2012 ANNUAL REPORT PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350 ABN: 86 510 299 250 – CRICOS REGISTRATION No

Toowoomba Grammar School 24 Margaret Street, Toowoomba Qld 4350 2012 ANNUAL REPORT PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350 ABN: 86 510 299 250 – CRICOS REGISTRATION No. 00525D TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and i Employment

2012 ANNUAL REPORT

TO THE

MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING and EMPLOYMENT

Public Availability: A copy of the report is available on our webpage at www.twgs.qld.edu.au As well as on request to: Toowoomba Grammar School PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350 Telephone: (07) 4687 2500 Facsimile: (07) 4687 2580 E-mail: [email protected]

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and ii Employment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. THE SCHOOL IN 2012 ...... 1

2. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS ...... 2 2.1 Legislation ...... 2 2.2 Establishment ...... 2 2.3 Statutory Functions of the Board ...... 3 2.4 Statutory Powers of the Board ...... 3 2.5 Location ...... 3 2.6 Governance ...... 3 2.6.1 Membership of the Board ...... 3 2.6.2 Meetings of the Board ...... 4 2.6.3 Organisational Structure ...... 4 2.6.4 Executive Management ...... 4 2.7 Overseas Travel ...... 5 2.7.1 Board of Trustees ...... 5 2.7.2 School Tours ...... 5 2.8 Risk Management ...... 6 2.9 Controlled Entities ...... 7 2.10 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 ...... 8 3.1.3 The Australian Curriculum ...... 10

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and iii Employment

3.1.4 Political Climate ...... 10 3.2 Special Interest Groups ...... 12 3.2.1 Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys’ Association Inc ...... 12 3.2.2 Parents’ and Friends’ Association Inc...... 12

4. STRATEGIC DIRECTION ...... 13 4.1 Learning and Understanding ...... 13 4.2 Relationships and Physical Development ...... 18 4.3 Society ...... 22 4.4 Finance and Infrastructure ...... 23 4.5 Future Direction ...... 25 4.5.1 The State Government’s Decision to Transfer Year 7 to the Senior School ...... 25 4.5.2 Strategic Directions ...... 25

5. APPENDICES ...... 26 Appendix 1 – Staff Organisational Chart ...... 27 Appendix 2 – 2012 Annual Financial Statements ...... 29 Appendix 3 – Glossary ...... 30

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and iv Employment

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2012 TO 31 DECEMBER 2012

1. THE SCHOOL IN 2012

We commenced the year with a total student enrolment of 1,137, comprising 831 in the Senior School (282 Boarders and 549 Dayboys) and a Junior School enrolment of 306 (10 Boarders and 296 Dayboys). This represented an overall increase of 49 students on the previous year. At the same time we welcomed fifteen new full-time teachers to the staff due to the expansion of student numbers and as replacements for those departing due to promotional appointments or inter or intrastate transfers. A significant number of new staff who joined our Junior School did so due to a continuation of our double streaming policy which created additional classes in Years 1, 3 and 4.

This year will be justifiably remembered as an outstanding one for the School in both its academic and co-curricular endeavours. Whilst the School has maintained its extremely high academic standing in Queensland, it has achieved this in company with its ongoing and impressive student participation in its various cultural programmes. In addition, it has been widely acknowledged that major improvements have been demonstrated in our Great Public Schools (GPS) Competition sporting involvement. We believe that all of the other eight participating member schools have identified an awareness of the new sense of self-belief and determination which our boys are now demonstrating in their sporting endeavour. Associated with this increased sporting profile there has been a commensurate elevation in School Spirit shown by our boys, for they are clearly enjoying an increasing number of sporting successes across many sports. It is pleasing to note this improvement in our sporting involvement for it has been achieved in a manner that has been in no way detrimental to the School’s very high academic standards and achievements in other areas. In essence, Toowoomba Grammar School is now producing commendable successes across all areas of its endeavour.

Most importantly we can assess the year as being highly successful simply by knowing that the relationships amongst the boys, and between the boys and the staff, have been most positive, respectful and co-operative. There has been a very good spirit in the School. Sadly, however, the enjoyment we have all had during the year was tragically marred on the first day of the September school holidays by the loss of a wonderful Year 12 student, Nicholas Muller. Nick lost his life in a motor vehicle accident and the entire school community joined as one, in sadness and grief, in an attempt to cope with the magnitude of our loss. This was particularly felt by Nicholas’s Year 12 cohort as they approached their final term of schooling. It is a tribute to the strength of the School community and the boys’ ability to offer compassion and support to one another that they could Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 1

effectively, somehow, come to terms with their loss and deal with such sorrow. The condolences of the entire School community are extended to the Muller family.

The first two weeks of the new academic year were continually wet and miserable. Round One of the GPS Cricket season was subsequently cancelled and an Australia Day celebratory excursion to the Gold Coast for the boarders was postponed. It really was déjà vu when, on Sunday 5th February 2012, the School was asked whether it had the capacity to house evacuees from a flooded St George township. Unfortunately, unlike during the flood of January 2011 when the boarders had yet to return to the School, on this occasion all of our boarding dormitories were fully utilised so emergency accommodation could not be offered.

In addition to the arrival of the new students and staff, the new year saw the start of a major building programme which involved a significant extension to the Pavilion, the demolition of the Boyce Boarding Housemaster’s residence, the commencement and completion of the construction of the new Mackintosh Boarding House, the Margaret Street entrance fence constructed and the enhancement of the front promenade. Furthermore we witnessed the complete resurfacing of Mills Oval to rectify adverse drainage patterns, an extension to increase the size of the oval’s playing surface and the installation of a new turf cricket wicket square. The final result will definitely see Mills Oval, in its white picket fenced treed setting, as one of the premier cricket ovals in Queensland.

2. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT

2.1 Legislation The Toowoomba Grammar School is a Statutory Authority under the Grammar Schools Act 1975.

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 boys’school in the State, and is one of the Great Public Schools of Queensland currently educating boys from Prep to Year 12.

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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.

The Toowoomba Grammar School postal address is – PO Box 2900, Toowoomba Qld 4350 and the website is www.twgs.qld.edu.au.

2.6 Governance

2.6.1 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. Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 3

Board of Trustees Mr Glen William McCracken, Solicitor (Chairman). Mr Stewart John Handley, Teacher (Deputy Chairman). Mrs Julie Ann Michael, Barrister (Member of the Works Committee) (Resigned February 2012) 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, Project Engineer (Member of the Finance Committee), G.A.I.C.D., B.App.Sc. (UQ), J.P.(C.dec.) (appointed on 17 March 2011).

2.6.2 Meetings of the Board

The Board of Trustees held eight General Meetings and three Special Meetings during 2012.

2.6.3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FINANCE COMMITTEE WORKS COMMITTEE Mr E R Johnson - Chairman Mr S J Handley - Chairman Mr C J Wicks Dr R M Domrow Mr G W McCracken Mrs B MacDiarmid

2.6.4 Executive Management

Headmaster – Mr PB Hauser – B.Ec., Dip.Ed., M.Ed.St.(Mon), B.Ed.(Melb), FACEL, FAIM, FACE, GAICD Deputy Headmaster – Mr TJ Kelly – B.Econ. (UQ), B.Bus. (QUT), Dip.Ed., M.Ed.St.(UQ), MACE, MACEL Head of Senior School/Director of Sport and Activities – Mr JCAnderson – B.Ed. (UQ) Head of Junior School – Mr SD Campbell – M.Ed. (UTS), B.Ed., Dip.T. (UNSW), MACE, MACEL Director of Studies – Mr GJ Bland – B.A., B.Ed. (UQ) Director of Pastoral Care/Head of Boarding – Mr JM Noble – B.Bus (Accounting) (QUT), Grad.Dip.Ed. (ACU) Director of Enrolments – Mr BJ Foley – B.App.Sc. (UQ), L.L.B. (Hons.) (QUT) Chief Financial Officer – Mr GN Woolacott – B.Bus., (DDIAE), CPA, J.P.(C.dec)

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2.7 Overseas Travel

2.7.1 Board of Trustees

No overseas travel was taken on behalf of the School by any Member of the Board of Trustees in 2012.

2.7.2 Student Tours

A cursory review of the following section of this Report will reveal the astounding opportunities which are presented to the boys of the School. For a number of very fortunate participants an international education is certainly offered here and the boys derive immense benefit as a result. The organisation of these tours is highly complex and time consuming. Furthermore, the accountability associated with taking adolescent young men away on such tours is substantial, as is the personal impact on the teachers’ families who are left behind. We are sure that all boys involved in these international tours, as well as their parents are most grateful to our staff for their commitment.

Geography Tour to Vanuatu At the conclusion of Term Two, twenty three Geographers in Years 9-12 joined staff on an eight-day exploration of Vanuatu. The tour was designed for boys to actively experience both physical and human aspects of the Pacific Nations geography. Highlights included a cruise to a turtle sanctuary, snorkeling on colourful reefs, exploring waterfalls and limestone caves, experiencing traditional culture and local customs, as well as kayaking to the mouth of a nearby river. For most boys, however, the opportunity to visit a remote secondary school on Tanna Island and distribute packages of stationery and sporting goods to the students was meaningful before heading off to a sunset tour of the “fireworks” created by Mt Yasur, one of Vanuatu’s most active volcanoes.

Japanese students’ language and cultural tour to Japan Eight of our students of Japanese were fortunate to be able to visit Japan for sixteen days during the Spring holidays. The boys stayed with Japanese families for three days where they attended our newly established brother school, Keio Shiki Boys’ High School in Tokyo. At the school the boys participated in lessons, improved their language skills and tried a variety of different sporting activities. The tour group also undertook a range of cultural and sight- seeing activities; a day at the hot springs of Mt Fuji; an all-you-can-eat sushi at Ito Beach; a stay in Osaka to see the Golden Temple, the National Aquarium, Osaka Castle and Universal Studios; a hike on Mt Misen; a tour of the Mazda factory; the somber experience of the War Museum in Hiroshima; and finally the view of Tokyo from the Skytree, the highest tower in the world.

History students’ tour to Turkey In the Term One holidays forty-five tourists departed for the Republic of Turkey via Singapore. The boys explored the city of Istanbul then flew to Ankara, the capital city. A bus trip to Cappadocia in the central area of the Anatolian plateau followed, giving the boys views of many features of natural beauty including the volcanic landforms of the “fairy chimneys” and underground cities. In Antalya the boys visited the Greek/Roman site Aspendos, which includes the best-preserved Roman Theatre in the world. Time spent Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 5

wandering around local markets and a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea was also enjoyed. The following day the tour group travelled to Pamukkale, stopping en route to visit the ancient site Aphrodisias. The cities of Bodrum, Kusadasi and Troy were also visited.

On Saturday 7 April the boys, parents and staff visited Gallipoli. As a tribute to the six Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys who made the supreme sacrifice at this battlefield, three Year 12 students and one Year 11 student delivered eulogies to the fallen.

Rugby players’ tour to South America The School has a fine tradition of touring and the Rugby programme has involved tours in 2002, 2004 and 2006 to the United Kingdom; 2008 to North America; 2010 to Europe – England, France and Italy and this year to South America. During the Easter break twenty- nine students and five staff embarked on the journey of a lifetime. The tour began in Santiago, Chile, and then continued across to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tour group have very fond memories of South America with their recollections relating to the warmth and hospitality of the locals, their passion for life and their love of Rugby.

Musicians’ tour to Central Europe On Wednesday 27 June, one hundred and thirty students, staff and parents from the combined Grammar / Glennie ensembles departed Brisbane Airport for a two and a half week tour of Central Europe. Commencing with two concerts at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the touring ensembles also gave numerous performances at Salzburg (Austria) and Budapest (Hungary), with the highlight being able to compete in the International Music Festival event in Bratislava (Slovakia). Here the Orchestra and Choir were awarded Silver, and the Big Band was particularly thrilled to achieve Gold.

Footballers’ tour to Singapore and Malaysia A Year 8 Football tour to Singapore and Malaysia was scheduled for 1 – 10 December 2012. This represented a wonderful opportunity for the fifteen boys involved as five football matches were arranged and there was also sight-seeing of the cultural highlights.

2.8 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.

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2.9 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 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.

2.10 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.

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.

Information on Information Systems and Recordkeeping, Consultancies and Overseas Travel is available on our webpage at www.twgs.qld.edu.au

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3. TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL OPERATIONS

3.1 Economic Climate and Factors Affecting the School

3.1.1 Students

Overall student numbers increased by 4% from 1,093 in 2011 to 1,137 in 2012.

Boarder numbers slightly increased from 287 in 2011 to 292 in 2012.

1200 Student Numbers

1000

800 Boarders 600 Day Boys Total Students 400

200

0 1997 1998 1999 20002001 2002 2003 2004 2005 20062007 2008 2009 2010 20112012

3.1.2 Staff

During the year the School renegotiated a new three (3) year Enterprise Agreement with an expiry date of 31 December 2014.

Due to the expansion of student numbers we welcomed 15 new full-time teachers to the staff.

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Staff – Full-Time Equivalent

Teaching Staff 2009 2010 2011 2012 Primary 15.7 16.1 19.6 23.6 Secondary 57.5 57.9 59.4 63.8 Boarding 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 TOTAL 74.8 75.6 80.4 88.8

Non-Teaching 2009 2010 2011 2012 Staff Primary 10 10.6 11.8 13.3 Secondary 29.1 32.1 35.9 39.9 Boarding 30.1 30.6 31 27.5 TOTAL 69.2 73.3 78.7 80.7

GRAND TOTAL 144 148.9 159.1 169.5

The School’s 2012 Workplace Profile is as follows:

Women Men Casual %

Full Part Full Part Women Men Total Women Men time time time time Staff

Board 2 5 7 29 71 Principal 1 1 0 100 Deputy 2 2 0 100 Principal

Other 6 6 0 100 Managers, Administrators Senior 2 1 18 21 14 86 Teachers Other 24 6 37 1 68 44 56 Teachers Other 5 5 7 6 23 52 48 Professionals Maintenance 14 24 18 4 58 12 130 74 26 or Support Staff Total 47 31 92 5 65 18 258 55 45

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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 is contained in the Enterprise Agreement which is negotiated and developed with all staff.

A staff organisational chart is detailed in Appendix 1.

3.1.3 The Australian Curriculum

This year has seen the implementation of the first phase of the new Australian Curriculum. This is a highly significant educational initiative in that it represents, for the first time, an alignment of content objectives and achievement standards across all States in Australia in the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science. Next year we will also see the study of History implemented and other subjects will follow.

3.1.4 Political Climate

State – On Tuesday 3 April 2012, Education, Training and Employment Minister John-Paul Langbroek was sworn in to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland by the Queensland Governor, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley AC, with Saxon Rice MP appointed as the Assistant Minister for Technical and Further Education.

For over 135 years, Toowoomba Grammar School has continued to pride itself on delivering the highest quality of education and utmost care for its students. The School’s all-round education encompasses a number of core values, underpinned by the intellectual, physical, cultural and general well-being of students. This approach helps to develop and support the promise in every individual both now and into the future.

The School has been a specialist in the education of boys and young men since 1875 and now our current student enrolment approximates 1,200 from the Preparatory Grade to Year 12. Toowoomba Grammar School is also extremely proud to be recognized as one of the premier boarding schools for boys throughout Australia.

This philosophy aligns with a number of the Government’s objectives for the community.

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Federal - As educationalists we have been delighted to see the Prime Minister of our country maintain a passion for education. Ms Gillard acknowledges that education transforms lives and relates this to her own personal experience. In the paper, “A National Plan for School Improvement”, the Prime Minister referred to the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to enshrine our nation’s expectations for what we will achieve for our children. Ms Gillard spoke of her goal for Australian schools to be in the top five schooling systems in the world by 2025. Over the past decade Australian students have fallen from 2nd to 7th internationally in Reading and from 5th to 13th in Mathematics. We are also currently ranked in 7th place in Science. Ironically the national goal referred to in “A National Plan for School Improvement” is rather a “catch-up” for Australia was once in the top five internationally ranked school systems. Whilst educational goal setting is commendable, we also offer a cautionary note particularly with setting a goal for attainment in thirteen years’ hence. The pursuit of an educational standard should not be limited solely to a simple ranking system in diagnostic testing in Reading, Science and Mathematics. Last year a number of teachers representing several schools from Singapore visited our School. Their goal was to examine how we taught creativity and spontaneity in the classroom, suggesting that their students may have had limited exposure in these areas. In the “National Plan for School Improvement” Ms Gillard appears alarmed that the average 15 year old Mathematics student in Australia is two years behind a 15 year old in Shanghai. Further to this statistic, we would like to know about the personal development of these children – their self-esteem, compassion, empathy, creativity, level of happiness, ability to work co-operatively and harmoniously in teams, mental and physical health and so on.

The Federal Government’s apparent fixation on a comparison of standardised Reading, Mathematics and Science scores between Australian children and their overseas contemporaries and the discrepancy therein may lead one to form a pessimistic assessment of the future prospects of young Australians on the international stage. However, according to Dr Yong Zhao, the Associate Dean for Global Education at the University of Oregon, standardised testing results can often give a skewed indication of academic accomplishment. In a compelling and timely keynote address to the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) Annual Conference in April this year, Dr Zhao revealed that the countries that were consistently ranked highest in standardised benchmarking tests for mathematical and scientific literacy were not able to translate this success into creative or entrepreneurial pursuits. In contrast, the schools and systems responsible for producing leaders in the academic, corporate or cultural spheres had a common focus on each individual student’s goals, talents and interests, and they used this information to structure the students’ learning journeys.

Our perception of an over-reliance on data in education (at the potential expense of an enhancement in the quality of the relationship between teacher and student) has promoted the status and significance of NAPLAN (National Assessment Programme Literacy and Numeracy). We do not condone the practice of ranking schools according to NAPLAN results, particularly when this relates to the work of children as young as those in Year 3. An over-emphasis on NAPLAN test preparation can have a detrimental impact on other areas involving the intellectual, social and emotional development of children. In Years 3, 5 and 7 surely there is scope for the children to also enjoy their schooling rather than cope with the stresses of comparative ranking.

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3.2 Special Interest Groups

3.2.1 Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys’ Association Inc.

At the end of last year the then President of the Old Boys’ Association stepped down after his fixed tenure of three years in office. His stewardship left the Association in a positive and healthy state for his successor. This year the Old Boys’ Association has assisted the School in many areas including the organisation of Business Breakfasts, the cooking of chips during home sporting fixtures, reunion dinners, mentoring current students and so on. These functions are coordinated through the willing and voluntary efforts of the Management Committee of the Association.

During the year the Headmaster hosted Old Boy Reunion functions in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. A function for the Old Boys working in Brisbane was also well attended. The support of the School from all Old Boys irrespective of where they live is significant and appreciated.

Apart from individual visits to the School from Old Boys, we welcomed the 1st XI cricket team of 1992 back to play our current 1st XI. We were also particularly pleased with the Old Boys’ Reunion Weekend which attracted large numbers back to the School. Another highly entertaining occasion was when around thirty Old Boys enjoyed a dinner with the boarders in the Centenary Dining Hall prior to the Annual General Meeting of the Old Boys’ Association. The boarders certainly enjoyed having the presence of the Old Boys and listening to them speak about past days.

3.2.2 The Parents’ and Friends’ Association Inc.

The School has been incredibly well supported by the Executive of the Parents and Friends’ Association. A key feature of our School is the level of interest shown by parents and the extent of their voluntary support. In a range of areas we note the work of various Parent Support Groups. These include the Friends of Cricket, Volleyball, Football, Rugby, Swimming, Tennis, the Boarder Parent Supporters’ Group, the Junior School Parent Supporters’ Group, Supporters of the Arts (SOTA) and the Past Mothers’ Group. A major focus of the P & F Association’s work over almost twelve months is in preparation for the annual Toowoomba Grammar School Art Show which is held in March in our Assembly Hall. This year the Art Show exhibited 600 pieces of work from 200 different artists and was a great success. The Football Supporters’ Group worked extremely hard over many, many months in preparation for the annual Race Day which was held at Clifford Park in September. This event also raised a large sum of money and generated great community support. Another most positive ongoing social occasion organised by parents was the Toowoomba Grammar School Melbourne Cup Luncheon which was held in early November for the first time in the newly opened extension to the Pavilion. The Swimming Supporters’ Group has the responsibility for organising this function which is always very well attended and most enjoyable.

All supporter groups have assisted the staff and the boys of the School in many ways. There have been countless sausage sizzles and barbeques, raffles, and associated activities which

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bring the parents together for a common purpose. The work of every parent involved in any of these activities is much appreciated.

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:

A number of factors combine to enable our students to perform at a much higher level academically when compared with state averages and the performance of other comparable schools. These include the positive influence of our boys’ parents who support the culture of valuing education, the School’s highly qualified and committed teachers, a structured and disciplined learning environment, a curriculum and pedagogy designed to meet the learning styles and interests of boys, a culture in the School of recognising and applauding hard work, and an attitude of high expectations for all. We see evidence of all of the aforementioned when we consider the academic results of our students in relation to National and State benchmarks, National academic competitions and in the final Year 12 results and university placements.

The 2012 NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy) results were once again very positive for our Year 9 cohort, with our students achieving significantly higher results than State averages for Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy. Our results in Numeracy are particularly encouraging, with 40.4 per cent of our Year 9 boys achieving either a Band 9 or Band 10 result, compared to 17.8 per cent of the State. A note of caution should be urged when interpreting NAPLAN results, however, as the tests provide only a point-in-time snapshot of performance across a limited number of literacy and numeracy indicators.

At the end of 2012 we celebrated a highly successful Speech Day and Prize Giving Ceremony with Mr Nicholas Gleeson giving a moving address to the boys. We also heard the success of our 2012 school leavers and the staff took great pride in seeing our boys realise their goals through hard work.

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A total of eleven young men gained an OP 1 and many have now gained very difficult to obtain academic scholarships for their respective university courses. Also, eight boys gained an OP 2 and a total of 37 boys received an Overall Position (OP) in the range 1-5. In January 2013 The Courier Mail in a page three feature on student academic performance acknowledged only five schools, out of hundreds of secondary schools in Queensland, for the success of their academic programmes. One of the five listed schools was Toowoomba Grammar School with an outstanding statistic of 94.2% of all Year 12 OP students gaining an OP in the range 1-15. We have now heard that the vast majority of boys have been successful in gaining an offer to study one of their preferred university courses or to gain employment in a vocational area.

Commerce As part of the Year 10 Business Studies curriculum, all students participated in the CPA “Plan Your Own Enterprise” competition in which they had to create a business venture and complete a Business Plan based on their creative ideas. The School performed exceedingly well with one of our students achieving first place in Queensland and another claiming second place in Division A. According to the organisers of this competition, for one school to claim both places is very rare indeed. In a similar vein, sixteen students from the Year 11 Economics cohort were engaged in a three-day entrepreneurial business simulation known as ECOMAN (Economic Management) which was facilitated by the Queensland Private Enterprise Centre. The School thanks the Wagner Company for their continued support of our students and this programme, as well as their staff who gave their time to provide effective feedback to our students. A number of the senior students also entered the Business Educators’ Association of Queensland (BEAQ) Accounting competition with encouraging success. This competition involved 236 students participating from 38 schools.

English The year has been another successful one for our students and the English staff were pleased to note that the Year 9 NAPLAN test results were significantly above State and National averages in the areas of Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Writing and Reading. Our boys also experienced success in The University of New South Wales International English Competition in which 389 of our Year 8, 9 and 10 students competed. Six boys placed in the top one per cent in Queensland and another thirty-eight placed in the top ten per cent.

Geography During Term 2, 376 boys from classes in Years 8 – 11 participated in the Australian Geography Competition which attracted 80,000 students from 774 schools. One of our Year 10 students competing in the Intermediate Division finished inside the top twenty students in Australia. In addition, 54 boys scored a High Distinction (top 10 per cent) and a further 46 secured a Distinction (top 20 per cent).

History Late in 2011, three Year 10 students and one Year 9 student submitted essays on the topic “Why has Australian commemoration of ANZAC Day increased in popularity in recent years?” for consideration for the 2012 Simpson Prize. Although they did not win the State Prize, these boys were highly commended for their effort. In addition, four boys from the School attended the Regional Convention of the Schools’ Constitutional Convention which was held this year at The University of Southern Queensland (USQ). One of our Year 12 students delivered an excellent speech on the topic “Should Australia Become A Republic?” and, as a result, he was selected to

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 14

represent the Darling Downs at the National Constitutional Convention held at Old Parliament House in Canberra. In May, our History students in Years 8 and 10 participated in the Australian History Competition. The primary goal of this exercise was to provide an interesting and challenging competition for students and also provide an opportunity for schools to commence the implementation of the new Australian History curriculum for 2013. High Distinctions were awarded to the top 5 per cent of students in this Australia-wide competition and seven of our students in Year 8 and four in Year 10 achieved this rating.

Languages There are two languages other than English taught in the Junior and Senior School; Japanese and French. The students’ study of the Japanese language and their cultural understanding of this country were assisted by numerous Japanese student touring groups visiting our classes during the year and also home-stay arrangements. These included visits by one of our Japanese exchange schools, the very highly regarded Keio Shiki Boys’ High School in Tokyo. We formalised a relationship with this school this year and we are looking forward to mutually beneficial outcomes emerging from this initiative. Amongst the other Japanese students visiting us were students from Mishima High School which is located in Takatsuki, Toowoomba’s sister city. These students spent time with our boys in both the Junior and Senior Schools. We value highly these visits and exchanges. In May our Year 12 French students spent three very profitable days immersed in French language and culture at Maison de St Claire, at Upper Crystal Creek in Northern New South Wales, where they completed three major examinations. During the year, two French-speaking boys from Switzerland stayed for several weeks with two of our families on a reciprocal exchange; with two of our Year 11 boys subsequently looking forward to spending their Christmas holidays in Switzerland. Our Languages students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 participated in the annual Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Assessment of Language Competence which tests Listening and Reading skills. Consequently we saw a number of our students gaining a High Distinction. In French these included seven students in Year 12, two in Year 11 and one in Year 9, whilst in the study of Japanese, four students in Year 10 and seven in Year 9 performed at this level. In Certificate 1 Japanese, 84 per cent of our boys earned a Distinction or higher, compared with 37 per cent nationally.

Mathematics The first-phase introduction of the Australian National Curriculum required the Mathematics Department to rewrite all curriculum documents and develop new assessment tasks to specifically address the National Standards using task-specific criteria. In addition to the normal teaching responsibilities of the staff, such a requirement has placed a massive additional burden on teachers this year, not only in Mathematics but also in the areas of English and Science. Locally, academic success was achieved in the Darling Downs Mathematics Team Challenge. This event attracts about 250 keen and enthusiastic mathematicians from across the region. Over the past decade Toowoomba Grammar School has consistently dominated this event. This year the School entered six teams each comprising six students. We were successful in winning the Junior Division (Year 8), the Intermediate Division (Year 9 and 10) and the Senior Division (Year 11 and 12) as well as achieving the ‘Best Problem Solving’ score. Of special note was the winning of the Intermediate Division and the Best Problem Solving Team by the Year 9 Team. In another competition conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT), our Year 8 team came second at the District level. Nationally, academic success was achieved in the Australian Mathematics Competition which is the largest single Mathematics competition in the Southern Hemisphere. We entered 630 students from Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 15

Years 8 -12 in this competition which had a national participation rate of over half a million students. The School was successful in achieving 18 High Distinctions (top 2% of the participants), 87 Distinctions (top 10% of participants) and 228 Credits (the top 40% of participants). This is another fine result and it demonstrates, yet again, a strong academic programme operating in conjunction with quality teaching within the School.

Science This year, two of our Year 12 students were selected, through a competitive external selection process by Rotary, to attend the National Youth Science Forum in January. This programme is aimed at young people who are considering a career in the Scientific, Engineering and Technological fields. During the year boys from Years 8 to 10 entered the University of New South Wales Science Competition (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools). Eleven were placed in the 99th percentile in Queensland for their year level and were accordingly awarded High Distinctions. A further seventy-four boys were awarded Distinctions and one hundred and seven received Credits. Sixty-three boys from Years 11 and 12 participated in the Australian National Chemistry Quiz, conducted throughout Australia together with countries in Asia, the Pacific and Europe. A total of 47,171 students in Years 11 and 12 participated in the Quiz. Results indicated that our students were performing well above State averages, with eleven boys receiving High Distinctions and fifteen boys Distinctions. Over forty per cent of our students were ranked in the top quartile of the State in this competition. It was also most encouraging to note that one of our Year 11 students was placed in the top one per cent in Australia.

Vocational Endeavour Last year, 28 Year 12 boys completed either a TAFE qualification or a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. In addition, three Year 12 boys were awarded an Australian Vocational Student Prize which promotes the value of gaining vocational skills whilst at school. It also recognises the important role vocational education plays in preparing students for further training and employment. Each winner received a certificate and $2000. This year 59 senior boys participated in a school- based apprenticeship or traineeship, the large majority of these being engaged in the area of Agriculture. Other areas of vocational study included Automotive, Automotive Specialist, Carpentry and Construction, Community Recreation, Engineering, Fitness, Hairdressing, Information Technology, Media, Plumbing, Retail, and Teaching English as a Second Language.

Careers Education The School’s Career Education Department has continued to provide a comprehensive career development programme for the boys. Within this programme boys have acquired an understanding of the general structures of post-school life, the range of opportunities and pathways available to them and the demands, rewards and satisfaction associated with each. Consequently they have developed decision-making abilities and planning and management skills in relation to their anticipated careers. Approximately two hundred and fifty of our boys participated in work experience during 2012. A further 150 boys participated in Careers Avenues career profiling. Towards the end of Term Three, all Year 11 boys participated in a Mock Interview exercise whereby each boy was interviewed by a member of the wider community. The interviewers (including some Old Boys) came from Toowoomba, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and represented a range of professions and occupational groups. They gave valuable individual feedback to the boys on their prepared resume, their non- verbal communication and their interview technique. A range of guests also visited throughout the year to discuss career and university options with the boys. These included representatives from a

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range of universities, the Australian Defence Force, potential employers and Old Boys. Boys also attended functions such as University Open Days and Experience Days.

Performing Arts – the Music Programme This exciting year of performances began with the Arts Leaders’ induction ceremony on 2 February in which all the Arts Leaders formed a special ensemble and performed with the energy, enthusiasm and masterful skill which were to be the indicators of the year that was to unfold. Student leadership positions in the Performing Arts included that of Arts Leader, Leader Acoustic Guitar Ensemble, Leader Electric Guitar Ensemble, Leader R’n’B Band, Leader Wind Orchestra, Leader Wind Ensemble, Leader String Ensemble, Leader Toowoomba Grammar Acting Academy (TiGAA), Leader Big Band, Leader Glennie Grammar Orchestra and Leader of the Choir and Grammarphones. At every significant event in the school calendar, the boys in the Performance Programme contributed to the social and cultural unity of our School. The Grammarphones and Wind Orchestra performed at the Scholars’ Assembly, the R’n’B Band stunned the attentive audience at the Race Day, the Wind Orchestra enhanced the deep significance of our annual ANZAC Day service, the String Quartets enriched the elegance of the Art Show and the Big Band celebrated the 125th Anniversary of St Vincent’s Hospital by joining James Morrison on stage at the Empire Theatre. Competitions for music and drama have a mixed place in the philosophy of fine Arts programmes; however, it must be recognised that striving to perform to the best of one’s ability can be supported by participating in events such as festivals and eisteddfodau. This year was a special one for our School with approximately six hundred and twenty boys competing in the Toowoomba Eisteddfod as individuals, in small groups as well as within ensembles. Dozens of boys were seen departing the Empire Theatre during the Eisteddfod season wearing the Blue and Gold of our uniform, smiles of satisfaction and carrying medallions and trophies in recognition of their achievement. The full list of awards and results is extensive with some of the highlights including: Wind Orchestra Highly Commended (A Grade), Wind Ensemble 2nd Place (B Grade), String Ensemble 3rd place, Chamber Strings 1st Place, String Quartet 1st Place, Acoustic Guitar Ensemble Highly Commended, R’n’B Band 1st Place, Grammar Glennie Tour Big Band 1st Place, Big Band 3rd Place and the Glennie Grammar Orchestra 1st Place. Our reputation for choral excellence continued this year with the sixty-five voice choir and eighteen voice show-stopping Grammarphones. Wherever these ensembles perform, they are admired and respected for their artistry as well as ability to entertain. Their eisteddfod success was most impressive; being awarded first place in the Open Choral Ensemble Contemporary and Secondary School Vocal Ensemble sections, third in Hymn Singing for Secondary Schools and Folk Song Secondary Schools sections and Highly Commended in the Gospel section. Their overall success was rewarded with equal First Place Aggregate for the Secondary Choral Section Anne Thomas Perpetual Trophy. Catering for the wide range of music our boys enjoy is very important and the success of the annual Battle of the Bands is further testament to the diverse skills the boys have. The GPS Music Festival is a unique event in the calendar year and is a favourite offered within the GPS Association. It is the only non-competitive event in the GPS schedule and it allows for select students to combine with musicians from other GPS schools in a day of rehearsals, concluding with a truly memorable concert. This year the event was held at the Brisbane Powerhouse Museum Theatre to a full house of friends, family and fans. Over thirty boys from our School were successful in being offered places in the Choir, Orchestra, Big Band and Concert Orchestra. As the year drew to an end, the musical talent displayed on stage at the annual Take Note Concert was exceptional. The performances thrilled, entertained and enriched the enchanted audience. A standing ovation was the only way this spectacular concert could have ended. Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 17

It was rather fitting that one of the final music performances of the year resulted in much commendation. In October the Glennie/Grammar Orchestra competed in the Prestige Music Festival at Iona College in Brisbane. A Platinum Award was presented to the orchestra which is a rare and exceptional result. The month concluded with the announcement of five Toowoomba Grammar School students receiving Toowoomba Empire Theatre bursaries in the performing arts – out of 70 applicants, 35 short-listed and only 23 bursaries awarded. With fifteen senior school ensembles, sixteen music tutors and staff, over one hundred and eighty boys in the senior ensemble programme and approximately one hundred and sixty senior students learning a musical instrument, the Performance Programme at Toowoomba Grammar School is developing positively and actively.

Drama Drama is an academic subject taught throughout the Senior School curriculum, including Years 11 and 12. In addition it is a valued part of the School’s co-curricular programme for it offers many benefits to the boys. Our Drama programme has expanded into new directions. One of the many highlights was a Dinner Theatre show of Romeo and Juliet. Thirty boys took to the stage in a physically demanding and emotionally captivating interpretation of this classic romantic tragedy. A further fifteen boys contributed to the production through their efforts backstage. The Assembly Hall was converted to a restaurant-theatre for the series of four sold-out shows. TiGAA continued to impress and entertain throughout the year.

The Academic Programme in the Junior School The academic programme is very much central for it includes a major focus on learning to read and learning to enjoy reading as an intrinsically satisfying activity. Each year academic goals are set involving teachers working on key aspects of the curriculum which is supported by professional development and then implemented within the classroom. During 2012 work continued on the new national curriculum which is known as the Australian Curriculum and the four core areas of English, Mathematics, Science and History were fully implemented. The academic programme is well supported by the use of twenty-first century technology. An Interactive whiteboard along with six networked computers are installed in each classroom. The library has two computer rooms, each of which contains two complete class sets of large screen computers, as well as data projectors for the teachers and students to utilise. In Term 4 all boys in Year 5 participated in a trial programme involving iPads. The School worked with Apple (Brisbane) which enabled us to utilise 40 iPads for a three week trial. This involved technical and educational support, with each boy having an iPad for this period of time to use to support their school work and homework. This trial programme, which operated at no cost to the School or parents, allows us to be better positioned regarding strategic intent and planning around future directions with our IT requirements to support the boys’ learning.

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.

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 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:

Our Commitment to Pastoral Care

The term “Pastoral Care” is used to describe the process by which a school seeks to know, to understand and to care for each individual student. The desired end result is for each student to have a positive self- image, be respected, valued, be “connected” to the School and to feel safe and secure in a happy learning environment.

Leadership training is one aspect of the personal growth of our students as is the ability not necessarily to lead but to contribute effectively in teams. Some commentators refer to this as “followership” as opposed to “leadership”, and given the importance of collegiate decision making in corporate and professional life this also constitutes a noteworthy aim. No matter where one works or in which capacity, they will be doing a great deal of following; often more than leading. A feature of successful organisations in any field of endeavour is the ability of their staff to follow preferred practices and contribute productively as a member of a team.

At this School each and every boy in Year 12 is seen as a leader in his own right. This year over 75 senior students have held some formal leadership position of responsibility. In addition to the Captains of each Day House and Boarding House there are the respective Vice-Captains and various boys hold Boarding House Prefect posts. Each combined House also nominates boys to lead as Service Co-ordinators and Social Co-ordinators. House Liaison positions, both in the House and for the Junior School, also involve boys in sound leadership experience and training. A public and enjoyable leadership position is being a member of the School Spirit Squad, with boys from every House making a contribution in this role.

At the Year 11 level, this year all boys attended a Leadership Camp which was held at Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast. Throughout the week the boys rotated through a series of seminars run by our own staff with a focus on developing personal leadership skills as well as sessions where the boys considered their own leadership contributions for their senior years and beyond. The staff involved in this activity noted a most positive response from the boys and commented favourably on the increased maturation of the Year 11 group.

Our Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week was held in the final week of Term One. This is a sequential programme designed to provide the boys with an experience out of the classroom which is challenging and also rewarding. Our Year 8’s travelled to the Alexandra Park Conference Centre on the Sunshine Coast. The aim of this camp was for our newest boys to consolidate emerging friendships and to strengthen the connection they have to their House and the School. To assist in making this camp an enjoyable experience we not only took a large number of staff but also four Year 12 boys from each House. There were many activities implemented for the boys over the four days including surf awareness training, ten pin bowling, swimming, games on the oval and night- time theatre sports.

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The Year 9’s travelled towards Gympie to a camp site adjacent to Glastonbury National Park. Here they shared a tent and enjoyed the many outdoor activities on offer which included abseiling, bush navigation, a river challenge and canoeing. Regrettably the mountain bike riding exercise had to be cancelled due to torrential wet weather the previous week.

All Year 10 students completed Work Experience during the week and, as previously alluded to, the Year 11’s underwent a Leadership Training Camp. The Year 12’s participated in a week of activities at the School which were designed to provide them with life skills for the future. They all completed a First Aid course and a Defensive Driving Course over two days. They also put their culinary talent to the test in a “Masterchef” Challenge where the boys were given a budget of $30 for each group to visit the supermarket, buy their ingredients and then return to school to cook their dish. The School’s Executive Chef also conducted a session instructing them how to cook two simple dishes.

As part of the Pastoral Care Programme a number of relevant issues facing young people have been addressed during the year. The prevalence and consequences of binge drinking, party drugs and violence have been examined in Personal Development classes, Pastoral Care Groups and through presentations by guest speakers such as Mr Adair Donaldson, a local solicitor and youth advocate. The dangers associated with driving a car have also been covered in great detail. Visits to the School by members of the Queensland Police Service and a Defensive Driving instructor have helped to convey a number of important messages to our older students. The School also hosted a safe driving programme known as “Docudrama” where the Year 12 students were taken through a realistic re- enactment of a vehicle accident to make them more aware of the risks. The issues of bullying, use of social media and cyber-bullying have been effectively highlighted in plays performed by the group Brainstorm Productions.

The vertical House system continues to provide a successful structure for pastoral care. A strength of our current structure is that boys quickly develop an affection for their House and it provides a safe and familiar community for them. Because the boys stay in the same House for the duration of their school years it allows the Housemasters and House staff to get to know each student more as they move through the grades. This allows key staff to effectively track the progress of each student in their House and guide them accordingly. Having Pastoral Care Groups arranged by year level also continues to be successful because it allows the teachers in charge of each group to explore age- appropriate issues with the boys in their care. Each year level has a theme and resources are provided to assist the teachers to explore this area with their boys. The themes for Year 8 are “getting to know your school” (Semester One) and “getting along with others” (Semester Two). The theme for all of Year 9 is “using positive emotions”. Semester One of Year 10 has a theme of “ethical behaviour” and Semester Two looks at “risk-taking”. The theme for Year 11 is “preparing for leadership” and the Year 12 themes are “preparing for life after school” (Semester One) and “self-reflection” (Semester Two).

Every student in the Senior School is allocated to a Pastoral Care Group (PCG) and these groups are important for a number of reasons. The teachers in charge of each group strive to get to know every boy in their care and build a positive relationship with them. The aim is that every boy feels connected to this small group. Time spent in PCG is also successfully being used to teach curriculum relevant to the personal development of the students in accordance with the previously mentioned themes. Teachers in charge of the PCG’s perform an important pastoral role because they are meeting with their students regularly and are well placed to track the emotional, academic and co- curricular progress of their boys.

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Earlier this year saw the commencement of a review of the Pastoral Care programme. This was initiated at a Housemasters’ Planning Day in February and was followed up at a Staff Professional Development evening later that month. Many positive aspects of the pastoral care provided at Toowoomba Grammar School were acknowledged and a number of suggestions were tabled for further discussion and consideration. The School’s Director of Pastoral Care and the Housemasters will continue to examine the Pastoral Care programme with a view to implementing new initiatives in the future.

Our Commitment to Sporting Participation and Competition

Whilst we openly acknowledge that “winning is not everything” and that lessons gained from defeat are important, in an all-boys’ school in which the vast majority of boys love their sport some measure of success is vital. It may sound rather far-fetched but as everyone working in our School would attest, we note a more positive feeling amongst the boys when they have participated in successful sporting fixtures. Without even knowing the outcome of a Saturday competition event, one can sense from the mood of the boys on Monday whether our teams have experienced success.

Over recent years the Headmaster and staff have been very keen to implement strategies to elevate the School’s sporting performance and some gains are now clearly evident.

A summary of the successes of our 2012 sporting programme should appeal to all sports lovers:

 fielding 25 Cricket teams, the largest number of all the GPS Schools, with 71% of all our matches won;  placing 2nd in the GPS Cricket Premiership (without having the opportunity to play the winner of the competition, “Churchie”, due to a washout);  winning all Cricket matches played against Downlands College in every age group;  increasing the number of Football teams to 23 competing in the GPS competition with 83 wins, 18 draws and 40 losses being recorded;  tying for 4th place in the GPS competition for the 1st XI Football team;  winning every Football game played against Downlands College in every age group;  making the Football State Finals in both the Bill Turner and Red Lion Cup competitions;  winning 60% of all Rugby matches played in the GPS competition;  attaining five wins in the GPS Rugby 1st XV competition: against “Churchie”, Gregory Terrace, Ipswich Grammar School, Brisbane Boys’ College and Brisbane State High School;  being undefeated in all Rugby matches played in all year levels against Brisbane Boys’ College and Ipswich Grammar School, losing only three games against Brisbane State High School and winning 17 out of the 23 matches played against Gregory Terrace;  having seven boys selected in either the Queensland I or II Schoolboy Rugby teams, with 3 boys later selected in the Australian and Australian A Schoolboy teams. Another boy was named in the Australian Junior Rugby Union Under 17 team and four Under 16 years boys were named in the National Gold Squad;  winning the vast majority of Rugby matches played against Downlands College including the 1st XV’s O’Callaghan Cup win with a 40-8 victory;  winning the Queensland Champion School title for the second consecutive year in the sport of Orienteering;  achieving for the second successive year 3rd place in the GPS Chess Competition, winning the Darling Downs Championships and being placed 4th in the State; Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment 21

 demonstrating a clear improvement in the Basketball programme winning the regional McDonald’s Cup and placing 6th in the GPS Competition (the best performance in many years);  winning the Toowoomba Districts Swimming Carnival and placing 6th in the GPS Championships (but only 15 points from third overall);  having seven Senior School students qualify to compete in the Australian Swimming Championships;  having 20 teams represent our School in Tennis in the GPS competition;  coming equal 4th in Volleyball in the GPS competition with the 10A team recording only one loss for the season;  winning the Intermediate 1 section in the Queensland Schools Junior Volleyball Carnival;  placing second at the GPS Track and Field Championships  with only the smallest of margins, only seven points, separating us from first place;  achieving Premiership victories in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the Darling Downs Independent Schools Australian Rules Football competition; and  having our Junior School win all three Range Zone Carnivals this year in Swimming, Cross Country Running and Athletics.

4.3 Society

Objectives:

Our students to become more aware of the needs and circumstances of others.

Outcomes:

Our Commitment to Community Service

Our School subscribes to the view of Harvard professor and paediatrician, Dr Eli Newberger, who states that the experience of helping others is central to the development of a young man’s character. When boys are involved in service activities it can be a transformational experience for them. Serving others can be a learning experience and it is one that many in our school community wish to have. According to Dr Newberger, service activity builds a deep sense of reciprocity in relationships and the situation can occur where the ‘helpless help the helpers more than the helpers help the helpless’.

Over the last few years, the School’s Service programme has become an increasingly important component in the personal development of many of our boys. Whilst the overall aim of the programme is for the boys to provide meaningful assistance to the broader community, the positive influence on boys involved in providing service to others is clearly evident. As has been the case for some time, the boys’ involvement in the Service programme is either through their own House or by being a member of the Interact Club.

In its forty-sixth year of operation, the Interact Club has had another successful year. Most ably led by a competent Year 12 Board, the members focused on a number of areas this year – namely fundraising, the environment, community engagement and social justice. Funds were raised for and donated to the Leukemia Foundation (Shave for a Cure), the Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer,

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World Vision 40 Hour Famine, Aussie Helpers and Hagar International. One new initiative this year was the provision of care packages to support Australian troops based overseas. This activity was generously supported by the boys and their families. Service was also provided to the RSPCA’s Million Paws Walk, the Carnival of Flowers and Clean Up Australia Day.

The Pastoral Care Houses have continued to increase their connection to the broader community through service this year. The relationships with local schools including Gabbinbar State School, Toowoomba West Special School and Rockville State School have been further strengthened as boys visit these schools to spend time with younger students as well as assisting around the schools on a regular basis. Other activities included raising funds to purchase a buffalo through Oxfam, collecting for the Red Shield Appeal, financing the employment of a teacher in Nepal and actively supporting the Peak to Park run and the Cancer Council Relay for Life.

The Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp continues to be a hugely important service event for the School where the young guests with disabilities attending can have a great time, their families some respite and the Year 11 student companions have the opportunity to experience considerable personal growth. For three days and two nights, the companions care for their guest around the clock and during this time give much of themselves whilst also learning the value of putting another person’s needs first. In its sixth year, this year’s camp was the largest so far with 37 guests from Toowoomba and the surrounding area cared for by 34 Toowoomba Grammar School boys, 12 Fairholme College girls and 9 girls from The Glennie School. The camp programme is structured so that the campers have the opportunity to relax and get to know each other whilst completing a range of organised activities together during the weekend. Activities this year included swimming, karaoke, craftwork, a disco, a visit from a magician and on the last morning a show day with numerous show rides for the guests and their companions to enjoy.

The School’s Indigenous Education Programme

The School is extremely pleased with the progress of our students of Indigenous heritage. In 2012 we had four boys attending the School under the Yalari Indigenous Education Scholarship programme, an initiative of Old Boy Mr Waverley Stanley (1980-84). This programme started with Toowoomba Grammar School being the co-foundation school in Australia, together with The Glennie School in Toowoomba. Since its inception in 2006 in these two schools, Yalari now supports the education of 181 Indigenous children in 31 of the nation’s most respected independent boarding schools across all States. In addition, we have a further 22 boys attending the School who identify some Indigenous heritage. Various activities within the School serve to promote the boys’ identity with their heritage. These activities include regular luncheons with the boys, programmes with the Yalari Indigenous Education Liaison Officer, an Indigenous Family Dinner, participation in the NAIDOC Week, university and further education information forums and so on.

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.

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 To maintain a level of debt that will not expose the School to financial risk in poor market conditions.

Outcomes:

For the financial year ended 31 December 2012, the School achieved a surplus result and continued to improve its infrastructure. Total Equity increased in 2012 and the following projects were completed during the year:

 Pavilion Extension $1,450,420  New Boarding House $4,214,420  Major Repairs and Maintenance of Buildings $1,256,244  Major Repairs and Maintenance of Grounds and Gardens $ 530,472

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 2012 are as follows:

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4.5 Future Direction

4.5.1 The State Government’s Decision to Transfer Year 7 to the Senior School

The State Government has announced that all Year 7 students in Queensland will transfer to Secondary School in 2015. In the meantime, at Toowoomba Grammar School we have been planning steadily for several years now to introduce our Year 7s into the Senior School prior to this date and at the commencement of Term Three next year we will assimilate our three Year 7 classes into the Senior School. The following year, 2014, we will see Year 7 representing the major entry point for enrolment into our Senior School.

The three Year 7 classes in 2013 will transfer from the Junior School at the beginning of Term Three into new classrooms in the Hugh Rose building within the Senior School. At the same time work will be undertaken to prepare Corfe Boarding House as a specialist Boarding House for an enlarged number of Year 7 boarders in 2014.

To be able to accommodate up to seven classes of Year 7 in the future in the Senior School there is the necessity to create additional general learning areas for the boys. This will be achieved by converting the current teaching staff offices in the Hugh Rose buildings to eight classrooms. To enable this, the teachers will need to transfer to another location and the upper two floors of the School House building have been selected for this purpose. School House is the heritage listed, three-storey original building which contains the School’s main reception area. In 2012 the two upper floors accommodated the boarders in Mackintosh House and at the end of the year they were transferred to the new Mackintosh building which is situated between Boyce and Taylor House (near the P & F Oval). We will see all of these structural changes implemented during the course of 2013 so it will represent a busy time for many people.

4.5.2 Strategic Directions

The members of the Board focus on the strategic direction of the School as opposed to its day-to-day operation. Matters such as student management, marketing, curriculum and assessment, the employment of staff and the enrolment of students are deemed to be “operational” in status. The members of the Board, however, consider matters of “strategic” concern. These include the various aims and objectives of the School and their vision for where the School will be and how it will look in, say, ten and twenty years’ time.

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Accordingly longer-term financial management and building and resource infrastructure and resourcing are illustrations of matters for the Board’s attention. In October the members of the Board of Trustees together with the School Executive met over a weekend to consider the School’s Strategic Plan. This workshop was facilitated by Mr Norm Hunter, the co-founder and Principal of Hillbrook Anglican College who resigned in 2007. At this weekend seminar and workshop Mr Hunter was most complimentary about the current performance of the School and was encouraged by the thoughtful and intelligent attention shown to strategic planning. The Board is currently finalizing its new Strategic Plan.

5. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - Staff Organisational Chart Appendix 2 - 2011 Annual Financial Statements Appendix 3 - Glossary

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APPENDIX 1

STAFF ORGANISATIONAL CHART

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BOARD of TRUSTEES T.G.S. STAFF ORGANISATIONAL CHART 2012

HEADMASTER

DEPUTY HEADMASTER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

HEAD of JUNIOR HEAD of SENIOR SCHOOL SCHOOL

DIRECTOR of DIRECTOR of DIRECTOR of DIRECTOR of ENROLMENTS STUDIES SPORT & PASTORAL CARE / ACTIVITIES HEAD OF BOARDING BUSINESS MANAGER HEADS of DEPT BOARDING DAY COUNSELLOR HOUSEMASTERS H OUSEMASTERS

SUBJECT CO - ORDINATORS

JUNIOR SENIOR SCHOOL SCHOOL MENTORS TEACHERS TEACHERS PROPERTY HOUSE EXECUTIVE FINANCE NETWORK MANAGER ADMINISTRATOR MANAGER MANAGER CHEF

JUNIOR SPORT & RESIDENT GROUND SERVICES CLERICAL STUDENT TECHNICANS & WH & S SCHOOL STAFF ACTIVITIES STAFF STAFF STAFF STAFF OFFICER S. B. TRAINEES OFFICER

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APPENDIX 2

2012 ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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APPENDIX 3

GLOSSARY

ACER Australian Council for Education Research

BEAQ Business Educators’ Association of Queensland

CPA Certified Practicing Accountant

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;

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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.

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.

IT Information Technology

NAIDOC National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee

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.

OP Overall Position. An OP is a student’s position in a statewide rank order based on their overall achievement in QSA-approved subjects.

PCG Pastoral Care Group

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment

QAMT Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers.

SOTA Supporters of the Arts – a subsidiary of the Parents and Friends’ Association.

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

TiGAA Toowoomba Grammar Acting Academy

USQ University of Southern Queensland

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment