TGS Prospectus

Queensland, Australia

Image credit: Wes McRae

Fidelis in Omnibus

“FAITHFUL IN ALL THINGS”

Toowoomba Grammar School provides a quality education designed for boys and strives to produce well-rounded young men who are honest, respectful, hard working and humble.

Image credit: Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers

Toowoomba Grammar School

Toowoomba Grammar School was founded in 1875 and it is one of the original Grammar Schools of Queensland.

The School is located in the City of Toowoomba, Queensland, which is one of Australia’s largest inland regional cities with a population of approximately 160,000. Toowoomba is less than a 90 minute drive west of Brisbane and is widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful provincial cities in Australia. It has a strong multi-cultural background and a relaxed, friendly, country atmosphere, giving a feeling of safety and security.

Toowoomba Grammar School is a specialist provider of an education designed for boys and has just under 1,200 students from the Preparatory Grade to Year 12. Approximately one-third of the Senior School (Years 7-12) enrolment are boarders from throughout Queensland, northern New South Wales, South Australia, the Northern Territory and overseas. Our boarding enrolment represents one of the largest for a boys’ boarding school in Australia.

Our School is committed to promoting high achievement in all areas. We have an excellent academic reputation, with the majority of Year 12 leavers proceeding to university in Queensland, interstate or overseas. We also have an exceptional program of vocational education and schoolbased traineeships.

We are one of the nine member schools of The Great Public Schools (GPS) Association of Queensland Inc. and participate in this highly regarded GPS sport and cultural program.

Toowoomba Grammar School believes first-hand life experiences are important for youth and we conduct numerous interstate and international tours for various sports, music, language and cultural experiences. Our School also has a voluntary cadet unit, which is the oldest surviving cadet unit in Queensland and participates in numerous activities in Toowoomba and the surrounding regions.

Our students and their families develop such a strong sense of community that their love for the School often continues well past a student’s graduation, with involvement in organisations such as the Old Boys’ Association, Past Mothers’ Group and many other supporter groups.

Toowoomba Grammar School is a community where memories are made, lifelong friendships are forged and connections extend well beyond the School gates.

Headmaster’s Welcome

I am honoured to introduce to you the incredible opportunities Toowoomba Grammar School can present to your son.

This investment is not solely in terms of superior academic results or vocational training. Our School proudly offers an all-round education and instils in the boys the time-honoured values that are appreciated by the wider community. Sadly, these values are not witnessed as frequently as they should be in today’s contemporary society.

Toowoomba Grammar School boys and young men are frequently identified and applauded for their general courtesy, manners, work ethic, compassion, initiative, honesty, openness and ability to work as part of a team.

The success of Toowoomba Grammar School is a product of many factors. The academic ability and commitment of the teaching staff combine with the influence of like-minded parents who highly value the benefits of education, hard work and achievement. Similarly, the boys are very proud of their School, feel a deep connection to it and its values, and behave accordingly.

I invite you to visit our School and meet with the extraordinarily talented group of teachers who are totally committed to the wellbeing of the students with whom they interact.

Dr John Kinniburgh Headmaster

We

all aim to be considerate, polite, honest, loyal, supportive and respectful in all of our dealings.

Our Values

We are extremely proud of the tone and behaviour exhibited by our students.

Our school environment is achievementoriented, purposeful, happy and relaxed but in a structured and, as required, formal setting. The boys are eager to be fully involved in the academic and co-curricular programs and they’re expected to work hard, be well-behaved and respectful of others. We teach our students to be polite, responsible, self-disciplined, humble, friendly and service-oriented, encouraging them to assist others less fortunate in the wider community.

Our students and staff operate within a community which has strong traditions, dating back to 1875. Working and living together, we all aim to be considerate, polite, honest, loyal, supportive and respectful in all of our dealings.

We seek and applaud the following ten values:

We recognise the benefits of an all-boys’ education. Our teachers can devise curricula relevant to the boys’ interests and can engage in teaching practices that are “boy friendly”. Without girls in the classroom, boys remain positive about their academic performance without having an implied comparison with the girls. They can select subjects that reflect their own personal interests rather than identifying with a perceived gender stereo-typical selection of subjects; in our School languages, drama, music and the arts are just as popular as science, maths and digital technology. We have a wider perspective of masculinity and our boys are encouraged to pursue a variety of academic and co-curricular interests. We break down subject ‘stereo-types’ and as a result our students support and encourage each other in all their endeavours.

Boys are naturally competitive and our teachers harness this energy, competitiveness, academic curiosity and humour to achieve wonderful results. An analysis of ATAR results around the country reveal the high performance of single gender schools. Whilst being an all-boys’ school, at the same time we recognise the importance of the boys interacting in a healthy and respectful way with girls. To this end we have numerous opportunities of social and co-curricular engagement with the students from the neighbouring all-girls’ schools in Toowoomba.

Our Campus and Facilities

Covering over 20.5 hectares, Toowoomba Grammar School is just one kilometre from Toowoomba’s city centre and, consequently, has proximity to all services necessary for our School, staff and boys.

The campus is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque in Queensland with its heritage buildings and expansive, tree-lined school grounds which were initially destined to be the Queen’s Park and Botanical Gardens for the City.

All learning areas in our School are airconditioned and heated. An outstanding Library is a feature of our School together with multiple specialist science laboratories, a learning laboratory for real time interactive video classes with overseas schools and staff professional development, and an advanced information technology network.

In recent years our School has completely refurbished its learning areas in Drama, Art, Information Technology, Industrial Design and Technology and Robotics.

Toowoomba Grammar School boasts five sporting ovals on-site in addition to an outstanding Sports Centre (constructed in 2018) and an Aquatic Centre (constructed in 2010). The Sports Centre includes specialised teaching and learning areas, staff offices, two basketball courts and three volleyball courts, and this court area can also be used for general Health and Physical Education classes. The lower level of the Sports Centre is a large indoor netted facility

that can be converted to six cricket nets for specialised training day and night, as well as used for futsal and a range of PE activities. There are eight tennis courts on the campus with lights for night training or matches. The Aquatic Centre comprises two indoor swimming pools; a main ten lane pool (25 x 25 metre) and a learn-to-swim pool (7.5 x 15 metres).

Since 2013, we have constructed four new specialist Boarding Houses, converting the previous boarding houses to general teaching and learning areas.

Teaching & Learning

Every year our boys achieve extremely pleasing academic standards due to the combination of many factors.

These include very skilled and passionate teachers who are highly knowledgeable within their discipline area, but also understand boys and how they learn. Their teaching methods and curriculum are designed to be relevant to boys’ interests and needs. Boys respect teachers who establish clear boundaries and have high expectations of them. The learning environment at Toowoomba Grammar School is one of discipline and hard work where a strong work ethic is valued, recognised and rewarded. Our teachers create an encouraging and supportive environment and our boys strive to do the best they possibly can.

Boys learn best when they are active participants in the process of learning. As a result, our School provides collaborative and active learning, enhanced with Information Technology tools which are incorporated into lessons, as well as a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. Whether it is in the Science laboratories or the Design spaces, Art, Drama or Music, our boys are able to learn through experience, take responsible risks and develop their resilience and self-discipline.

Our School caters to a broad range of diverse learners. We offer many extension activities throughout the curricular and co-curricular programs so boys can reach their potential. Those who need a little more assistance are provided specialist learning support teachers, particularly in the younger years as they develop the literacy and numeracy skills necessary for success in their studies.

Our boys are able to learn through experience, take responsible risks and develop their resilience and self-discipline.

Our Academic Program prepares

Academic Program

The

In Years 7 and 8, boys experience:

• The Arts (Art, Drama and Music)

• Technologies

• Humanities

• Languages (French and Japanese)

• Health and Physical Education

• Agribusiness

• English

• Mathematics

• Science

A specialised reading program also supports their learning across all subjects.

By Year 9, as well as studying the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, History, and Health and Physical Education, boys personalise their learning through the selection of elective subjects which suit their interests and aspirations. Electives include Digital Technologies, Engineering and Robotics, Design, Languages, Business Studies, Agricultural Science and The Arts.

Every boy in Years 11 and 12 is working towards his QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education). Generally, about eighty percent of our Senior students are on an academic pathway with tertiary studies at one of Australia’s leading universities their goal while a small number of students each year take up offers at international institutions.

The other twenty percent proceed to vocational studies, apprenticeships or directly into the workforce. Irrespective of the pathway, every boy is eligible to attain his QCE at the end of Year 12. With a range of subjects from Engineering to Psychology, there are numerous options to enable boys to undertake a course of study to best prepare them for their post-school options as well as ignite their passion for specific disciplines.

academic program at Toowoomba Grammar School provides opportunities for boys to experience a wide range of subject areas with particular emphasis on content relevant to the interests of boys.

To see boys taking their shoes and socks off and running around on the grass fields at lunchtime and then returning to class to read after lunch, enjoying both activities equally, illustrates what our School does so very well.

Junior School

The Toowoomba Grammar School Junior School is a place where boys are allowed to be boys.

Our students are challenged academically, cared for in a positive and supportive manner and encouraged to actively participate in the rich and diverse co-curricular opportunities available.

The Junior School caters for boys from Prep to Year 6 in its own facilities on the extensive Toowoomba Grammar School campus. These boys then move into Year 7 in the Senior School well prepared for the academic expectations, understanding and valuing the School culture and having friendship groups already well established.

Our boy-friendly school encourages boys to value learning and effort, with the aim of achieving their personal best in all areas. We acknowledge that boys are active and enthusiastic about what they do and, as such, we provide many additional activities for our students.

The boys are encouraged to embrace the many opportunities available to them beyond the classroom in areas such as sport, music, the performing arts, after school clubs and the rich life of our School. Boys work with their class teachers on the core curriculum areas of English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and Technology.

All boys from Prep to Year 6 are also taught by subject specialists in the areas of Music, Art, Woodwork, Library, Physical Education, Health, French and Japanese.

To see boys taking their shoes and socks off and running around on the grass fields at lunchtime and then returning to class to read after lunch, enjoying both activities equally, is a small example that illustrates what our School does so very well. It is important that boys enjoy attending school, that they are offered a stimulating and rewarding education and participate in the many opportunities on offer.

Click Here to take a tour of our Junior School

Student Wellbeing

Our School understands that boys and young men will not achieve to their full potential in all areas unless they feel good about themselves and feel connected to the School community in all areas.

Boys must have a sense of belonging and an appreciation that they are all individuals and worthy of total support, encouragement and respect. To this end, our School holds Student Welfare as the highest priority and devotes considerable resources and attention to this area. This is via the employment of specialist staff in counselling and dedicated Heads of House who administer and deliver a well-structured and highly relevant program of pastoral care. Because all teachers are engaged in the co-curricular sports and cultural program they mix freely with

the boys and both the boys and the staff benefit from this interaction beyond the classroom. It is frequently recognised that our teachers learn more about the boys on the sporting fields and cultural stages than merely in the classroom. Our teachers are genuinely interested in our boys and that interest ensures a focus on seeing each boy grow as a whole person.

Our School engages in numerous proactive strategies to promote wellbeing and address bullying. Each year boys complete a Wellbeing

Survey which measures coping strategies, selfefficacy, levels of support and conflict and sleep patterns. Further to this, the boys complete a Bullying Survey which assesses rates of bullying at our School. The results of these surveys shape our policies and procedures. Such quantitative data assists our School in continually improving its offering to support the boys in all that they do.

Our teachers are genuinely interested in our boys and that interest ensures a focus on seeing each boy grow as a whole person.

BoardingA Home Away from Home

Boarding is a fundamental component of Toowoomba Grammar School for many boys.

We have accommodated boarders for over 140 years and we are one of the largest boys’ boarding schools in Australia.

The success and values of our School would not be at such a high level without the presence of our boarders. They come from all regions of Australia and overseas and contribute to the tone of our School by bringing a natural, humble, hard-working, grateful, honest and totally committed approach to their life at the School.

We greatly value the positive influence of these boys and they, in turn, benefit from their interaction with the dayboys and the academic, vocational, sporting, social and cultural opportunities that are presented to them.

We have six Boarding Houses on campus, each under the supervision and direction of a teacher of our School and typically with his wife and

children. Our boarders are also cared for by Assistant Housemasters, resident staff and with very favourable adult to student ratios. The welfare and wellbeing of our boarders are regarded as the highest priority.

Being such a large and specialist provider in boarding, we have numerous specialist staff including those working in the on-site Health Centre, the Dining Hall, activities officers for the boarders, academic tutors, sporting coaches, and counsellors, and facilities that are available to our boarders seven days a week. There are at least ten families living on the School’s expansive campus providing a very family friendly, relaxed and positive tone.

The success and values of our School would not be at such a high level without the presence of our boarders.

Music, Art, Drama

We are committed to an all-round education, and we feel it is extremely important for our boys to be exposed to, and appreciate, cultural activities.

We do not want to be recognised solely as an academic institution, or one focussing predominantly on sport as the only co-curricular activity. We have qualified and talented specialist staff in the roles of Director of Performance and Teachers-in-Charge of Music, Art, and Drama.

Our boys are extremely fortunate to be able to embrace a wide diversity of cultural activities including music, drama, the visual arts, public

speaking, debating and other creative pursuits both within and beyond the classroom. Music, Art and Drama are highly valued subjects in our School Curriculum, as are the numerous performancebased activities that are on offer.

Our musicians engage in regular public performances at a very high level and also have the opportunity to participate in music tours, travelling and performing interstate or overseas. Similarly, our actors can

find their niche and passion within our Drama Department, which features two purpose-built sound and lighting studios and a professional dressing room with a plethora of costumes. Our students are involved in major performances with the School, the Toowoomba Choral Society and at Toowoomba’s renowned Empire Theatre. They also enjoy interacting with the neighbouring girls’ schools in dramatic performances and school productions.

Our boys are extremely fortunate to be able to embrace a wide diversity of cultural activities and other creative pursuits both within and beyond the classroom.

The experiences boys encounter in our Sport and Activities Program range from participation and enjoyment to developing considerable skill for elite aspirations.

Sport & Activities

Toowoomba Grammar School prides itself on the inclusive nature of its co-curricular program with activities that cater for all students.

The experiences boys encounter in our Sport and Activities Program range from participation and enjoyment to developing considerable skill for elite aspirations.

Toowoomba Grammar School is one of the nine original member schools of The Great Public Schools (GPS) Association of Queensland which includes Toowoomba Grammar School, Brisbane Grammar School, the Anglican Church Grammar School (“Churchie”), The Southport School, Ipswich Grammar School, St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace, St Joseph’s Nudgee College, Brisbane Boys’ College and Brisbane State High School.

These member schools joined together in the 1920’s primarily to engage in arguably the highest level of schoolboy sporting competition in Australia but activities now extend beyond sport. Being part of the GPS network not only provides our boys with competition at the highest level, but in later years they will enjoy feeling part of, and possibly derive benefit from, a GPS network with other adult men in their professional careers.

There are ten sports available for boys to play in the GPS sporting competition including:

TERM 1

Cricket | Swimming | Volleyball

TERM 2

Football | Tennis | Cross Country

TERM 3

Rugby Union | Basketball | Chess

TERM 4

Track and Field

Participation ranges from national level competition to matches where the boys simply enjoy being with their teammates and acquiring additional skill level.

In addition to the GPS sporting program, our boys may participate in external club sporting competitions or enjoy non-competitive activities such as bushwalking, mountain bike riding,

abseiling, orienteering, camping and other outdoor adventures which are organised by our Adventure Club, various Housemasters or staff members.

Our School also has an Army Cadet Unit, which is part of the Australian Army Cadets. Cadets is a voluntary activity that adopts the values of courage, initiative, respect and teamwork to empower youth to achieve their potential. Cadets put theory into practice, going on camps to participate in activities such as leadership, first aid, radio operations, navigation, engineering and marksmanship along with the opportunity to participate in parades, honour guards and cataflaque parties at official Commemorative Services around the district.

Making a Difference

Service to the community is an integral part of a Toowoomba Grammar School education.

We aim to enhance the personal development of the boys so that they become responsible, flexible and constructive members of society. Central to achieving this is increasing the exposure of boys to the needs of others. We do this, in part, by involving them in programs of community service and instilling a commitment to others in the broader community through displays of empathy, tolerance, compassion and kindness.

Boys can join our School’s Interact Club, a popular service activity group that has been successfully operating for over 50 years. It is part of a worldwide organisation that values respect, initiative and service to others. Our Interact Club raises money and collects tangible donations for various local, national and international charities. Additionally, service leaders in each House organise fundraising and charitable activities throughout the year. Some of these activities

include weekly visits to other schools in Toowoomba where our boys assist younger students with reading or sports programs; to retirement or nursing homes for social interaction with the elderly; participation in a Homework Assistance Program to mentor migrant and refugee children with literacy and numeracy; and volunteering alongside Rosies - Friends on the Street cooking dinner for those who are marginalised within our community.

We are a White Ribbon School, promoting respectful relationships and our White Ribbon Student Committee leads the Breaking the Silence Schools’ Program. Our boys are exposed to several initiatives and events to raise awareness about this concerning community issue and we hope this program encourages boys to stand up, speak out and act now or in the future to positively influence the actions of men and reduce domestic and family violence.

Our School hosts the annual Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp. Year 11 boys volunteer to be the full-time carer for a child with a disability for three days, providing much needed respite to the child’s parents and family. The camp is fun for the children and an opportunity of growth and learning for the Year 11 companions.

All boys have the power to make a difference in the lives of others and we encourage them to do so by putting service before self.

All boys have the power to make a difference in the lives of others and we encourage them to do so by putting service before self.

International Students

Toowoomba Grammar School welcomes international students from all over the world.

Many select our School for its safe, regional location. Toowoomba, with a population of 160,000, is Australia’s second largest inland city and is a service hub for western Queensland. Whilst Toowoomba Grammar School is located in a regional city, Toowoomba is only 90 minutes from Brisbane International Airport and the School’s International Students frequently travel to and from the Airport on a dedicated bus service. Toowoomba also boasts its own Domestic Airport with daily return flights to Sydney as well as return flights to Melbourne on select days.

Our School is extremely proud of its academic reputation which is forged through a school culture that values the importance of a strong work ethic. This is a trait that Toowoomba Grammar School boys take with them when they graduate. Many of our boys go on to study at various leading Universities including The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Bond University and interstate Universities in Sydney and Melbourne. Toowoomba is also home to the University of Southern Queensland which itself has a very diverse ethnic

enrolment with many international students selecting it as a university of choice.

We encourage our International Students to become involved in our co-curricular offerings including sports, music, drama and art opportunities along with participation in the many service-based activities where the boys assist in projects and learn the importance of giving back. This service-based culture is an extremely important part of the Toowoomba Grammar School experience.

Our School is committed to fostering a welcoming and nurturing environment for international students and we provide them with a strong foundation for life after school.

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