, motto_translation = To the young, anything is possible , established = 1926 , type =

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...

and boarding , gender =

Co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

– Early Learning to Yr 3

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...

– Yrs 4–12 , denomination =

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, slogan = Be Yourself , principal = Terrie Jones , chairman = Sue Hart , chaplain = Christopher Lewis , city = Deakin , state =

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

, country =

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, coordinates = , enrolment = ~1,300 (ELC–12) , num_employ = ~265 , colours = Red, green, navy blue and white , affiliation =

Associated Southern Colleges The Associated Southern Colleges (ASC) is an association of Independent school#Australia, independent schools in the Australian Capital Territory and southern New South Wales, Australia that share common interests, ethics, and educational philosoph ...

, homepage
www.cggs.act.edu.au
Canberra Girls Grammar School (CGGS) is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

predominantly for girls, located in Deakin, a suburb of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, the capital of Australia. Established in 1926 as St Gabriel's School, by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

religious order, the

Community of the Sisters of the Church The Community of the Sisters of the Church is a religious order of women in various Anglican provinces who live the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 2012 the order had 105 sisters living in community, together with an extensive ne ...

, Canberra Girls Grammar is the oldest private day and boarding school in Canberra. It has a non-selective enrolment policy and caters for approximately 1,300 students, with

co-education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

from Early Learning (

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

) to Year 3, and girls only from Years 4 to Year 12. Boarding facilities are available on the Senior Campus for up to 80 students in Years 7 to 12. CGGS is also licensed to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and Diploma Programme (for Years 11 and 12). It is a candidate school for the MYP from Yrs 6 to 9. Canberra Girls Grammar School is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia (AGSA), the

(ASC), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).

History

St Gabriel's School was established with nine students in 1926, as a day and boarding school for girls, by the

religious order, the

(the Kilburn Sisters). It catered for the small but growing community in what was designated as the new Federal capital. From 1926 to early 1928, the Old

Rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

of St John the Baptist Church, Reid, was leased from the Government by the Kilburn Sisters. The rectory was known as

Glebe House Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

, and was close to the city. In May 1927, the day before the opening of

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...

, the foundation stone of the current site on Melbourne Avenue at Deakin, was laid by

Lewis Radford Lewis Bostock Radford (5 June 1869, Mansfield - 2 April 1937, London) was an Anglican bishop and author. Radford was the son of John Radford, a solicitor. He was educated in Mansfield and at St John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B ...

, Bishop of the then Diocese of Goulburn. The school officially moved into its new site in 1928. In 1933, the school was renamed Canberra Church of England Girls Grammar School (CCEGGS). CCEGGS was nearly closed down during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and sold some of its land in order to remain solvent. A boom period in the 1970s saw the school expand, with the Junior School moving to a new Campus in Grey Street, Deakin, to cater for a surge in enrolments. Today the junior school remains on a separate campus within the suburb. In 2001, the school name changed again, this time to its current form Canberra Girls Grammar School (CGGS). In 2004, CGGS opened an Early Learning Centre (

) catering for 3- to 5-year-olds on its Junior School campus.

Principals

Campus

Canberra Girls Grammar School is located over two campuses (primary and secondary) in the inner Canberra suburb of Deakin, within view of Australia's

. Combined, the campuses are in size, and include an indoor heated swimming centre, gymnasia, sports courts, playing fields, an aquatic centre on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, and buildings catering for the performing arts, art and textiles. The School's most recent additions include a music centre with an adjoining 1,000-seat hall. 2006 saw improvements made to the junior school with the opening of six new classrooms, two music rooms and practice rooms and in 2010 the addition of a new multi-purpose hall, administration block, front office and staff offices. In the senior campus a new administration block, drive through and entrance was built in 2011 and a new award-winning science wing completed in 2012.

Curriculum

Canberra Girls Grammar School was authorized to offer the

International Baccalaureate World School The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

Diploma Programme on 21 July 2010. The school was also authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme on 15 September 2011.

Junior school

The junior school

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

is based upon the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Department of Education Board of Studies syllabus. It also has many co-curricular studies.

Senior school

Students in the

senior school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

(Years 7 to 12) are prepared for the ACT Year 12 Certificate, as mandated by the Board of Senior Secondary Studies. A high percentage of students who graduate with a Year 12 Certificate also obtain an ATAR and go on to study at university. In 2007, of the 150 students awarded a Year 12 certificate, 91% were awarded Tertiary Education Statements. Also that year, the median ATAR gained by students was 86 compared with the average of students from all across ACT colleges of 79. Students from Canberra Girls Grammar School had the second highest median ATAR of the ACT colleges that year, and in 2009 they achieved the highest score. 92% of students from the school who were awarded Tertiary Education Statements in 2007 scored over 65 for their ATAR compared with 79% of all ACT students. Students in Years 11 and 12 are also given the option to study the International Baccalaureate instead of the BSSS curriculum.

House system

As with most Australian schools, Canberra Girls Grammar School utilises a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to o ...

for activities and competitions. The system forms the basis of its pastoral care programme. Students in the senior school are divided into six houses: *Burgmann, named after E H Burgmann,

bishop of Canberra and Goulburn The Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn is one of the 23 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese has 60 parishes covering most of south-east New South Wales, the eastern Riverina and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It ...

from 1950 to 1960 *Deakin, named after the suburb in which the school is situated and former prime minister

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

*Glebe, named after the building in which the school was first established *Kilburn, named after the suburb in London where the Mother House of the Order of Sisters of the Church was located *Robertson, named after Archdeacon C W Robertson *Waverley, named after the Sydney suburb of Waverley where the Mother House of the Order of Sisters of the Church in Australia was located.

Notable alumni

Alumnae Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of Canberra Girls Grammar School are known as Grammarians and can join the schools

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students (alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), ...

, the Grammarians' Association (GA). The GA was formed as the Old Girls' Union in 1931 and has branches around Australia and overseas. Some notable Old Grammarians include: ;Entertainment, media and the arts *

Sibylla Budd Sibylla Budd (born c. 1976) is an Australian actress perhaps best known for her roles in the television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and ''Winners & Losers''. Early life Budd grew up in Canberra, attended Canberra Girls' Grammar School and ...

– Australian actress *

Stef Dawson Stef Dawson (born 17 December 1983) is an Australian actress. She portrayed Annie Cresta in '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' and '' Part 2''. She also made a cameo appearance in '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire''. Personal life Da ...

– Australian actress *

Kate Denborough Kate Denborough is a choreographer, artistic director, CEO and co-founder of Kage Physical Theatre. She has directed, devised and/or performed in most of KAGE's works as well as working with other companies such as Chunky Move, Australian Dance The ...

- Artistic Director Kage Physical Theatre * Kate Fischer – model, Pru Goward's daughter *

Myfanwy Horne Myfanwy Horne (23 July 1933 – 30 July 2013) was an Australian journalist, writer, reviewer and book editor. Early life Myfanwy Gollan was born in Newcastle on 23 July 1933 to Valmai (née Clack) and Ross Gollan, her father being a political ...

– journalist, writer, reviewer and book editor; wife of

Donald Horne Donald Richmond Horne (26 December 1921 – 8 September 2005) was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals, from the 1960s until his death. Horne was a proli ...

* Samara Weaving – Australian actress, niece of Australian actor,

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six AACTA Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema and Tel ...

* Sally Whitwell – classical music pianist, composer, arranger, conductor and teacher ;Politics, public service and the law * Tupou Draunidalo – Fijian lawyer, Vice-President of the Fiji Law Society and daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji,

Kuini Speed Adi Kuini Teimumu Vuikaba Speed (23 December 1949 – 31 December 2004) was a Fijian chief and politician, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1999 and 2000. She was the head girl at Adi Cakobau School in 1968, and went on to graduate from ...

* Rt Hon

Patricia Hewitt Patricia Hope Hewitt (born 2 December 1948) is an Australian-born British government adviser and former politician who served as Secretary of State for Health from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, she previously served as Secretar ...

– British politician;

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Member of Parliament (MP) for

Leicester West Leicester West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Liz Kendall of the Labour Party. Along with the other two Leicester seats, it was held by Labour at the 2017 general election. Since its cr ...

; Former Secretary of State for Health * Katrina Hodgkinson – Australian politician and member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

Fiona Patten Fiona Heather Patten (born May 1964) is a former Australian politician. She is the leader of the Reason Party and was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council between 2014 and 2022, representing the Northern Metropolitan Region until she ...

- Co-founder and past president of the Eros Association; Director of the Australian

National Museum of Erotica National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

; Founder and leader of the Australian Sex Party, member of the Victorian Legislative Council ;Science and Technology * Marilyn Renfree – Professor of Zoology with a research specialisation in marsupial foetal development *

Deborah Terry Professor Deborah Jane "Debbie" Terry is an Australian academic administrator and psychology scholar. She is currently the Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland. Professor Terry is also currently the Chair of Universiti ...

– Psychology researcher and Vice-Chancellor at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Sarah Coupland Sarah Coupland is an Australian-born pathologist and professor who is the George Holt Chair in Pathology at the University of Liverpool. Coupland is an active clinical scientist whose research focuses on the molecular genetics of cancers, with ...

– Australian pathologist ;Sport *

Zoe Buckman Zoe Buckman (born 21 December 1988) is an Australian runner who has competed nationally and internationally in the 400 metre, 800 metre, 1,500 metre and 5,000 metre events. She ran for the University of Oregon. She has also competed at the J ...

– Australian representative to the 2012 Olympics in Athletics *

Katherine Calder Katherine Calder (born 1980) is a cross-country skier from New Zealand who has competed since 1999. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she finished 47th in the individual sprint event and 63rd in the 10 km events while not starting ...

– Winter Olympian * Gemma Dashwood – Represented Australia in swimming at the 1996 and 2000 Paralympic Games; winner of 4 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal * Dimity Douglas - Australian Olympian (swimming)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Girls' schools in the Australian Capital Territory Grammar schools in Australia Private secondary schools in the Australian Capital Territory Boarding schools in the Australian Capital Territory Educational institutions established in 1926 Anglican schools in the Australian Capital Territory Primary schools in the Australian Capital Territory Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools International Baccalaureate schools in Australia 1926 establishments in Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia