Preparing for coeducation

Preparing for coeducation

Our new uniform design is just one of the many steps we are taking as we move towards coeducation.

The history of uniforms

AS THE MONTHS ROLL BY, and the concept of girls commencing their Cranbrook education becomes ever closer to reality, the School has been meticulously planning and implementing various initiatives and changes. From staff training and development, interviewing our girls’ families in our waitpool to curriculum planning and uniform design, we are poised to provide a vibrant and inclusive environment .

Cranbrook’s new uniform, available from Term 4 2025, represents an important chapter in our school’s history, with only a few changes to the uniform since the School opened its gates in 1918, and no changes to the uniform since 1985.

When Cranbrook was founded in 1918, there was no set uniform. Students wore a suit and tie combination of their choice and senior students wore bow ties. By 1921, most students wore a darker jacket with knickerbockerstyle pants, long socks, and a tie. In 1931 the School Council wrote in The Cranbrookian: “The School Council has decided that, from the beginning of next year, all boys attending Cranbrook will be required to dress in a prescribed grey flannel. The material will be available at all leading tailoring firms, and no restriction is being placed upon the style and cut that tailors may wish to recommend to their clients. The idea of a uniform, even modified in this way, should be popular with everybody who is interested in Cranbrook, and should add to our prestige and esprit de corps”.

In 1942, The Cranbrookian documented the addition of a ‘new blue shirt that will become part of regulation attire’. Senior students wore a double-breasted jacket. By the late 70s there was a uniform in place which consisted of a mid-grey suit, black shoes and a tie.

In 1985, The Chronicle documented that the school Council had approved a new uniform, which included a navy blazer made from Onkaparinga flannel instead of a suit coat, and the school crest on the left-hand pocket. The colour of the shirt was changed to sky blue. The sports uniform was changed so that only the Firsts wore the white tracksuit, with the remainder of the School wearing a white top with blue tracksuit pants.

The Chronicle states: “The Committee feels like the blazer would, firstly, overcome the problem which exists at present concerning matching coats and trousers. Secondly, it would provide a definitive and atractive (sic) means of identification with the school which most people, and especially the boys, feel is necessary and desirable. Thirdly, it looks extremely smart.”

UNIFORM THROUGH THE AGES CRANBROOK SCHOOL

1918 – 1919

No set uniform, many of the students wore suits or jackets and trousers. Small boys wore shorts with jackets. Ties were worn, a few bow ties for seniors.

1919 – 1931

By 1921 most of the School wore a darker jacket with tie and some wore knickerbocker pants. Some older boys wore double-breasted suit coats. Those who wore knickerbockers wore long socks as well. All wore ties. During this decade, black shoes were the style with grey socks.

1932 – 1933

School Council decided (in 1931) that from the beginning of this year a grey flannel was to be the school uniform. No style was set for this grey flannel. This was to set the boys at Cranbrook School apart from other schools and increase their esprit de corps!

1933 – 1941

Senior boys wore the grey flannel with waistcoats and striped tie. Some time during this decade caps and hats were worn. By 1941 a new design of cap was being considered.

1942 – 1985

From late 1941 or from the start of 1942 the blue shirt was to be worn by all students. Interesting to note that some of the senior students wore a darker grey flannel as a suit. By the late 1970s uniformity with mid-grey suit, black shoes, and school tie. Also in the 1970s the soft grey felt hat (with blue school band and crest) was phased out.

In 1985 the School Council decided to remove the grey school jacket and replace it with a blue blazer with the school crest on the left breast pocket and the colour of the shirt was changed to sky blue, a lighter shade than the previous iteration. The caps and ties removed for kindergarten boys. In sportswear, only the first team in inter-school 1sts sports teams (and swimming and athletics teams) would continue to wear the white tracksuit. The remainder of the School would wear the white top with blue tracksuit pants. These changes would phased in over 1986.

1980s – 1990s

From the late 80s to early 90s, a white shirt for musical performance was introduced.

1985 – the present

The school uniform has only undergone one major change. The school crest was changed by the School Council, on the advice of Mr Jeremy Madin, Headmaster 2001-2012. The major change that took place was the addition of a blue border around the already existing red boarder of the crest. Other small changes were made to the crest.

Preparing for coeducation.

Although most of the teachers at Cranbrook attended, and have previously taught in coeducational schools, all Cranbrook teachers, sports coaches, managers, and staff are receiving ongoing training to be ready for coeducation. Among other activities, our teachers have been working closely with schools including Barker, St Andrew’s Cathedral School, Winchester College, and Carey Baptist.

For co-curricular activities such as drama, coeducation will be a smooth transition. Head of Drama Chantel Munro says Drama is on the front foot. “We have always encouraged coeducation through productions and tours. In fact, many of our male students have very close friendships with females already from plays and musicals we have undertaken with girls’ schools.”

Parents considering Cranbrook
for their daughters.

Charlotte Brown was grateful to be given the opportunity to visit Cranbrook in March this year, accompanied by her father Tim (OC 1988) and Grandfather Bill (OC 1959). The Brown family have a long association with Cranbrook, commencing in the early 1940s with Bill’s older brothers Albert (OC 1942), Robert (OC 1950) and David (OC 1953).

The Browns thought the tour was an amazing opportunity to view the recently renovated facilities. Charlotte was particularly impressed with the pool and gym facilities, and Tim was somewhat envious compared to the old hydra-gym that had a total of about six stations and zero weights.

If given the opportunity, the Browns would love to send Charlotte to Cranbrook as a student in Year 11. Aged four years-old Charlotte accompanied her father and another Old Cranbrookian, Jun Sato (OC 1989) on a Cranbrook tour. After touring the School with the Satos, Charlotte announced that she would one day attend. Tim Brown said “At the time we laughed and told her that was not an option as Cranbrook was exclusively for boys, but she was adamant. Fast forward to 2022 when Charlotte found in the news that it was being proposed to turn Cranbrook into a coeducational school, the dreams of a determined four-year-old were apparently becoming a very real possibility,” he says.

Another student, Sailor Rose, who is a sibling of Year 7 student Weston, said she is excited about the prospect of attending Cranbrook. “I am very excited that I might get to go to Cranbrook in Year 7. My brother has told me there is a big library there and that all the teachers are the best. It would be nice for me to have an opportunity to go to high school with kids of all genders, not just other girls. Also, the school grounds are very beautiful, and I like the school spirit,” she says.

Weston Rose says he is also excited about the prospect of his sister attending Cranbrook. “I’m proud that my family will be a part of this exciting new chapter in Cranbrook’s history - it’s an important step forward for the school’s culture and a great message to send to the world that Cranbrook is inclusive and progressive. As well as that, I’m excited that Sailor will get to experience the wonderful school and opportunities that I am lucky enough to experience,” he says.

“Drama is about empathy, inclusivity, finding your authentic self, all qualities very much in line with being able to empathise with the experience of our first female cohort. The actual course content does not have to change because we have always modelled an inclusive curriculum.”

Chantel Munro

STEM opportunities for girls

Mathematics teacher Amelia Fleming, advocates for girls having the same STEM opportunities as boys. She volunteers for Curious Minds, a charity providing opportunities for high achieving girls in Years 9 and 10 from rural or disadvantaged areas. The charity, which is run by the Australian Maths Trust, Australian National University (ANU) and Australian Science Innovations, matches girls with women who work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for a six-month mentoring programme.

Amelia worked with two girls on different research projects. One project looked at different mathematical strategies to help with climate change, and the second looked at statistical analysis on trick maths questions.

Amelia said Curious Minds was extremely interesting from a cross cultural perspective. “It was fascinating to look at how an Indigenous student connected mathematic principles with cultural stories of her people,” she said. At the end of the research project, the girls travel either to Adelaide or Canberra to meet with their mentor and present their research. “Some of these girls had never been on a plane before, never visited a city before, hadn’t had anyone in their family ever attend University, let alone for a career in STEM. Girls can do STEM. It’s important we work to change this stigma, and seeing people working in STEM careers is integral to this. In my previous role I worked at a coeducational school, so it’s lovely to work with girls again,” she says.

By Daisy Turnbull

Director of Coeducation
and The Academy

While I was standing outside the school Chapel, watching families arrive for Open Day in Term 3, a colleague rang, “There are all these girls walking into the School, this is awesome!”

Sometimes it seems coeducation is already here. In the year since Cranbrook made the decision to go coeducational in 2026, our Open Days have become whole family affairs; a young girl no longer bored listening to staff speak about all that Cranbrook has to offer for her brother, but instead rapt with excitement at the chance of going on Cranbrook In The Field and participating in orchestras and sporting teams herself.

Cranbrook prides itself on providing a truly global education with both the HSC and IB programmes and has been engaging in staff professional development as we prepare for coeducation. Working with Dr Victoria Rawlings at Sydney University and other coeducational schools including Barker and St Andrew’s College, we have been learning how best to prepare our curriculum and pedagogy for coeducation. Some of our senior leaders have visited coeducational schools around the country including Carey Baptist College in Melbourne, where Cathleen Jin, Angelique Sanders and I have learnt from their executive and Year 12 Prefects about what worked and what didn’t along their coeducation journey.

Similarly, on the ground, the school culture whilst already celebrating diversity is embracing the change, as seen through the work of our Year 11 art student Casper Nicholson, whose Site Specific Artwork were posters of some of his female friends wearing the Cranbrook uniform with CRANBROOKIAN underneath them. We have students promoting diversity groups in The Chronicle, and we are engaging with girls’ schools for social and sporting events, including our 2023 Prefects being trounced by the Ascham Prefects at football in Term 3.

Casper’s portraits were not too far off the new Cranbrook uniform design. The redesign of the academic uniform, to accommodate coeducation, gave us a great opportunity to look at what we love about our uniform - don’t touch the blazer! It also allowed us to explore being a coeducational community progressing into the middle decades of the 21st Century, with options for all students to choose the type of pants or skirt they want to wear, and an interseasonal uniform recognising Australia’s changing climate. The new uniform will be more sustainable, more easily cared for, and will offer a modern take on the classic Cranbrook uniform.

The contribution of the girls’ focus group was especially valuable. It was wonderful to hear the students talk about how they liked the options available in the coed uniform, and their choices over what they would wear. As part of the process we consulted current students, female students from local schools, and members of the Cranbrook School Parents’ Association and School Council.

Language is often referred to as the hidden curriculum of a school, and that is something that we are updating as we move to coeducation, with teachers no longer referring to ‘boys’ and ‘gents’, but to ‘students’ and even Angus Stanford, Head of Rawson House’s ‘Children of the Brook’. While this year’s Prefects will be OCs by the time girls start, they are part of coeducation in that they have helped shape the language our younger students (especially in Year 7 through to Year 9) hear and get used to, for when coeducation starts.

We are also hosting coeducational dinners for students in Years 11 and 12 for their specific subjects, starting with a Drama dinner in Term 4, and looking at other subject areas in 2024. This will be an opportunity for students from across the area to learn from experts in their fields to bring to life their studies and engage with peers.

As I sat in the new Orchestra Room watching students present their HSC and IB Music compositions, I was overcome with a sense of how easily coeducational this situation could be. Academically, pastorally, and in the breadth of our co-curricular activities, we are a school ready for coeducation.

In regards to Sport, our junior years already compete against coeducational teams from Barker, and will be able to expand our sporting programmes. Furthermore, sports like sailing are ready to go, with a diversity not only of gender but age groups competing. Our Head of Rowing, Sam Carroll, is working on a coeducational rowing regatta and we have added Touch Football to our summer sports competitions.

Working with current students, I am meeting with Years 7 and 8 students in each House to present ‘Coeducation Myth Busters’ to inform and respond to their excitement and concerns about what coeducation may mean for them. We also held Parent Webinars in Term 4 for parents in different groups participating in coeducation.

In some ways, coeducation is two years off, and in another way, it is already underway - with Year 4 girls and boys coming on site for their interviews, beginning a ‘long orientation’ through which they engage with each other and develop friendships before they start in January 2026.