Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and i Employment
2011 ANNUAL REPORT
TO THE
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING and EMPLOYMENT
© Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School 2011
ISSN 1837-848X
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and ii Employment
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. 2011 HIGHLIGHTS ...... 1 2. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS ...... 2 2.1 Legislation ...... 2 2.2 Establishment ...... 3 2.3 Statutory Functions of the Board ...... 3 2.4 Statutory Powers of the Board ...... 3 2.5 Location ...... 3 2.6 Availability of the Annual Report ...... 4 2.7 Governance ...... 4 2.7.1 Membership of the Board ...... 4 2.7.2 Meetings of the Board ...... 5 2.7.3 Organisational Structure ...... 5 2.8 Overseas Travel ...... 5 2.8.1 Board of Trustees ...... 5 2.8.2 School Tours ...... 5 2.9 Consultancies ...... 7 2.10 Risk Management ...... 7 2.11 Controlled Entities ...... 7 2.12 Management Systems ...... 7 3. TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL OPERATIONS ...... 8 3.1 Economic Climate and Factors Affecting the School ...... 8 3.1.1 Students ...... 8 3.1.2 Staff ...... 9 3.1.3 National Professional Standards for Teachers ...... 10 3.1.4 Teaching Staff ...... 11
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and iii Employment
3.1.5 Our Commitment to Boys’ Education ...... 11 3.1.6 Our Commitment to Boarding...... 11
3.2 Special Interest Groups ...... 12 3.2.1 Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys’ Association...... 12 3.2.2 Parents’ and Friends’ Association Inc...... 13
4. STRATEGIC DIRECTION ...... 13 4.1 Learning and Understanding ...... 13 4.2 Relationships and Physical Development ...... 19 4.3 Society ...... 26 4.4 Finance and Infrastructure ...... 27 4.5 Future Direction ...... 29 4.5.1 The National and State Educational Agenda ...... 29 4.5.2 The State Govt’s Decision to Transfer Yr 7 to Secondary School ...... 30 4.5.3 The School’s Laptop Computer Programme...... 30
5. APPENDICES ...... 31 Appendix 1 – Staff Organisational Chart ...... 32 Appendix 2 – 2011 Annual Financial Statements ...... 34 Appendix 3 – Glossary ...... 35
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and iv Employment
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2011 TO 31 DECEMBER 2011
1. 2011 HIGHLIGHTS
The Floods of 2011
When we review 2011 in the years to come we will remember the devastating flood waters which inundated parts of Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and many other rural and regional areas of Queensland, as well as Ipswich and the State’s capital, Brisbane. We express our condolences to those families who suffered human or property loss at this time. It is fitting, therefore, that this Annual Report commences with a recollection of the January disaster. For some months prior to this flooding the State had experienced solid rainfalls which were quite in contrast to the preceding decade of drought. After only eleven days into the first month of 2011, Toowoomba had recorded its wettest January for 37 years with 255 mm of rainfall recorded. This followed the city’s wettest December since 1942. With record rainfall, saturated grounds and no infiltration possible, surface runoff was inevitable. Consequently, when East and West Creeks broke their banks, a two metre wall of water hit the Central Business District. This occurred on Monday 10 January 2011 whilst the School was fortunately on its summer break. We experienced what commentators promptly referred to as an inland tsunami hitting Toowoomba and this resulted in immediate world-wide media attention. At the School, Mills Oval was completely underwater as graphically shown in the photographs reproduced in the Volume 21, Number 1, April 2011 edition of the School publication Omnibus. Old Boys’ Memorial Oval was also underwater in many areas, but not totally submerged, whilst water damage occurred elsewhere in the grounds and in some classrooms. Major erosion was evident, for example, on the southerly side of Trustees Oval by the embankment facing Herries Street.
This flooding in Toowoomba occurred on the same date (10 January) and at around the same time of the day (early afternoon) as a previous major natural disaster had affected the School. This was on 10 January 1976 when virtually the whole eastern sector of Toowoomba was devastated by a freak hailstorm and all of the School buildings were severely damaged. In our case, some 550 windows were smashed and every roof had to be either fully replaced or restored; as did internal fittings and furnishings.
Within one day of this year’s disaster we invited the flood victims from Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley to use our Boarding Houses as emergency accommodation. The School had received prior warning of such a responsibility when approximately five days earlier we were requested by the Toowoomba Regional Council to consider offering our facilities to potential flood evacuees from Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 1
St George and surrounding areas. We acceded to the Council’s request and prepared contingency plans, only to be advised some time later that our services would not be required. Little did the Toowoomba Regional Council and Toowoomba Grammar School know of the events which were to unfold. During the week following January 10th, the School welcomed in excess of one hundred adults and children into three of our Boarding Houses; namely Stephens, Groom and Boyce Houses. The dedicated efforts of so many of the School’s Boarding Staff, in company with members of the catering, laundry and grounds staff were, although well above the call of duty, not unexpected given the gravity of the situation faced by those affected. We felt the least the School could do in this situation was to provide shelter and nutritious meals for the evacuees. The School’s Deputy Headmaster, Mr Timothy Kelly, was particularly tireless in his efforts to completely oversee all of the emergency relief work. This included arranging all of the accommodation, catering and care requirements for our one hundred guests. It is said that it is in times of adversity that communities rally and, in keeping with this premise, we saw a magnificent example of this during the January floods in terms of the School’s response. This was reinforced further when the boys of the School later fund-raised to collect $2,600 for the flood relief appeal.
The School’s Enrolment
We commenced 2011 with a total enrolment of 1,088; the first time in the history of the School that numbers have exceeded 1,000. This record total comprised 813 in the Senior School (275 boarders and 538 dayboys) and a Junior School enrolment of 275 (12 boarders and 263 dayboys). Next year the number of boys attending Toowoomba Grammar School will exceed 1,100.
Whilst the success of a school should not be measured solely by its enrolments, the fact that there has been a 27.8 per cent increase in the total number of students attending our School between 2001 and 2011 is testament to the quality of the educational programme offered and the talent and commitment of the staff. This significant growth has occurred in both the Senior and Junior Schools. The slight decline in boarding enrolments at the School over the decade is certainly not as pronounced as the twenty per cent decline in boarding enrolments Australia-wide over the last two decades. Rather remarkably we will commence 2012 with full Boarding House enrolments. In addition, such is the strength of the School’s boarding component that the strategic decision has been made to build a new Boarding House next year.
2. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT
2.1 Legislation The Toowoomba Grammar School is a Statutory Authority under the Grammar Schools Act 1975.
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2.2 Establishment
The Toowoomba Grammar School was founded on 5 August 1875 as a Boarding and Day School for boys, when the Lieutenant-Governor of Queensland, Mr Justice Lilley, laid the Foundation Stone of the original School building. The School opened on 1 February 1877, with an enrolment of forty- two boys, of whom eighteen were boarders.
Toowoomba Grammar School is the equal third oldest secondary school in the State, and is one of the Great Public Schools of Queensland currently educating boys from Prep to Year 12.
At the commencement of 2011 the enrolment was 1,088, comprising 287 boarders and 801 dayboys.
2.3 Statutory Functions of the Board
The functions of the Board are to:
supervise, maintain and control the conduct of the School; erect, alter, add to, purchase or sell buildings used or to be used for or in connection with the School; affect general improvements to the premises used and to be used for or in connection with the School; provide courses of instruction; and make rules with respect to – - fees and charges to be paid by or on behalf of students enrolled or to be enrolled at the school; - the management and control of the school; and - the discipline and conduct of students enrolled at the school.
2.4 Statutory Powers of the Board
Generally the Board shall have and may exercise and perform such powers, authorities, functions and duties as are conferred or imposed upon it under the Grammar Schools Act 1975.
Power to establish trust funds and to accept gifts and the like subject to conditions; Power to establish investment common funds; Appointment of employees; By-law making power; Power to enter into financial arrangements; and Establish, amend or take part in a Superannuation Scheme.
2.5 Location
The Toowoomba Grammar School is located at 24 Margaret Street, East Toowoomba. The School’s property is 20.44 hectares with buildings constructed to provide both education and boarding facilities. The grounds have six sporting ovals and other recreational facilities.
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The Toowoomba Grammar School postal address is – PO Box 2900, Toowoomba Qld 4350 and the website is www.twgs.qld.edu.au.
2.6 Availability of the Annual Report
This report is available for viewing by contacting the: Chief Financial Officer Toowoomba Grammar School PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350 Telephone: (07) 4687 2516 Facsimile: (07) 4687 2580 www.twgs.qld.edu.au
ISSN 1837-848X
2.7 Governance
2.7.1 Membership of the Board
The Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School was constituted in 1874.
Members of the Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School are appointed by the Governor-in-Council.
Members of the Board are appointed for a term of four years.
The current Board of Trustees was appointed on 9 July 2009.
Five members are nominated by the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts. Two members who have donated or subscribed the prescribed amount to Toowoomba Grammar School are elected by persons who are qualified to be elected in accordance with the Act and are included on the Roll of Electors.
Elected Representatives Mr Glen William McCracken, Solicitor (Chairman). Mr Stewart John Handley, Teacher (Deputy Chairman).
Government Appointments Mrs Julie Ann Michael, Barrister (Member of the Works Committee). Mrs Barbara MacDiarmid, Teacher (Chairman of the Marketing Committee and Member of the Works Committee). Mr Evan Russ Johnson, Chartered Accountant (Chairman of the Finance Committee). Dr Russell Malcolm Domrow, General Practitioner (Member of the Finance Committee). Mr Christopher John Wicks, Financial Advisor (Member of the Finance Committee), G.A.I.C.D., B.App.Sc. (UQ), J.P.(C.dec.), was appointed on 17 March 2011 to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr Ian Lindsay Stirling.
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2.7.2 Meetings of the Board
The Board of Trustees held eight General Meetings and two Special Meetings during 2011.
2.7.3 Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School Organisational Structure
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
FINANCE WORKS MARKETING
COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE
2.8 Overseas Travel
2.8.1 Board of Trustees
No overseas travel was taken on behalf of the School by any Member of the Board of Trustees in 2011.
2.8.2 Student Tours
Twenty students from the Year 11 and 12 French classes were extremely fortunate to be able to visit France during Activities Week and the Easter holidays. The boys on this language and cultural tour stayed with French families for two weeks in Nancy where they attended school and undertook a range of cultural and sightseeing activities. The French host students then stayed in Toowoomba for three weeks in June and July. After their stay in Nancy, the tour group spent an amazing week in Paris, followed by visits to three chateaux in the Loire and the monastery of Mont St Michel. At Villers-Bretonneux in the Somme, the tour group paid homage to Old Boys and family members who lost their lives there during World War I. The culmination of the tour was the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day at the Australian National Memorial.
In the second week of the Spring holidays, thirteen boys from the Year 9 and 10 French classes spent a profitable and enjoyable week in New Caledonia. The boys stayed with French-speaking families, attended French lessons and undertook numerous cultural and sightseeing activities.
In 2011 we also undertook two international Football tours. During the Winter holidays 16 boys participated in a successful three week Football tour to Germany and a further 17 boys, 10 parents and 2 staff toured Singapore and Malaysia during the September holidays. The Football tour held at this time of year for our Year 8 footballers has in recent years been to
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Japan but the destination changed due to the natural disaster faced by the country earlier in the year.
This year many boys and quite a few parents travelled to Nepal. Challenges abounded, with trekking near the Annapurna Himal, white-water rafting on the Trisuli River and excursions on elephant backs and by foot in Chitwan National Park. These were supplemented with visits to Hindu and Buddhist sites where religious ceremonies were experienced, as well as a visit to the Belbhangjang School which we support through fundraising.
2.8.3 Staff Travel
Details of overseas travel undertaken by staff during the year are as follows: Name & Position Destination Reason for Travel TGS Contribution Cost from other agencies Mr P Hauser - UK & Europe International Boys’ $20,432 Nil Headmaster Schools Coalition Conference, Tour of schools Mrs L Yeabsley – France Language & cultural Nil Nil Teacher tour Mrs K Catlow – Teacher Mrs J Meagher – School Officer Mr D Kuhn – Teacher New Language & cultural Nil Nil Ms N Van Itterbeeck Caledonia tour – Teacher Mr C McLeod – Germany Football tour Nil Nil Teacher Mr D Grosvenor - Singapore & Football competition Nil Nil teacher Malaysia Mr M Sharpe - Teacher Mr Kalinowski - Teacher Mr B Harvey – Nepal Cultural tour Nil Nil Teacher Mr N Roche-Kelly – Teacher Miss M Mitchell – Teacher Mr A Eunson - Teacher
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2.9 Consultancies
Consultants were engaged in 2011 to assist the Board -
Human Resource Management - $20,148 Professional/Technical - $375,241
2.10 Risk Management
Policies are regularly updated to ensure they are current and relevant. The School is also required to have its policies audited every five years to maintain its accreditation as a school. The Board’s Finance Committee undertake regular reviews of the actual financial results against budget and insists that full Management Statements are completed on a quarterly basis. The School’s financial benchmarks are monitored and reviewed yearly by an external independent organisation.
The Committee liaises with the external auditors concerning the audit plan and evaluates the effectiveness of the external audit through regular meetings with the auditors. The Committee also evaluates the adequacy of the accounting control system by reviewing the written report from the external auditors and seeking management’s response to the matters raised. The Chief Financial Officer and Headmaster attend all the Finance Committee Meetings and pay due regard to the Queensland Treasury Audit Committee’s Guidelines.
2.11 Controlled Entities
The Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School established a Building Fund in 1958 managed by the Trustees and is established in accordance with “Collections Act 1966”. The fund is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Taxation Office and is audited by the Queensland Audit Office. The financial details are included in the attached statements.
The functions of the Toowoomba Grammar School Public Building Fund are to provide money for the acquisition, construction and maintenance of the School buildings through public donations.
In 2008 the School established the Toowoomba Grammar School Scholarship and Bursary Fund to receive, acquire and hold gifts, donations and legacies and devices for the advancement of the Fund. The Fund is maintained solely for providing money for scholarships or bursaries and is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Taxation Office. The financial details are included in the attached statements.
2.12 Management Systems
The School uses the web based TASS school administration software application for its financial and school management operations.
Financial reports to the Board provide a complete breakdown by department, detailing the income and expenditure, cash flow and a comparison of actual income or expenditure against the budget for the particular month and for the year to date.
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Other reports provided to the Board include the School’s cash position, details of loans and repayments, temporary investments including current rates of earnings and details of capital works.
The above reports and systems provide information for the Board to decide if it is: Maximising the yields of revenue from its available revenue base; Operating within its budget and achieving reasonable value for money; Maximising the benefits arising from investments, including long and short term investments; Maximising the use of, and the benefits available from, its assets, including receivables, inventories and non-current physical assets; and Minimising its costs and risks in relation to its liabilities and contingent liabilities.
The system also provides an integrated student management system, human resource management system and asset management system.
The School complies with the Draft Grammar Schools Sector Retention and Disposal Schedule as issued by the State Archivist in accordance with the Public Records Act 2002, Information Standard 40: Recordkeeping and Information Standard 31: Retention and Disposal of Public Records.
3. TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL OPERATIONS
3.1 Economic Climate and Factors Affecting the School
3.1.1 Students
As we indicated in the 2010 report, the 2011 enrolment numbers were the highest on record.
For the first time in the School’s history, student numbers have exceeded 1,000. Overall student numbers increased by 10.7% from 987 in 2010 to 1093 in 2011.
Boarder numbers remained stable with 287 in 2011 compared with 289 in 2010.
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3.1.2 Staff
The Toowoomba Grammar School Workplace Agreement 2008 expired at the end of 2011 and negotiations on a new agreement have commenced. With the growth in enrolment numbers our staff numbers have increased accordingly. The establishment of the Toowoomba Grammar School Learn-to-Swim Programme has also contributed to the increase in staff numbers.
Staff – Full-Time Equivalent
Teaching Staff 2008 2009 2010 2011 Primary 15.7 15.7 16.1 19.6 Secondary 55.6 57.5 57.9 59.4 Boarding 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.4 TOTAL 73.1 74.8 75.6 80.4
Non-Teaching 2008 2009 2010 2011 Staff Primary 9.6 10 10.6 11.8 Secondary 27.2 29.1 32.1 35.9 Boarding 29.7 30.1 30.6 31 TOTAL 66.5 69.2 73.3 78.7
GRAND TOTAL 139.6 144 148.9 159.1
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The School’s 2011 Workplace Profile is as follows:
Occupational Women Men Casual Totals %
Category FT PT FT PT women men women men women men
1 0 1 1 0 100 Principal
2 0 2 2 0 100 Deputy principal
Other - Snr 1 5 1 5 6 17 83 Administrators
4 1 21 5 21 26 19 81 Senior teachers
19 2 32 21 32 53 40 60 Other Teachers
Other 4 6 2 7 5 11 13 24 46 54 Professionals
Maintenance & 14 27 19 7 51 18 92 44 136 68 32 Support Staff
TOTAL 42 30 86 9 58 23 130 118 248 52 48
(Does not include intermittent or seasonal employees such as supply teachers, casual sports co aches etc)
All positions are first advertised internally through staff notice boards then externally through relevant media outlets i.e. newspapers, webpage etc.
Job share is available subject to the approval of the Headmaster, taking into account the operational requirements of the School.
A large number of non-teaching staff are employed on a term-time basis which generally suits their family commitments.
Toowoomba Grammar School supports the Queensland Carers Charter as detailed in the Carers (Recognition) Act 2008, through where possible, flexible work practices and remote access facilities available to our staff. Toowoomba Grammar School ensures staff are provided with relevant information and support as required. Information on these matters are contained in the Workplace Agreement which is negotiated and developed with all staff.
A staff organisational chart is detailed in Appendix 1.
3.1.3 National Professional Standards for Teachers
An initiative of the Government in 2011 has been the release of the National Professional Standards for Teachers’ document, subsequently endorsed by all Australian Education Ministers. The National Professional Standards for Teachers comprise seven standards which outline what teachers should know and be able to do. These standards are grouped into three domains of teaching; professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement and are then classified into 37 focus areas and, amazingly, 148 descriptors. It is claimed that these will: “make explicit the elements of high quality, effective teaching in 21st century schools”. We find there is some naivety with the claim that the standards, focus areas
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and descriptors will ensure that “good teachers” become “great teachers” and that the new standards will “enable teachers to constantly strive for excellence”. We are of the opinion that “great teachers” do not attain such a level of performance by clinically working through a set of educational standards. A passion for teaching as a vocation and a calling is not formulaic. The standards set by AITSL may well assist with accountability and certification and are positive in that they are focussed on measures to improve student learning. We look forward to hearing more from AITSL in terms of who will assess the teachers and how judgements will be moderated.
3.1.4 Teaching Staff
Dr B. Jenson has written in one of his educational papers: “The greatest resource in Australian schools is our teachers. They account for the vast majority of expenditure in school education and have the greatest impact on student learning, far outweighing the impact of any other education program or policy.” (“What Teachers Want: Better Teacher Management”; Grattan Institute, Melbourne, 2010 as quoted in National Professional Standards for Teachers 2011 - Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Ltd). The boys of our School are indeed fortunate in receiving the services of such a qualified and committed teaching staff. We regularly receive extremely positive feedback from the students (particularly from the Year 12 young men as they reflect on their school career) about those teachers who have made a great personal impact on their academic learning, their thirst for knowledge, their organisational ability and their work ethic. It is these teachers who have earned the respect of the boys and will be remembered by them long after they leave the School. It is also these many teachers who, through their efforts, enhance the reputation of our fine School and make a huge contribution to the success we are enjoying at present.
3.1.5 Our Commitment to Boys’ Education
The School continues to specialise in the education of boys and to develop teaching and learning practices specifically appropriate to them. Next year the School will host several forums whereby the general public will be invited to learn more about boys’ education and why Toowoomba Grammar School is a boys-only school. The conference of the International Boys’ Schools’ Coalition will also be held in Melbourne in July and a number of senior staff will be attending, as well as being involved in this programme of events and hopefully presenting papers.
3.1.6 Our Commitment to Boarding
Since its foundation one hundred and thirty six years ago, Toowoomba Grammar School has proudly accommodated boarding students. Many factors have since combined in Australia to result in a twenty per cent decline in national boarding enrolments over the past two decades. The decline in boarding across Australia has led Mrs Linda Vining, the Director of a private enterprise company known as The Centre for Marketing Schools, to claim that “the pool of boarders is drying up very quickly”. In Sydney, Dr Timothy Hawkes, the Chair of the Australian Boarding Schools’ Association and the Headmaster of The King’s School (the country’s oldest boarding school) concurs: “There has been a decline in boarding enrolments and to pretend otherwise is nonsense” he has said. Alarmists contributing to an article written by Mr Cameron Stewart, the Associate Editor of The Australian newspaper, have used phrases such as “... boarding as a dying institution” and “boarding schools are under siege”. Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 11
To the contrary, at Toowoomba Grammar School boarding is flourishing. Our student welfare surveys are most positive and the feedback from parents is supportive. It appears that in company with a well-developed programme of student welfare for the boarders; a highly structured academic and vocational programme and with economies of scale offering specialist care; increased adult supervision; more regularly scheduled activities for boarders; the services of an executive chef and 24 hour health care, we are getting progressively stronger. All of the Boarding Houses at the School will be full next year and the Board of Trustees has committed to the construction of a new Boarding House to commence early in 2012. In addition to this major capital investment, greatly increased recurrent expenditure is occurring in boarding. This is seen in many of its facets, with perhaps the most notable one being the outlay of a quarter of a million dollars per annum financing the employment of full-time, permanent residential assistants; namely one adult for each Boarding House which is ensuring excellent supervision of the boarders and providing an extra element of care and support for them. These full-time boarding assistants are mature-aged adult men, not twenty year old “GAP” students working on a part-time basis.
3.2 Special Interest Groups
3.2.1 Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys’ Association
At no time was the strength of our Old Boys more vividly evident than when the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a flood disaster fundraiser in late January. The President of this Association is an Old Boy and was the key organiser of the event. The two guest speakers were also both Old Boys of our School – Graham “Skroo” Turner (65-66), the co-founder of the multi-billion dollar Flight Centre empire and Alan Jones (55-58), renowned Australian radio broadcaster and a former Wallaby rugby union and Sydney Club rugby league coach. This fundraising event was sold out in three days due to the quality of the guest speakers and the purpose of the fund-raising.
The School continues to have a most constructive and valued relationship with the Old Boys’ Association, both in Toowoomba and in Brisbane. The President of the Old Boys’ Association’s Toowoomba parent branch has capably led a committed group of Old Boys on the Management Committee and a number of events have been organised for the benefit of Old Boys and our current students. The Old Boys’ Reunion Weekend (Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 May) was a most successful one and the guest speaker at the Dinner, which was held at Rumours International in Toowoomba, was Old Boy Mr Stanley Bruce Collins OAM (55-61).
In addition to the major reunion in Toowoomba for the “Class of Tens” (2001, 1991, 1981, 1971, 1961, 1951, 1941, 1931…), Old Boys in Brisbane also took the opportunity to get together for a reunion and career mentoring and networking. The Annual General Meeting of the Brisbane Branch was held at the Regatta Hotel on 3rd February and we witnessed the extensive damage to the ground floor of this building as a result of the flooding of the Brisbane River in the previous month. Whilst the Headmaster attended an educational conference in Adelaide in October, he took the opportunity to host an Old Boys’ reunion in this city. Adelaide’s oldest school, St Peter’s College, was most gracious in offering us the use of their historic buildings for our function.
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3.2.2 The Parents’ and Friends’ Association Inc.
The School is most grateful for the work of the members of its Parents and Friends’ Committee. This Committee has worked harmoniously and effectively to support the School in fundraising and friendship. Key functions during the year included the Annual Art Show which was convened over a weekend in April, the P & F and Football Supporters’ Race Day and the P & F Melbourne Cup Luncheon. All of these successful fund-raisers were also outstanding social events.
The Parents and Friends’ Association has been most generous in offering the School’s Board of Trustees a major contribution towards financing an extension to the Pavilion. This exciting project should result in an outstanding facility being available to the boys, parents, staff and Old Boys late in 2012.
A business subsidiary of the Parents and Friends’ Association is the School Uniform Shop and Book Pool. These businesses are most effectively run and provide great support for our parents.
4. STRATEGIC DIRECTION
4.1 Learning and Understanding
Objectives:
To foster our students’ intellect to the highest level of which they are capable and to prepare them to undertake further learning and development. All of our students are encouraged to search for knowledge and understanding in all spheres of their academic endeavour. Will provide non-academic students with explicit, well-articulated and seamless pathways to assist their success in vocational training, school-based traineeships and employment aspirations.
Outcomes:
Academic Achievement The teaching staff and Headmaster obtain great pleasure in seeing our school leavers achieve their goals. What is so noteworthy is that these young men achieve their academic and vocational goals whilst combining this with a full commitment to the sporting and co-curricular activities of the School.
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These young men have benefitted from a broad, general education offering them every opportunity to live full and rewarding lives.
From the commencement of a boy’s education with us, we also seek to develop those personal qualities deemed to be so important – far more than a single OP score – the qualities of honesty, resilience, ability to work with others, tolerance, acceptance of the need for hard work and so on.
The School congratulates all Year 12 students who have worked diligently to achieve their goals.
Extremely pleasing academic results are achieved at Toowoomba Grammar School every year due to the combination of: talented and committed teachers, teaching in their specialist areas teachers understanding how boys learn most effectively a curriculum designed specifically for boys a structured and disciplined learning environment a long established school culture of the boys valuing their education boys wanting to do the very best they can in their studies well-resourced teaching facilities parents who value education the School having an academic orientation with very high expectations
In 2011 fourteen (14) boys gained an OP 1, six (6) boys gained an OP 2, twenty-one (21) boys gained an OP 3 and fourteen (14) boys gained an OP 4-5.
34% of the 136 boys studying an academic course for entry to tertiary education gained an OP in the range 1-4.
Nearly half (48%) of the students achieved an OP in the range 1-7.
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Over 80% were in the OP range 1-13.
We also commend those Year 12 students who completed a vocational and educational training (VET) and School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SAT) programme. Many of these young men have now directly entered the workforce.
Commerce As part of the Year 10 Business Studies curriculum, all students participated in the Australian Business Weekly Online Business Management game. The students, in teams of five or six, were asked to assume control over an established manufacturing company, running it for a simulated two year period. Competing against teams from around Australia, our students performed exceedingly well with the School taking out first place in this National competition. In a similar vein, 20 students from Year 11 Economics were engaged in a three-day entrepreneurial business simulation titled “ECOMAN” (Economic Management) facilitated by the Queensland Private Enterprise Centre. The students managed their three companies whilst operating out of the Boardroom of Wagners in Toowoomba. The School thanks Wagners for hosting our students, as well as the staff of the company who gave of their time to provide feedback to them.
English In the English Department our Year 8, 9 and 10 students experienced success in the University of NSW International English Competition with three boys placing in the top one per cent in Queensland and another twenty-nine placing in the top ten per cent. A further seventy-seven students were awarded Certificates of Credit. Statistically, this meant that more than one half of our participating students received one of the top three certificate awards.
While academic success is important, the English programme is also designed to help students develop empathy for others, build social awareness and become active and thoughtful citizens. This year alone, our students have promoted a variety of charities, fought for issues of social justice, examined the power of literature to challenge racial stereotypes and prejudices and produced webpages suitable for Disability Action Week.
History On 1 June this year, Year 10 History students participated in the first ever National History competition. The History Teachers’ Association of Australia prepared the material presented in the competition. Only one History class participated in this competition due to timetabling constraints and five students received High Distinctions.
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Languages Languages students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 participated in the Australian Council for Educational Research Assessment of Language Competence during the year. We saw a number of students gaining a High Distinction including, in French, three students in Year 12, four in Year 11, two in Year 10 and one in Year 9. In the study of Japanese, seven students in Year 10 and one in Year 9 gained High Distinctions.
Mathematics The annual Darling Downs Mathematics Team Challenge was held on 18 May and the School entered six teams in the 250 person competition. We were successful in winning the Intermediate Division (Years 9 and 10) and the Senior Division (Years 11 and 12) as well as tying for the ‘Best Problem Solving Score’ award. In the Junior Division (Year 8) our School team was placed second. The Australian Mathematics competition, which was held on 4 August, is the largest single Mathematics competition in the Southern Hemisphere. Toowoomba Grammar School entered 619 students from Years 8 -12 in the competition which had a national participation rate of over half a million students. The School was successful in achieving two ‘Prizes’ which are only awarded to the top 0.3 per cent of the participants in the country. We also achieved 17 High Distinctions (top 2 per cent of the participants), 101 Distinctions (top 10 per cent of participants) and 217 Credits (the top 40 per cent of participants). This is another fine result from our mathematicians and demonstrates a strong academic programme operating in conjunction with quality teaching.
In the competition conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT), our Year 8 team came first at the District level and performed creditably at the State finals.
Science Two Year 12 students, selected through a competitive external application process, attended the National Youth Science Forum in January. This programme is aimed at young people who are thinking about a career in Science, Engineering and Technology. During the year boys from Years 8 to 10 entered the University of New South Wales Science Competition (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools). Fourteen boys (eight in 2010) were placed in the 99th percentile in Queensland for their year level and were accordingly awarded High Distinctions. A further sixty boys (fifty-five in 2010) were awarded Distinctions while one hundred and forty-one received Credits.
Approximately seventy students from Years 11 and 12 participated in the Australian National Chemistry Quiz conducted throughout Australia and parts of Asia. A total of 55,956 students in Years 11 and 12 participated in this quiz. The average score of our Year 12 students in this competition was better than the State average and the average score of our Year 11 students was approximately ten per cent better than the State average. Nearly forty per cent of our students ranked in the top quartile of the State in this competition.
Career Education The School’s Careers Department has continued to provide a comprehensive career development programme for the boys. Within this programme, they have participated in a range of activities including work experience, self and work-exploration, vocational testing and self-marketing, including preparation of résumés and mock interviews. The School’s Careers Adviser has also assisted the boys with subject selections, applications for university, scholarships and college
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 16
accommodation, as well as preparing some for the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admissions test (UMAT).
A most valuable career related activity which was held for all Year 11 students was a Mock Interview exercise whereby, towards the end of Term Three, each boy was interviewed by a member of the wider community. The thirty interviewers (including many Old Boys), who came from Toowoomba, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, represented a range of professions and occupational groups. They gave valuable individual feedback to the boys on their prepared résumé, their non- verbal communication and their interview technique.
Vocational Endeavour The School recognises the fact that not all of its students are seeking a university education. Last year we had 21 Year 12 students who completed a vocational and educational training (VET) and School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SAT) programme. This included a Toowoomba Grammarian who was honoured as the Queensland Apprentice of the Year. In addition, three 2010 Year 12 students were awarded an Australian Vocational Student Prize. Each winner received a certificate and $2000. Another student was awarded a Prime Minister’s Award for Skills Excellence in School in the Agri-food Industry category. When announcing these awards, The Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, said: “These awards promote the benefits of vocational education and reflect the commitment of schools, training providers and employers to making vocational learning a valuable experience for students.”
This year 51 senior boys participated in a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, the large majority of these in the area of agriculture (without impacting on their academic timetable at school), and a further 74 senior boys participated in vocational training of some type. Vocational areas studied included Automotive, Carpentry and Construction, Community Recreation, Engineering, Fitness, Health, Hospitality, Information Technology, Media, Plumbing, Racing, Retail and TESOL. Training was provided by ten different training providers including the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE.
The Visual Arts During August we celebrated the beauty of Art by hosting an exhibition of paintings by the well- known Australian artist, Tom McAulay. This exhibition, which was held in Old Hall, was made available to the general public free of charge as a gesture of goodwill to the community of the City of Toowoomba and beyond. It also offered guests the opportunity to listen to the artist talk about his professional career and his technique. The School also enjoyed the art displayed at the annual Student Art Exhibition held in October. Our annual Parents and Friends’ (P & F) Association’s 2011 Art Show also proved to be a highly successful venture in all respects.
The Performing Arts – Music and Drama The first public performance for the year in our vibrant and ever expanding Music programme was on 11 March when we conducted our annual Welcome Concert. Showcasing all of our ensembles the concert provided a good indication of what would be an outstanding year for the boys involved in the performing arts. This was particularly so given the quality of our musicians and actors, with standout Year 12 Co-Leaders of the Arts Department. As one illustration, the Arts Co-Leader was a soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on two occasions this year performing at the highest level of musicianship. He has also worked with the Australian Youth Orchestra in Canberra and attended, upon invitation, an International Horn Symposium in San Francisco this year. Our other Co-Leader similarly amazed many audiences with his profound skills. Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 17
In May we performed the School’s major musical, “The Music Man”, at the Empire Theatre with a matinee and three evening performances. This combined production with Fairholme College involved 294 students (124 boys and 170 girls) as cast and crew.
During May, a number of Toowoomba Grammar School vocal groups participated in the Eisteddfod in Toowoomba. The Choir competed in the Hymn and the Spiritual section receiving a Highly Commended and The Grammarphones gave a fully choreographed rendition of “Uptown Girl” which, despite being an audience favourite, did not receive a placing. The Barbershop Quartet from “The Music Man” also competed in the Eisteddfod and received a third place in the Secondary Schools’ Trio/Quartet section. Many boys also successfully competed in piano, drama and solo vocal sections. In the second part of the Eisteddfod featuring instrumentalists, ensembles and speech sections once again the boys surpassed all expectation. They are to be commended for their participation and all place getters are warmly congratulated. This included at least thirteen students gaining a first place in one or more sections (with some boys amassing five or more individual first placings). The quality of our music programme may also be seen in the Eisteddfod results for our ensembles. Receiving first place were the String Quartet, the Chamber Strings and the Glennie/Grammar Orchestra. We received four third placings with our Electric Guitar Ensemble, String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble (Secondary Section) and Stage Band/Big Band (Secondary Section). Various other bands and ensembles gained Highly Commended awards.
Every year many very talented musicians from each of the nine member schools of the GPS Association come together in what is currently known as the GPS Music Day of Excellence. On this one day and evening the students join to form an Orchestra, a Concert Band and a male Choir. A total of approximately two hundred students took part in this event in May this year and tirelessly rehearsed all day. These GPS Music Days are a wonderful occasion to celebrate the joy of Music. The School was honoured to be the host school for this function and we proudly showed off the beauty of Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre to our guests from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Ipswich. Once again the strength and depth of our musicians is illustrated by the fact that in this auditioned concert we had 13 of our boys in the Concert Band, 6 boys in the Symphony Orchestra and 16 boys in the choir. We also had 6 boys contribute and gain valuable experience backstage during the workshops and evening performance.
Throughout the year the School’s String Quartet, R’n’B Band and The Grammarphones have provided music for a number of school events and major Toowoomba community functions. The boys are sincerely thanked for their contribution and for the enjoyment they provide for their audiences. The School’s Music and Drama students showcasing all ensembles also entertained us with a memorable Take Note Concert in September. Once again our Music Extension Concerts performed by the students in Year 12 clearly showcased their talent as did those boys participating in the Singers’ Trophy in early November.
The Junior School The Junior School has expanded significantly in 2011 in terms of facilities, students and staff. At the start of this year the third phase of development of the Junior School was opened. This encompassed a new library and technology centre, a multi-purpose assembly hall, eight new classrooms, an art / woodwork studio and a music centre. The financing of this major extension was, in part, via a two million dollar grant under the Commonwealth Government’s Building the Education Revolution. The architecture of the extension remains consistent with the original building and is in sympathy Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 18
with many other buildings at the School. This significant building programme has further enhanced recent developments which include the School’s state-of-the-art Aquatic Centre, used by every student at the School from the Preparatory Year through to Year 12. In addition, the Junior School benefitted from the expansion of its staff facilities in 2009, comprising a new, much larger staffroom and several staff offices.
Three additional classes were added this year, as we progressively double stream the Junior School. Demand for places is such that we are moving ahead of schedule in 2012, with three further classes being added. Effectively, the double steaming will occur several years ahead of initial projections with all but one year level having two classes in 2012. This results in approximately a fifty per cent increase in student numbers in the Junior School in the space of two years but this will not detract from the traditional quality of student care afforded to every boy.
4.2 Relationships and Physical Development
Objectives:
To provide each boy with:
An appreciation of their individual strengths and an understanding of their shortcomings, their interests and their self-esteem. An understanding and acceptance of the importance of good sportsmanship and learning to win and lose in an appropriate manner. An interest in and enjoyment of a diverse co-curricular programme including outdoor recreational activities and pursuits in a variety of challenging and interesting experiences and environment, in which his self-reliance can be developed.
Outcomes:
A Commitment to Pastoral Care Our teachers not only have to keep up-to-date with curriculum changes, assessment instruments and developments in Information Communications Technology but they also have a crucial role to play in implementing our programme of Pastoral Care. In addition to doing the very best we can in every area, we must create opportunities to get to know the students well; to identify their various strengths and areas for improvement, to know how best they learn and to channel and challenge them in their most productive areas of interest. The method of achieving the aforementioned is via our Pastoral Care programme and this is led by the Director of Pastoral Care, the ten Housemasters, Assistant Housemasters and a team of Mentors operating in their respective Pastoral Care Groups.
Virtually every member of the teaching staff is a House Mentor so is actively involved in the Pastoral Care programme of the School. Their work and commitment are also highly valued in this regard. This is the second year that the School has operated under a different daily routine where the boys meet with their Mentors on an almost daily basis. This regular contact has allowed Mentors the opportunity to form worthwhile relationships with their boys and to monitor them both academically and pastorally. The Mentors have done an excellent job in encouraging the boys to participate in the many opportunities available to them at the School. Evidence of this has been the increasing number
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 19
of boys who have applied for House Colours this year to recognise their involvement across all areas of school life.
The Mentors have also assisted by teaching the many concepts covered in the School’s Pastoral Care programme. This is supplemented with the newly re-written curriculum taught in the subject ‘Personal Development’. We have continued to engage many guest speakers to impart relevant messages to the boys. During the year boys in Years 8, 9 and 10 viewed plays performed by the group Brainstorm Productions. These plays explored issues relevant to the boys such as appropriate use of social media and bullying behaviour. Our older students heard from a number of different guest speakers on issues such as driving safely, studying smarter, making the most of their opportunities, information on GAP placements and coping safely during Schoolies Week.
Another vital part of our Pastoral Care programme is the Outdoor Education and Activities Camps for all students in the Senior School. On these camps the boys are challenged in many different ways and it helps Mentors who accompany the boys on these camps to reinforce many of the concepts they have been discussing in their Pastoral Care groups. The focus of the Year 8 camp held at Alexandra Headlands was about strengthening relationships with peers. The Year 9’s camped in the Brooyar State Forest, 15 minutes north of Gympie. The outdoor activities during this camp were designed to challenge the boys by extending them out of their comfort zone. The Year 10’s spent the four days on a surf camp at Noosa North Shore and were involved in team-building exercises and surf safety instruction. Next year the Year 10s will spend this time undertaking a period of Work Experience. During the Outdoor Education and Activities Week the Year 11’s faced a four-day leadership camp at Couran Cove on South Stradbroke Island. The activities during this camp were designed to foster leadership traits amongst the boys. The Year 12’s were involved in a number of activities to develop their skills for life after school.
Another aim of the Pastoral Care programme is for boys to feel connected to, and proud of, their House. This House spirit is best showcased in our Inter-House Competition where the five Houses strive to win the Headmaster’s Shield. The boys enjoy participating in the wide array of sports and cultural activities on offer. The organisation of the boys in these competitions is the role of the Housemaster but it is pleasing to see the large number of senior boys who are given the opportunity to lead their peers in this setting. The rivalry is fierce between the Houses and all the boys enjoy the competitive nature of the Inter-House competition.
Another successful aspect of our Pastoral Care programme is the opportunity created for our boys to interact with girls in a social setting. We continue to work closely with The Glennie School and Fairholme College to provide well planned events which help our boys develop the important skills needed when interacting with girls. The Social Co-ordinators in each House are thanked for their assistance in conducting these activities.
Our Commitment to Sporting Participation and Competition Sporting participation and competition within the School occurs at both the elite standard and at a more general level. As a sample, a cursory consideration of the following sporting talent illustrates such depth: two students gaining a place in the Australian Under 16 Futsal team to compete in the Junior World Cup; a Year 10 student receiving a “Secondary Schools Future State Great” award from the Queensland School of Sport Foundation and competing in the Australian Junior Athletics Championships (and subsequently becoming a national champion for his age group in the hammer throw and discus); Australia’s 100, 200 and 400 metre Under 15 years’ champion; two boys selected in the Queensland Cricket Emerging Players’ Squad; two students competing in the National Track Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 20
and Field titles; a student selected to represent the Combined States Team at the National Indigenous Under 18s Rugby tournament; a bronze medallist in the Australian National Swimming Championships; a member of the Queensland School Sport Under 19 Years Hockey team; two boys participating in the National Schoolboy Rugby Championships; a National Gymnastics Champion for the Level 7 Open division; an Australian champion in Cross-Country Running; State record breakers in Track and Field and the list goes on. This is a remarkable sporting line-up.
Just as important as these State and National representatives are the hundreds of boys in the School who are simply enjoying their sport, developing their skills, keeping physically fit, learning to respect the rules of the game, learning to win and lose appropriately and recognising the importance of effective teamwork. Indicative of this involvement, for example, are the statistics relating to the winter sports season in which a total of 387 boys played Rugby and 260 boys played Football. This is a total of 647 Senior School boys participating in these two sports alone and in addition we had boys involved in Cross Country and Chess which are also conducted in the winter season.
Whilst much of the attention may be on the results of the 1st Premiership teams in the GPS competition, as a School we have experienced great success in many of the under-age sporting teams this year. Several A, B, C, D and E teams either won the majority of their GPS matches or were undefeated throughout. It is encouraging to see our depth in sport developing and the growing confidence within our players as they take to the field or court. Basketball
This year the School participated in a local Friday night Open Basketball competition during Term One. The School claimed regional honours by winning the McDonalds Cup and our teams also participated in several Open and under-age State basketball competitions. This has been complemented by the provision of an additional training facility in the form of an outdoor basketball court which was established in the area formerly occupied by the old swimming pool. At the Open First’s team level, early in the GPS season the boys secured back-to-back wins against Brisbane Grammar School and Gregory Terrace, a feat that has not been achieved for some decades.
The School had sixteen teams taking part in this year’s GPS Basketball competition and in addition to the Open First’s solid performance we witnessed the 9A team being a standout. This team lost only one fixture this season and they have a strong future in the GPS competition.
Chess This year’s team recorded some excellent wins in the GPS competition and again dominated the local Chess Competition. The School’s Premier Team was placed third in the 2011 GPS Chess Premiership, which is a very impressive ranking given the quality of chess players amongst the nine GPS schools. This team also won the Darling Downs Championships and was placed 4th at the State Championships. The School is also demonstrating depth in the junior ranks with impressive top three placings for most of our teams in the GPS competition.
Cricket This year’s traditional Junior Cricket Coaching Camp was scheduled for 9-12 January but the relentless rainfall prior to this time made it impossible to literally walk on our ovals let alone play cricket on the turf wickets. Unfortunately we had to make the early decision, which was both disappointing and unavoidable, to cancel this training camp which was to involve over 100 boys. Similarly, it was necessary to cancel the Neil Dansie Cricket Festival which was due to be held at our School from 13-18 January involving our 1st XI and teams from Knox Grammar School Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 21
(Sydney), St Peter’s College (Adelaide) and Camberwell Grammar School (Melbourne). This Cricket Festival will now be played at Toowoomba Grammar School in January 2012.
A permanent fixture in our annual calendar is the School’s current 1st XI cricket team playing the 1st XI of twenty years ago on the Australia Day weekend. This year our team turned up to play the TGS team from 1991 and the boys were slightly intimidated to see ex-Australian Test cricketer Martin Love put on his batting gloves. Despite Martin’s easily made eighty odd runs, our 1st XI went on to score 4/236, thereby defeating the Old Boys (5/233). This win made it a cumulative total of four wins for the boys as opposed to two for the Old Boys in this fixture. The Old Boys also assisted on the day by presenting the 1st XI team with their school cricket caps.
Prior to the start of the GPS season the School’s 9A cricket team won the BBC Twenty20 Tournament which was held in Brisbane in January. The Twenty20 format consisted of two pools made up of Year 9 teams from all GPS schools playing over two days, with the teams ranked at the top of their pool playing in the final. Our 9A team enjoyed successive wins over BBC, Gregory Terrace, Brisbane Grammar School and The Southport School to win the final.
During the summer season we fielded a total of 26 Cricket teams which translated into revealing incredible depth and a pleasing level of student interest. Not only did many of these teams experience some “wins” but they also learnt valuable lessons in defeat. The first round of the GPS Cricket competition commenced on Saturday 29 January against Brisbane Grammar School and it resulted in the pleasing outcome of 12 wins and 9 losses.
An important cricket match, but not one within the GPS calendar, is our annual fixture against Downlands College. The competition at the Open First XI level is for the Tom Allen Memorial Trophy which is named after Old Boy (27-29) Tom Allen. He possessed such exceptional Cricket ability that he was later selected to play Sheffield Shield and captain Queensland in the mid 1930s. Later on he captained the Queensland Country XI. This year we retained the Tom Allen Memorial Trophy (196 runs to 165) and this win represented 6 wins over the last 7 years. The School won 9 of its 10 Cricket fixtures contested against Downlands College this year.
The 1st XI finished the GPS season in third place, following their second placing last year, and we congratulate The Southport School on their premiership win. Our team showed courage in several matches to defend some low totals. Six wins and a wash-out resulted in our top three finish. Overall the School had a very successful Cricket season with most teams winning the majority of their matches, whilst six teams remained undefeated.
Cross Country Running We were proud of the Toowoomba Grammar School Cross Country athletes who competed in the GPS Cross Country Championships which were held at Limestone Park in Ipswich. All of our representatives ran with tremendous effort and we had several individuals placed very highly; the most notable being our competitor who won the Under 13 division. Our team was successful in winning the Darling Downs Championship Trophy which resulted in many excellent individual and age group results. Nine of our runners were subsequently selected in the Darling Downs team to compete at the State Championships in Brisbane, with two of these boys then progressing to the National titles.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 22
Football Everyone associated with the School would have noted the increased student interest and participation in Football over recent years. This year we fielded 19 teams in the GPS season and all of our GPS competitors have noted the improved skill development and determination of our players. A number of training camps were held during the year and these contributed to the improved skill development of the boys. The annual Rale Rasic Super Football Academy was conducted at the School during the holidays from 7-11 April. Rale Rasic is a legend in Australian Football and has been honoured in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. No other coach in Australia’s history of Football has achieved a higher World Cup rating and we are honoured to have him give up so much of his time to support Football at our School. In addition, a Pro Football Camp for boys aged 6-14 (from any school) was held here during the second week of the holidays from 18-21 April.
Prior to the GPS fixtures, the 1st XI Football Squad travelled to Brisbane for trial matches following a team bonding camp at Emu Gully from 7-11 April. The team played an entertaining style of Football and was somewhat unfortunate to be placed 5th overall in the GPS competition. With 4 wins, 2 draws (including one to the eventual premiers BBC) and some close heartbreaking losses, the team deserved to finish higher. Nevertheless they should be very proud of their season.
The School's 1st XI proudly won the Parents and Friends' Cup for Football against Downlands College on Saturday, 21 May (for the eighth time since the Cup's inception nine years ago) and all of our other teams also won on the day.
This year we saw some tremendous achievements by our GPS teams, as well as excellent representative contributions by many of the players. Our Year 8 cohort collectively won 29 of their 32 fixtures played, whilst the A teams won 60 per cent of their games over the course of the GPS season. This continuing improvement in all of our teams is most pleasing. The boys have also had the opportunity to compete in several external competitions and the School achieved great success at the Mini World Cup in Inverell, the Australasian Futsal Tournament, the Bill Turner Cup and Red Lion Cup competitions.
Rugby At the end of last year the School’s 2010 Rugby Tour to England, Wales, France and Italy took place from 26 November to 18 December and it involved 27 boys and four staff. The touring party travelled to London, Wales, Manchester, Lancaster, northern France, Paris and Rome. It was a challenging tour due to the adverse weather conditions which forced the cancellation of three games. In Wales the temperature fell to minus 17 degrees Celsius and at more than one school in England the rugby pitches were frozen. Despite the weather, the boys were well behaved and the tour was a positive and memorable experience.
From 7-10 April 22 boys and three staff members travelled to Sydney to participate in the Under 13 Rugby tour which included matches against several Sydney GPS schools. The 1st XV attended a training camp and Rugby carnival at the Sunshine Coast from 12-17 April and from 9-13 July the Open and Under 14 Rugby teams participated in the Gold Coast Rugby carnival with the games played at The Southport School. In this competition the Open boys won the Under 18 competition after playing a number of Australian and New Zealand school teams. Our Under 18 squad was a mix of seven teams from the School from the First XV to the Under 16 age group. This year, on Tuesday, 2 August, the School also hosted two visiting Open Rugby teams from the Sherbourne School, United Kingdom.
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Toowoomba Grammar School finished in the “top four” in the Queensland Schoolboy 7s Championships played at Suncorp Stadium (as a curtain raiser to the Reds and Rebels match) on Friday, 18 March. Our side won every game they played until the semi-final in this 24 school competition. Consequently the team was then invited to participate in the National Schoolboy 7’s competition on the Gold Coast later in the year.
In the GPS Rugby competition, our boys always play as hard as possible for their School. This year we were successful in winning the majority of matches on the day against Brisbane Grammar School, Ipswich Grammar School, Brisbane State High School and Brisbane Boys’ College. The 1st XV enjoyed a comfortable win against Gregory Terrace and a one point victory over Brisbane Boys’ College to be placed seventh in the premiership competition.
On the Downlands/Grammar Day which was played on Saturday, 21 May, the School recorded wins from the 2nds, 3rds, 16A, 15A, 14A and a draw with the 13A. In total the School had nine wins and one draw from the 14 Rugby games contested. The 1st XV played for The O’Callaghan Cup and lost 14-16 in a very close game.
In the Junior School, 115 boys from Prep to Year 7 represented our School at the annual Rugby carnival. The School hosted around 700 players from clubs and schools from Toowoomba, Highfields, Dalby, Warwick and Goondiwindi.
Swimming The combination of a specialist and highly ranked Australian coach and our magnificent Aquatic Centre venue, which enables all-year-round training, resulted in a sense of optimism and resolve amongst the School’s swimming squad this year. A pre-season swimming camp was held at Runaway Bay with thirty boys and four staff attending. Optimism was at a high when Queensland Academy of Sport swimmers, including Olympic Gold Medallist Jess Schipper, had a strength and conditioning session at the School on 8 February. Some indication of our future success in this sport was revealed at the Inter-House swimming championships held at the Milne Bay pool on 8 February, at which twelve School Records were broken.
The School team dominated the local competition with an easy victory at the Toowoomba Districts Swimming Carnival and our swimmers provided a strong presence in the Darling Downs team. Later we celebrated the announcement that seven of our Senior School students had qualified to compete in the Australian Swimming Championships which were subsequently held in Adelaide in April.
Prior to at least the last fifteen years we have finished in last place at the GPS Swimming Championships. As a School we were delighted to see our team finish in fifth place in this year’s competition which was held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in March. Our dramatic improvement may be appreciated when we consider our aggregate points won at this Carnival: for example, in 2008 (79 points); 2009 (78 points); 2010 (114 points) and 2011 (197 points). Our total points score this year placed us in fifth place, followed by Brisbane State High School (196 points), Gregory Terrace (188), Ipswich Grammar School (172) and Brisbane Boys’ College (160.5). At these GPS Championships the Under 13 medley relay broke a GPS record set in 2002. Under the current rules of competition, an individual swimmer is permitted to swim in only three individual events and one of our swimmers competed in the allowable maximum number of events and won them all. Another Year 8 boy also won an individual event.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 24
The new Aquatic Centre has also had an immediate impact on the Junior School swimming programme. The Junior School Swimming Team won the Boys’ section of the Range Zone Carnival for the first time in nine years. Our placing last year at the Range Zone Carnival was fourth. Of the twenty-one boys who participated in the carnival this year, twelve gained selection in the Range Zone team with one boy ultimately making the Queensland Swimming team.
Our grass roots swimming training for the 2012 season has already commenced. During Term Four, the School had 930 young children enrolled for Learn-to-Swim classes and they were supported by approximately 30 Learn-to-Swim Instructors. In addition to these young children using the Learn-to- Swim pool, a group of adults use the facility for physiotherapy treatment. There is also Squad Training (i.e. including members of the general community who pay fees) comprising 275 regular squad swimmers and a further 86 casual registered swimmers.
Tennis Many of our boys enjoy playing tennis throughout the year both during the day and/or at night under lights, as well as during weekends. Twenty teams represented the School in the GPS competition this year and the boys enjoyed playing on our recently refurbished courts. Our 1st IV had many opportunities during the season and the team members played excellent tennis to win against Gregory Terrace but were unlucky to be defeated in a number of close matches. The experience gained by the younger students in the squad will be instrumental in future successes for this team. The Year 9 cohort had a very pleasing season displaying very good depth throughout the age group. Two teams, the 9C and 9Ds were undefeated during the season.
Track and Field The improvement which has been visible in the School’s overall sporting profile this year also extended to the Track and Field squad which worked very hard in preparation for the GPS Track and Field Championships. In the lead-up, the School dominated the local scene with an easy victory at the Toowoomba District Athletics carnival and as a result more than twenty boys were selected in the Darling Downs team. At the State Championships, our athletes set five new State records and collected eleven gold medals. This has been our best performance in recent years and it led to an impressive performance at the GPS Championships. We were placed 6th at these championships after obtaining our highest aggregate points score since 2003. In the past decade the School has not been placed higher than 6th and we look forward to challenging this barrier in the future after being just 13 points in arrears of 5th place this year.
Volleyball The 1st VI finished in sixth position in the GPS premiership competition with wins against Brisbane Boys’ College and Nudgee College. All of our A teams won the majority of their matches throughout the season and the 9B team was the most successful with only one loss. The programme continues to develop with an increase in the number of teams representing the School. Mr Eric Smith, as Master-in-Charge of Volleyball, does a tremendous job of promoting our boys’ involvement in the sport by supporting and encouraging his players to participate in other Local, State and National competitions. The boys also enjoy the opportunity to compete in the local Tuesday night competition throughout the year and next month a team will travel to Melbourne to contest the Australian Volleyball Schools’ Cup competition.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 25
4.3 Society
Objectives:
Our students to become more aware of the needs and circumstances of others.
Outcomes:
Our Commitment to Community Service
Service to the community is an integral component of a Toowoomba Grammar School education. We aim, as a school community, to enhance the personal development of our 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. This can be done, in part, by involving them in programmes of community service and therefore, hopefully, instilling a commitment to others in the broader community through displays of empathy, tolerance, compassion and kindness.
The School’s community service programme is underpinned by a philosophy of ‘service in action’ and is delivered through two avenues by the student Service Co-ordinators. The first avenue is through the House structure where each House supports and contributes to their chosen charitable organisations. The second mechanism is through the Interact Club itself whereby whole of school service activities are organised.
This year the Houses, through the work of the Housemasters and Service Co-ordinators, have further developed their relationships with St Vincent’s Hospital, Rockville State School, Gabbinbar State School and Toowoomba West Special School. The boys willingly give of their time to assist these organisations. The Houses also have been involved in the annual Peak to Park run, sponsoring children in third world countries, collecting blankets for St Vincent de Paul, as well as supporting fundraising efforts for the Red Shield Appeal and Guide Dogs Australia.
The Interact Club, in its forty-fifth year of operation, has also had a busy year. A broad range of activities were organised including fundraisers in support of the Queensland Flood Appeal, MND & Me, World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine, The East Africa Drought Appeal and the NRMA Helicopter Rescue Service. A total of several thousand dollars was raised to support these most worthy organisations. The 40 Hour Famine, in particular, was a most successful fundraiser. This year we had more than 100 boys participate with $3,000 raised. The ‘service in action’ activities that were undertaken were extremely well supported by the members of the Interact Club and broader school community. Members of the Club attended the Million Paws Walk, Clean up Australia Day and the Picnic Point Peak to Park Charity Run to help with the organisation and smooth running of both events.
One of the more significant service activities organised by the School is the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp. This year the School hosted its fifth annual camp over the first weekend of the September school holidays. At this year’s camp we hosted 36 children with disabilities from Toowoomba and outlying areas who were cared for by 34 Year 11 students from Toowoomba Grammar School, 12 Fairholme College girls and 9 girls from The Glennie School. The programme kept the guests and their companions very busy with a wide range of activities organised such as a drama performance, swimming, karaoke, tie-dying, craftwork, a disco and on the last morning a show day with numerous show rides for the campers to enjoy. Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 26
At the end of each day of the camp, time was spent debriefing with the Year 11 companions. It is at this time it becomes evident as to the impact that the camp experience is having on each of the companions. They each agreed that, on a personal level, they initially found the idea of the camp to be somewhat daunting, that they had been physically and emotionally challenged, but they had grown from the experience and had been touched by the young guest they were looking after. It is impressive to see our young men step up and clearly put the needs of another person before their own. It is hoped that the experience and skills gained during the camp can be carried across into other aspects of the boys’ lives.
4.4 Finance and Infrastructure
Objectives:
To maintain income at least at a level which will meet all operating (recurrent) expenditure including interest on loans. To ensure that general capital replacements are funded from annual cash flows. To maintain a level of debt that will not expose the School to financial risk in poor market conditions.
Outcomes:
The final financial results for 2011 indicate a solid Operating Profit of $2,867,774 up $451,568 (18.6%) from 2010. Our EBIDA as a % of total revenue was 20.8% ($5,259,622) which exceeded our budget of 16.7%. Total income increased by 10.9% to $25m and total operating expenditure increased by 10% to $22m. Total Equity has increased by $2,578,660 to $89,963,266 whilst Total Assets, excluding amortisation and depreciation, increased by $1,281,285 made up as follows: Fire Ring Upgrade $133,654 Windows replaced in Roberts Bld. $ 62,851 Junior School Climbing Tower $ 40,670 Tennis Courts resurfaced $ 31,884 Dining Hall water pipes replaced $ 32,750 Dining Hall Skylights Replaced $ 17,880 School Bell Upgrade $ 15,199 Pavilion Extension $102,679 PE Demountable $ 46,045 New Boarding House $246,363 New Front Entry $ 4,226 Promenade $ 47,044 New Tractor $ 34,350 Gym Equipment $ 10,000 Sundry $ 9,301
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 27
Our cash and cash equivalents increased by $2,594,165 whilst our debt has decreased in 2011 by $402,933 to $6,252,405.
Enrolment numbers in the Junior School increased by 63 (29%) to 280 and the Senior School increased by 43 (5.6%) to 813. Total enrolments of 1093 exceeded 1000 for the first time in the school’s history. Boarder numbers of 287 remained stable as compared to 289 in 2010.
Our outstanding fees increased from $185,525 in 2010 to $309,134 in 2011 and whilst this is of concern a number of factors including the economic conditions have contributed to this increase. The school continues to carefully monitor these debtors.
Supplementation increases to the Commonwealth Recurrent Grants and increases student numbers resulted in our grants exceeded the budget by $377,000.
The Aquatic Centre continues to impress with the number of children enrolled in either the Learn to Swim Programme (1000+) or squad training (230+).This has resulted in an increase in the income and expenditure from the Centre’s operations. The Aquatic Centre staff now exceed 40.
Salary rates rose by 4% from 1 January 2011 as per the Workplace Agreement which expired at the end of 2011. In addition to this we have appointed 10 new staff in line with the budget including 3 full-time boarding assistants, 5 new teachers in the junior school and 2 additional teachers in the senior school.
The School participates annually in the Non-Government Schools’ Financial Performance Survey conducted by the Association of School Business Administrators Limited. The Key Performance Indicators and Benchmarking provided by this survey assists the School to review its financial viability. Ratio results from recent years and 2011 are as follows:
Ratios 2008 2009 2010 2011 Benchmark 2010
Working Capital (Capacity 6.00 4.68 4.1 5.53 0.74 to pay current debts)
Cash Flow Adequacy 1.46 0.43 0.91 2.05 0.72 (Ability to generate a surplus for non- operational requirements) Reinvestment (Extent we 55% 222% 199% 30% 156% reinvest our cashflow to acquire new assets) Interest Cover (Ability to 53.66 39.37 13.02 12.13 3.07 meet our current interest obligations) Total Debt per Student $553 $3,293 $6,743 $5,720 $11,434
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 28
Funds from our Endowment Fund that are invested with the Queensland Investment Corporation in the Growth Fund have reduced by $39,149 to $2,859,296 due mainly to global fluctuations. The Deductible Gift Recipient Fund which includes the Building Fund and Education Fund has increased by $122,923 to $2,825,101 thanks partly to the increase in the voluntary building fund contribution included on the fee statements and increased interest income.
A formal revaluation of buildings is due in 2012 and as the building index rose by approximately 2% in 2011 an interim valuation was not required. Overall the 2011 results represent a sound financial year which reflects the recent growth in student numbers and building works.
4.5 Future Direction
4.5.1 The National and State Educational Agenda
The Commonwealth Government has undertaken an education reform agenda since 2007. Titled “The Education Revolution”, all are aware of the two most visible outcomes of the Government’s expenditure. The first was the “Building the Education Revolution” (BER) whereby all primary schools in the nation received massive government grants to finance infrastructure works in specific areas. We benefited enormously from this initiative which resulted in funding to allow the construction of the Junior School’s new library/resource centre and assembly hall. We are certainly most grateful for the Government’s allocation of funds in this regard. The other highly visible area of the Government’s expenditure has been “the Digital Revolution” in which the Government promised access to one computer per child in all Australian secondary schools. This undertaking will be examined later in this Report. In reality, the Government’s education reform has kept all school leaders and teachers in a constant state of confusion and inquiry as to the national educational agenda, for there has been NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy), ‘My School’, National Professional Standards for Teachers, and the Australian Curriculum to consider. The Government has also commissioned the first comprehensive, independent review of school funding since 1973 and consequently the Gonski Review Panel’s Report is scheduled to be released in December 2011.
At the National level the Government’s educational mission statement has moved from ‘the Education Revolution’ to ‘Making Every School a Great School’. With this will come greater focus on national consistency and uniformity, funding reform and attention to outcomes and what the Government terms ‘transparency’. At the State level we have the introduction of Year 7 into the secondary school, kindergartens, and a focus on quality assurance and continuous improvement.
Teachers and administrators now have to rush to consult an index to decipher the plethora of educational acronyms emerging from this educational reform. The following sample illustrates our confusion. As a start we have MCEECDYA, ICSEA, AITSL, NAPLAN, QELI, ACARA and SATTA. These terms which are just an example of numerous other educational agencies, organisations and assessments, include the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA); the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA); the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL); the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 29
(NAPLAN); the Queensland Education Leadership Institute Ltd (QELI); the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA); and the Student Aptitude Test for Tertiary Admission (SATTA). To make matters even more confusing, a new State authority will be formed in 2013. It will be known as the Queensland Education Standards Authority (forcing yet another acronym to be created: QESA) as the result of an amalgamation of several existing statutory authorities including the Queensland Studies Authority and the Non-State Schools’ Accreditation Board. The frustration of the rapidity of such educational change is that it distracts teachers from their primary focus of quality teaching and ensuring the welfare of their students.
4.5.2 The State Government’s Decision to Transfer Year 7 to Secondary School
Strategic Objective: The School aims to provide a seamless curriculum from Preparatory Year to Year 10 in the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and Physical Education.
This year the Queensland State Government announced its intention to move Year 7 to secondary school from 2015. This decision has been necessitated following the adoption of the Australian Curriculum and Queensland’s introduction of a Preparatory Year several years ago. The State Government has announced it will provide $81 million in capital assistance to the non-government sector to support the change, a portion of which is earmarked for independent schools. Whilst the Government has committed all Queensland State Schools to implement this policy decision in 2015, Toowoomba Grammar School will act earlier than this. At our School we will begin welcoming Year 7s into the secondary school from the commencement of the 2014 school year. From this time we will see Year 7 as being the major entry point to our secondary schooling. Such a decision to implement this earlier than the State is reminiscent of our decision to introduce the Preparatory Year two years prior to the State Government’s required time frame. Our School is well prepared and well experienced to undertake this major change in education in Queensland.
4.5.3 The School’s Laptop Computer Programme
Strategic Objective: The School will keep pace with current trends and innovations in Information Communication Technology as well as multi-media applications in its educational environment.
We alluded earlier in this Report to the Commonwealth Government’s ‘Digital Revolution’. Following the allocation of government funds relating to this programme the School has issued this year, under a leasing agreement, a new Tablet computer to every student in Year 9. A new and different Tablet computer was selected for this year (a Fujitsu T730 Lifebook) as last year it was a Dell Model XT2 Tablet computer. With this computer roll-out, all students in Years 9 and 10 now have a personal computer. In 2012 we will have all students in Years 9, 10 and 11 with individual laptops. Whilst we acknowledge that there have been a number of significant educational benefits associated with the allocation of the laptop computers, as a school we believe we are still not maximizing our investment in technology. In fact, we would suggest that there are only a handful of schools in Australia that are approaching the realisation of this aim.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 30
Furthermore, the government’s electoral promise of providing students with individual access to computers, of itself, is not regarded as a revolutionary educational decision. One problem with the issue of the computers is that the professional development of staff, whilst intensive, needs to be far more concentrated to highlight the application of information communications technology across the curriculum. In addition to staff professional development, the School has a responsibility to assist parents with this new technology. Next year we plan to conduct workshops to introduce parents to the many areas in which they need to be familiar; given that their children now have access to such powerful personal computing devices.
5. APPENDICES
Appendix 1 - Staff Organisational Chart Appendix 2 - 2011 Annual Financial Statements Appendix 3 - Glossary
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 31
APPENDIX 1
STAFF ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 32
T.G.S. STAFF ORGANISATIONAL BOARD of TRUSTEES CHART 2011
HEADMASTER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER – DEPUTY HEADMASTER SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES
DIRECTOR of HEAD of DIRECTOR PASTORAL DIRECTOR of GRAMMAR of CARE and SPORT and JUNIOR STUDIES HEAD of ACTIVITIES BOARDING DIRECTOR of BUSINESS ENROLMENTS MANAGER HEADS of HOUSEMASTERS COUNSELLOR DEPTS.
TEACHERS TEACHERS PROPERTY EXEC HOUSE FINANCE MENTORS MENTORS MANAGER CHEF MANAGER ADMINISTRATOR COACHES COACHES GROUNDS KITCHEN SERVICES SCHOOL AIDES AIDES STAFF STAFF STAFF OFFICERS
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education and Industrial Relations 33
APPENDIX 2
2011 ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education and Training 34
APPENDIX 3
GLOSSARY
A
ACARA The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is the independent authority responsible for the development of a national curriculum, a national assessment program and a national data collection and reporting program that supports 21st century learning for all Australian students.
AITSL Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership – provides national leadership for the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments in promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership.
B
BBC Brisbane Boys’ College
BER Building the Education Revolution (BER) is a key element of the Australian Government’s $42 billion Nation Building—Economic Stimulus Plan. BER is a $16.2 billion component that is providing much needed infrastructure to Australia’s schools and their communities and protected Australian jobs during the economic downturn.
E
EBIDA Earnings before Interest, Depreciation and Amortisation
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 35
G
GAP PLACEMENT A yearlong break from study taken by some students on leaving school before starting university, often spent gaining work experience or travelling.
GPS ASSOCIATION The Great Public Schools’ Association of Queensland Inc. (commonly referred to as the GPS) was established with the following objectives: a) to promote and conduct various forms of activities between member schools with a view to fostering a spirit of fellowship, sound educational practice and mutual support and assistance among schools; b) to promote the welfare and best interests of the Great Public Schools of Queensland; c) to consider, deliberate upon and deal with educational matters and questions of common policy and principle concerning the Great Public Schools of Queensland; d) to contribute to and influence the formulation and advancement of educational policy in Queensland; e) to exercise general supervision and control over the joint activities of the Great Public Schools of Queensland; and f) to do all such other things as are conducive or incidental to the attainment of the aims and objects set forth above or any of them.
I
ICSEA The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is a scale that represents levels of educational advantage. A value on the scale assigned to a school is the averaged level for all students in the particular school.
INTERACT Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self- governing and self-supporting.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment
M
MCEECDYA The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) was established on 1 July 2009 following agreement of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to a realignment of the roles and responsibilities of two previously existing councils—the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) and the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE).
N
NAPLAN In 2008, the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in Australian schools. Every year, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are assessed on the same days using national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy.
Q
QAMT Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers.
QELI Queensland Education Leadership Institute (QELI) - Spanning Government, Catholic and Independent school systems, QELI was established to foster leadership talent across the education sector—through innovative programs that reflect the latest available evidence and research in leadership development.
QESA Queensland Education Standards Authority (QESA) is based on the amalgamation of three existing statutory authorities - the Queensland College of Teachers, the Queensland Studies Authority and the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board.
S
SAT The Australian School-based Apprentice Programme aims to create more employment opportunities for Australian Apprentices by providing additional incentives to employers who take on Australian School-based Apprentices.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment
SATTA Since 2007 the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has funded the Student Aptitude Test for Tertiary Admission (SATTA) pilot program. SATTA involves the supply, management and evaluation of uniTEST, and the evaluation of the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT).
T
TAFE Technical and Further Education institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses in Australia, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework.
TASS Is a web-based school administration system
U
UMAT The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) is a 3 hour multiple- choice test developed and used specifically to assist with the selection of students into medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs at undergraduate level at the participating universities.
V
VET Vocational Education and Training (VET) allows students to include vocational studies within their senior secondary certificate.
Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment