Canberra Grammar School

Curriculum

In the primary school, the Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework requirements are incorporated through International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

In the senior school, from years 7 to 10, the school follows the Australia Curriculum and the ACT Every chance to learn curriculum framework. Unlike other schools in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra Grammar School does not follow the ACT Year 12 Curriculum. Instead, it is the only school in the ACT where students in years 11 and 12 have the option to study either the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In 2012, Canberra Grammar became an International Baccalaureate World School.

Co-curricular

Canberra Grammar School is a member of the Associated Southern Colleges (ASC). The school offers many activities outside school hours. These include sport, music and other activities.

• Junior School: athletics, adventure club, ball games, basketball, chess, cricket, cross country running, drama, European handball, gardening, golf, indoor soccer, mini volleyball, multimedia, orienteering, rugby, art, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis and triathlon.
• Senior School: athletics club, alternate reality club (ARC), badminton, basketball, CGS Academy (Yr 11 & 12 tutoring for younger students), chess, Code Cadets, community service, cricket, cross country, Cru (Christian Group), debating, dragon boating, drama, Duke of Edinburgh awards, Equestrian Club, football (soccer), golf, hockey, mountain biking, netball, orienteering, outdoor education, rowing, rugby, sailing, snowsports, strength and conditioning, STEM Club, Sustainable CGS, swimming, tae kwon do, tennis, Thucydides club and water polo.
• Junior School Music: Junior School Chorale, Junior Choir, Senior Choir, String Orchestra, Concert Band and the Canberra Grammar School Stage Band.
• Senior School Music is made up of two streams of performance groups:
  • The Advanced Musicians Program consists of a senior (higher level) concert band, Chamber Orchestra, senior jazz band, senior percussion ensemble, brass ensemble and Motet. These students have high level performance opportunities.
  • The large ensemble program provides larger ensemble-based experiences, including two concert bands, junior (lower level) jazz band, two string ensembles, a choir, an electric guitar ensemble, junior percussion ensemble and a piano ensemble.

Many of the Senior School ensembles have done numerous tours overseas over the years.

The school also holds a major musical every two years. Previous productions have included: Grease (2021), Chess (2020-cancelled due to Covid), The Pirates of Penzance (2018) Barnum (2015) and Guys and Dolls (2013).

Houses

List of houses

As with most Australian schools, Canberra Grammar utilises a house system. The Senior School consists of ten houses:

The school also has three Year 7 houses:

The Junior School has six houses introduced in 2022. These houses were named after local flora and fauna using the traditional Indigenous language of the Ngunnawal people:

The Junior School's original four houses, in place till 2021:

Most of these houses are in the upper years.

Notable alumni

;Academia

• Peter Garnsey (1961)
• Geoffrey Garrett, political scientist
• Malcolm Gillies, vice-chancellor and president, City University, London; vice-chancellor, London Metropolitan University
• Jeffrey Grey, Australian military historian
• Toby Miller, sociologist

;Business

• Kerry Packer, publishing, media and gaming tycoon
• Rowan Dean, advertising executiveDiary Rowan Dean, spectator.com.au, 5 April 2014, accessed 20 November 2020
• Terry Snow, Executive Director of the Canberra Airport Group, Australian businessman (trained accountant), entrepreneur, and philanthropist

;Media, entertainment and the arts

• Richard Glover, author, journalist, ABC radio presenter
• Alister Grierson, film director and scriptwriter
• Francis James, RAF pilot and POW during WWII, journalist and publisher, activist against the Vietnam War
• Peter Leonard, former WIN News Canberra reader
• James O'Loghlin, ABC Sydney presenter
• Dan O'Malley, author of The Rook
• Fred Smith, musician, writer and diplomat
• Bill Birtles, ABC journalist

;Politics, public service and the law

• Henry Pike, Liberal National Party of Queensland Federal member for Bowman, Queensland
• Wal Fife, Liberal Party of Australia Federal member for Hume, New South Wales
• Robert Piper, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary General
• Shane Rattenbury, Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 2008–present and Speaker
• Andrew Refshauge, deputy premier of New South Wales 1995–2005
• Richard Refshauge, ACT Supreme Court Justice
• Peter Webb, New South Wales State member for Monaro 1999–2003
• Gough Whitlam (Dux three years running), Prime Minister of Australia, 1972–1975
• Andrew Constance, New South Wales State member for Bega 2003-2021

;Sport

• Bob Brown, former Wallabies rugby union player
• Josh Bruce, St Kilda, Australian rules football player
• Andy Friend, ACT Brumbies former head coach
• David Gallop, former chairman of the National Rugby League (NRL)
• Charlie Hancock, Western Force rugby union player
• Rod Kafer, Wallabies rugby union player
• Peter Kimlin, Wallabies rugby union player
• Michael Milton, world and Australian record holder, Winter Paralympic gold medalist
• Nick McDonald-Crowley, Olympic rower
• Cody Meakin, Australian wheelchair rugby paralympian
• Fergus Pragnell, Australian representative rower
• Guy Shepherdson, Wallabies rugby union player
• Ben Treffers, Junior World Champion swimmer

;Other

• David Eastman, former Dux found not guilty of murder on 22 November 2018, after a retrial on a quashed murder conviction
• James Muecke, Australian of the Year 2020

References

References

1. "CGS: Governance". Canberra Grammar School.
2. "CGS Annual Report 2018". issuu.
3. "CGS Annual Report 2017". issuu.
4. (October 2015). "CGS goes fully co-educational". Canberra Grammar School.
5. "CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL - Origin and Progress - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 3 Jul 1929".
6. "CGS Annual Report 2015". issuu.
7. "The IB Primary Years Programme & Australian Curriculum".
8. "The Curriculum Year 7 to Year 10".
9. "The Curriculum Year 11 to Year 12".
10. "Canberra Grammar School - International Baccalaureate". IBO.
11. (2009-03-13). "Co-Curricular". Canberra Grammar School.
12. [http://cgs.act.edu.au/senior-school/opportunity-beyond-the-classroom/the-code-cadets/ Code Cadets]
13. [https://twitter.com/sustainablecgs Sustainable CGS]
14. (2009-03-13). "Houses". Canberra Grammar School.
15. [http://www.usyd.edu.au/registrar/rhodes/previous.shtml "NSW Rhodes Scholars"] {{webarchive. link. (2007-09-15 — [[University of Sydney]] list, (retrieved 16 April 2007))
16. 1st XI and early entry ANU. The Canberran 1976; 44: 79 and 91
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20. "Team | Canberra Airport". canberraairport.com.au.
21. Debating Team. The Canberran 1976: 44: 38-43.
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24. (June 2016). "Standup Comic Sits in for a While".
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28. (2005-08-03). "Passions kept Carr on track". The Sydney Morning Herald.
29. Capital Magazine Publishing. (18 May 2008). "I love my Capital".
30. "Mr Peter William Webb".
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32. {{Cite NSW Parliament
33. "Archived copy".
34. "ROMS | Crew listing for Canberra Grammar racing the Schoolboy Coxed Quad Scull at 2009 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta".
35. (2007-03-10). "A man on top of his game". The Sydney Morning Herald.
36. Western Force. "Charlie Hancock Profile".
37. "Rugby — Canberra Grammar School".
38. "Michael Milton". michaelmilton.com.
39. "1986 National Championships - Australian Rowing History". rowinghistory-aus.info.
40. "Athlete profile: Fergus Pragnell". rowingaustralia.com.au.
41. "Swimming Australia". swimming.org.au.
42. [http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090516025049/http://www.courts.act.gov.au/supreme/content/pdfs/DHEReportv1.pdf Inquiry into fitness to plead of David Harold Eastman], page 56
43. (22 August 2014). "David Eastman freed from jail as murder retrial ordered".
44. "Australian of the Year Awards".
45. "Mr James Muecke Class of 1981".