The dedication of the school chapel to Saint Mary and Saint George took place on 25 March 1914. The dedication was the inspiration for the current coat of arms, which replaced the cross and coronet of the Harper family. The arms consist of the red cross of St George on a white shield below the three fleur de lys of St Mary against a dark blue field. "Go Forward", the school motto which succeeded the Harpers' Coelum ipsum petimus, appears in a scroll under the arms.

The dedication of the school chapel to Saint Mary and Saint George took place on 25 March 1914. The dedication was the inspiration for the current coat of arms, which replaced the cross and coronet of the Harper family. The arms consist of the red cross of St George on a white shield below the three fleur de lys of St Mary against a dark blue field. "Go Forward", the school motto which succeeded the Harpers' Coelum ipsum petimus, appears in a scroll under the arms.

The following individuals have served as Principal of Guildford Grammar School:

Guildford Grammar School is located on a 100-acre (40 ha) campus on the banks of the Swan River and stands among trees and lawns. The campus has a number of buildings and sporting facilities necessary for the day to day educational needs of the students. Some of these buildings are of historical significance—including the chapel, which is listed with the Heritage Council of Western Australia. Most of the buildings and sporting fields are named after significant people in the school's foundation and history.

In 2005, the school embarked on a major redevelopment project, named the One Campus Project, the first major project to be undertaken at the school in 15 years. This project includes the redevelopment of the school's playing fields and property bordering the Great Eastern Highway. The project was expected to cost in excess of $5.5 million and included the construction of a new hockey pitch, a second football oval, 12 new acrylic surface tennis courts, a new sports pavilion and the reconstruction of Roberts Oval.

Main article: Guildford Grammar School chapel The Federation Gothic-styled school chapel (the Chapel of St Mary and St George), first suggested by headmaster Canon P.U. Henn (after whom Henn's House was named) and funded by Cecil Oliverson, after whom the school gymnasium is named. It is heritage listed and contains a large amount of English Oak wood. It currently houses a Bible (the Windsor Bible) gifted to the school by Queen Elizabeth II as a replacement for the Bible gifted by King George V which was destroyed in a fire in 1980.

Main article: Guildford Grammar School chapel The Federation Gothic-styled school chapel (the Chapel of St Mary and St George), first suggested by headmaster Canon P.U. Henn (after whom Henn's House was named) and funded by Cecil Oliverson, after whom the school gymnasium is named. It is heritage listed and contains a large amount of English Oak wood. It currently houses a Bible (the Windsor Bible) gifted to the school by Queen Elizabeth II as a replacement for the Bible gifted by King George V which was destroyed in a fire in 1980.

Guildford offers an extracurricular program for students. The school also has boarding facilities for students who live in rural areas of Western Australia as well as international students. The major components of the program are sports, music, the arts and cadets.

The cadet program at Guildford dates back to 1904. The program is governed by the state and federal arms of the Australian Army Cadet Corps and is supported by the A SQD Tenth Light Horse.

Guildford participates in the national Tournament of Minds competition and has produced 15 teams composed of seven boys from Years 8 to 10 in 2007 and annually produces about 12 teams. Guildford has had success within this competition, regularly going into state finals and making the nationals in 2005, ranking fourth nationally in 2005 and being the top team for maths and engineering in Western Australia.

The school offers a range of academic pursuits for students, and also gives awards such as academic colours, subject awards and the dux award, which are given at an annual presentation night.

Guildford awards several scholarships based on academic merit to students, but under agreed PSA rules no member schools may award sports scholarships. To gain a scholarship a student must take the ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) Co-operative Scholarship Examination, and also submit a portfolio. The shortlisted candidates attend an interview with the headmaster.

D'Arcy Slater Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a student entering Year 7 in memory of D'Arcy Slater, a student of the School who died in 1991. The student that receives the award must be a good all-rounder. This scholarship provides all tuition fees for the student.