Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland
Diocesan School for Girls (Dio) is a private girls' school in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand. It is consistently a top-achieving school nationally. The school is Anglican-based and was established in 1903. It caters to international students and has accommodation for 50 boarders at Innes House. The school elected to offer students the option of International Baccalaureate diplomas, as an alternative to the national NCEA qualification, from 2008.[2]
Diocesan School for Girls | |
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Address | |
Coordinates | 36.8801°S 174.7797°E |
Information | |
Type | Private, Girls, Composite (Year 1–13) with boarding facilities |
Motto | Latin: Ut Serviamus |
Denomination | Anglican |
Established | 1903 |
Ministry of Education Institution no. | 67 |
Principal | Heather McRae |
School roll | 1519[1] (March 2020) |
Socio-economic decile | 10 |
Website | diocesan.school.nz |
History
Bishop Moore Richard Neligan first proposed the Diocesan School for Girls in October 1903. A subcommittee of the synod purchased land in November 1903, and the first class began on 27 May 1904 with twenty-five students and Mary Etheldred Pulling as headmistress.[3] Neligan formally dedicated the school on 14 June 1904, and the school celebrates its birthday on this date. The founders were Auckland businessperson Stephen Cochrane,[4] Dr Ernest Roberton, Lord Ranfully, Edwin Mitchelson, Bishop Williams of Waiapu and Bishop Neligan [5]
The former Goodall Construction company constructed many of the buildings.[6]
Enrolment
As a private school, Diocesan School receives little funding from the government and charges parents of students tuition fees to cover costs. As of 2015, the school tuition fees for domestic students (i.e. New Zealand citizens and residents) are approximately $18,000 for day students in Years 1 to 6 and $21,000 for day students in Years 7 to 13. Boarders pay an extra $15,000 per year.[7]
At the school's February 2010 Education Review Office (ERO) review, Diocesan School had 1479 students, including 16 international students. Around 75 percent of students at the school identified as New Zealand European (Pākehā), six percent as another European ethnicity, eight percent as Chinese, three percent as Indian, four percent as another Asian ethnicity, two percent as Māori, one percent as Pacific Islanders, and one percent as another ethnicity.[8]
Technology
The school opened a $4 million science block in 1999.[9] During that year a pilot system to supply all students with notebooks was run with two year-8 classes. By November 1999 the school had three IT staff, supporting 469 PCs (150 of which were notebooks), 110 printers, and 6 file servers.[10] The school introduced electronic whiteboards in 2005 that allow students to download classnotes directly to their notebooks.[11] In 2006, it ranked as the 96th largest IT organisation in New Zealand, with a staff of eight supporting 300 PCs and 1,170 notebooks.[12] in 2012 the school officially opened a new water-based sports turf and underground car park. The sports turf is identical in likeness to the one in London built for the 2012 London olympics.[13][14]
Headmistresses/Principals
- Mary Etheldred Pulling 1904–1926
- E.H. Sandford 1927–1932
- E.R. Edwards 1933-1950
- D.C. Shrewsbury 1951–1965
- E. Roberton 1966–1972
- J.P. Crosher 1973
- B.M. Williamson 1974
- M.D. Jones 1975–1993
- G.V. Thomson 1993–2003
- F.A. Mildenhall 2003–2008
- Heather M. McRae 2009–present
Notable alumnae
- Stephanie Bond – netball player
- Margaret Brimble – chemist[15]
- Niki Caro - writer and director of Whale Rider and Mulan[16]
- Kimberley Crossman - Shortland Street television actor[17]
- Sian Elias – New Zealand's first female Chief Justice[18]
- Holly Rose Emery – model[19]
- Charlotte Glennie – television journalist
- Katie Glynn – field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2009–)[20]
- Christobelle Grierson-Ryrie – winner of the first cycle of New Zealand's Next Top Model, attended in 2009
- Ella Gunson – field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2009–)[20]
- Samantha Harrison – field hockey player, member of Black Sticks Women (2009–)[20] (also attended Whangarei Girls' High School)
- Anna Lawrence – Olympic field hockey midfielder
- Jamie McDell – New Zealand singer, before moving on to King's College
- Meredith Orr – Olympic field hockey midfielder
- Una Platts – art historian[21]
- Allison Roe MBE – winner of the 1981 New York and Boston Marathons
- Jaime Ridge – Socialite,[22] before moving to King's College for Year 12
- May Smith – painter, engraver, textile designer and textile printer
- Peggy Spicer – artist[23]
- Sarah Ulmer – first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold medal
References
- "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "Top girls school latest to offer alternative to NCEA". New Zealand Herald. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- "School History". Diocesan School for Girls. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- "Old buildings record city's commercial past". New Zealand Herald. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- http://www.diocesan.school.nz/filedownload?id=fdfb78e4-51f9-44c7-b6bf-05c5ab3bf238 Archived 13 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
- Gibson, Anne (8 March 2000). "Building company liquidation saddens founder". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- "Fees". Diocesan School For Girls. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- "Diocesan School For Girls Education Review". Education Review Office. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- Young, Andrew (25 March 1999). "Science changing by degrees". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- Gifford, Adam (22 November 1999). "Dio laptops on backburner". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- Gregory, Angela (25 October 2005). "Button-pushing students". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- "MIS 100 2007(81–100)". CIO (Fairfax). 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- School's new sports turf world class The Aucklander 15 February 2012
- Diocesan multi-purpose sports turf complex Governor-General's speech 15 February 2012
- Williams, Tony (2007). 101 Incredible Kiwis. Auckland, New Zealand: Reed. p. 101. ISBN 9780790011783.
- "Notable Women". Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- "Kimberley Crossman". TVNZ. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- "Elias – top judge and judicial activist". New Zealand Herald. 28 March 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- Williams, Bronwynn (3 September 2012). "Chubby duckling turns into swan". Stuff Magazine New Zealand. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- Maddaford, Terry (15 February 2012). "College sport: World-class hockey pitches at Diocesan". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
- "Una Platts Papers" (PDF). Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- "The Ridges", Yahoo! Lifestyle, 11 May 2012, retrieved 17 April 2014
- "Peggy Spicer". www.arcadja.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.