Sydney Church of England Grammar School

The Sydney Church of England Grammar School (commonly known as Shore or Shore School) is a dual-campus independent Anglican single-sex and co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, located on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Sydney Church of England Grammar School
The Shore School, c. 2017
Location
Sydney Church of England Grammar School
North Sydney and Northbridge, Lower North Shore, Sydney, New South Wales

Australia
Coordinates33°50′22″S 151°12′19″E
Information
Other names
  • SHORE
  • Shore School
TypeIndependent single-sex and co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school
MottoLatin: Vitai Lampada Tradunt
(Lucretius, De Rerum Natura)
(They hand on the torch of life[1])
Religious affiliation(s)Anglican Diocese of Sydney
DenominationAnglicanism
Established1889 (1889)[2]
FounderThe Rev. Alfred Barry
Sister schoolSCEGGS Darlinghurst
Educational authorityNew South Wales Department of Education
ChairmanS.J Holman
HeadmasterDr Timothy Petterson
Deputy HeadmasterR. Morrison
ChaplainP. Dudley
YearsEarly learning; K-12
Gender
Enrolment~1,600 (K–12)[3]
Education systemHigher School Certificate
Campuses
Campus type
Colour(s)Navy blue and white         
AthleticsAthletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales
Affiliations
Websitewww.shore.nsw.edu.au

Established in 1889 by the Church of England,[1] Shore has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,600 students from Year K to Year 12, including 200 boarders from Year 6 to Year 12.[3] The school is co-educational from the early learning years to Year 2, and these students are housed on separate campus in suburban Northbridge.[2]

The school is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[4] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[5] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),[3] the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference,[6] and is a founding member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS).[7]

History

The Sydney Church of England Grammar School was founded on 4 May 1889, and was the initiative of Bishop Alfred Barry of the Sydney Diocese of the Church of England.[8] The site of the school's first building stands on that of the Victorian mansion of the famed gold prospector Bernhardt Holtermann, a German migrant who discovered the Holtermann Nugget in the Australian gold fields. He used his new-found wealth to build a magnificent home in North Sydney which is now a boarding house of Shore. His sons were among the first students enrolled at Shore.

The St James' School Compensation Trust Act (1886) provided for the foundation of:[9]

A school of the highest type, including departments of education for all classes of the community, in which the teaching shall be throughout in accordance with the principles of the Church of England, and which shall be placed under the direction of a governing body of clergy and laity to be elected by the Synod, the Bishop of the Diocese being the ex-officio president.

The school officially has two names, the "Sydney Church of England Grammar School" and the Shore School has long been known by the latter, however it was not until the early 1990s when the name "The Shore School" was officially adopted. The name came about at sporting matches where supporters could not chant 'Grammar', as this was already done by the students of Sydney Grammar School. Another reason for the name change was that Sydney Church of England Grammar School was shortened to S.C.E.G.S, which sounded similar to S.C.E.G.G.S (Sydney Church Of England Girls' Grammar School), the sister school of Shore. The name comes from the school being located in Sydney's North Shore region.

Campuses

The Sydney Church of England Grammar School is situated on two campuses:

  • North Sydney [incl. land formerly belonging to "Graythwaite"] (8 ha)
  • Northbridge (9 ha) - ELC to Year 2 and sports grounds

North Sydney

In the senior school, in addition to the administrative centres and classroom blocks there are:

  • Four boarding houses:[10] Barry House, Hodges House, Robson House, School House
  • Fourteen day houses:[10] Anderson, Burrell, Burns, Colebrook, Dixon, Eldershaw, Emery, Gilmore, Gillespie, Mathers, Pascoe, Tiley, Whight.
  • War Memorial Chapel (1915)
  • The War Memorial Hall (1953)
  • Ken and Joan Smith Auditorium (1994)
  • BH Travers Centre, including the Boer War Memorial Library and Basketball Courts (2000)
  • The Benefactors Building, including the Bob Gowing Museum incorporating the school archives, mainly of the accomplishments of previous headmasters to school academic and extra-curricula achievement.
  • The Centenary Building, including the art department
  • Sporting facilities, including one oval, cricket nets, tennis courts, a 25 metres outdoor swimming pool, a diving pool, basketball courts, squash courts and weights rooms.

The Preparatory School, originally constructed in 1926, was completely renovated in March 2006.

Shore Physical Education Centre

In 2016, the school announced plans for an updated gym, squash courts, basketball court, an indoor/outdoor 50 meter pool and new classrooms as a part of the Shore Physical Education Centre (SPEC).[11] Construction began early 2018, and is expected to be completed in 2020.[12]

Northbridge

An Early Learning Centre (ELC) for boys and girls in the two years prior to starting Kindergarten, as well as a Kindergarten to Year 2 learning facility for boys and girls, was opened at the Northbridge campus in 2003. With Long Day Care facilities, the ELC is open 48 weeks per year.

The school's main sports facility is also at Northbridge, on land bought in 1916. The school was given a choice of either buying the neighbouring "Graythwaite" property (the former home of Thomas Allwright Dibbs), or the land at Northbridge. The school chose the land at Northbridge as playing fields, of which the school was in desperate need. This campus now features six full-sized ovals, tennis courts, pavilions and dressing rooms. The grounds were opened in 1919 as a memorial to the 880 old boys who served, and the 122 who died in the Great War.

Northbridge has been redeveloped as the previous grandstands had become severely dilapidated. The $9 million redevelopment includes a new grandstand and changerooms, and was officially opened on 11 November 2008.

Co-curriculum

Sport

Shore students may participate in a variety of sports, mainly within the GPS competition. Sports include rugby union, soccer, cricket, tennis, taekwondo, basketball, rowing, cross country running, athletics, shooting, surf lifesaving and snowsports. Furthermore, the school is currently trialing new sports such as Australian rules football and hockey.

Until the arrival of Headmaster R.A.I. Grant (1984–2002), the choice of sports available to students was very limited. For example, during the winter months, there was only rugby union unless a medical exemption was available. That changed after 1984, with sports such as tennis and soccer being made available to all students.

The school's boatshed and pontoon for its rowing club is at Gladesville on the north shore of Sydney's Parramatta River. Shore was the third Sydney school to take to the water (after Grammar and Riverview) and has been rowing in the GPS competition since the late 1890s, to great result.

Performing arts

Shore has a comprehensive performing arts program, including Music Ensembles and Drama productions. Music ensembles include two concert bands, two stage bands, an orchestra, three string groups and the Shore Chapel Choir, as well as a number of other smaller ensembles. The Shore Performing Arts Centre features a proscenium arch theatre with 500 seats as well as a hydroluic orchestra pit, counterweight fly system and a state of the art lighting and audio control booth, and a multi-configurable black box theatre with seating arrangements ranging from 25 to 150 seats. The centre also boasts a wide range of orchestral rooms for both performance and rehearsals.

Recent musical productions include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Oliver!, West Side Story, Anything Goes, A Peculiar People (World Premier), Les Misérables, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Recent dramatic productions include Our Town, Lord of the Flies and The Cherry Orchard.

Publications

The school has a weekly publication, The Shore Weekly Record, which, along with informing boys and parents of upcoming happenings and sporting fixtures and results, gives certain boys the opportunity to express their writing and artistic talents in their own section, usually the inner part of the publication. Over the years this variously-named "inside section" has fostered the satirical talents of Chris Taylor from The Chaser, and provided a unique perspective on the school and the wider world.

Other publications are the Shore Reports (quarterly) and the Torch Bearer (yearly).

  • Shore building in 1930, built by Bernhardt Holtermann in
  • View from the North Sydney campus, 1931
  • Shore eight-oar crew, 1932

Headmasters

The present headmaster of Shore School is Dr Timothy Petterson. He was previously headmaster of St Philip's Christian College, Port Stephens and holds a PhD in Textiles Technology, an MBA from the AGSM, a Graduate Diploma in Education and a Diploma of Biblical Studies. In 2004, Timothy was awarded a Premier’s Teachers Scholarship that facilitated a course of study at Harvard Business School.[13]

The school is also governed by a council jointly appointed by the Old Boys' Union and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. The deputy headmaster is Rod Morrison, with the previous deputy headmaster, Graham Robertson, having retired after 27 years.

The following individuals have served as headmaster of the school:

OrdinalOfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
HeadmasterQualificationsPrevious positions held
1E. I. RobsonBA (Cantab.), MA (Melb.)Classical tutor of Ormond, Melbourne1889190010–11 years[1]
2C.H. HodgesMA (Oxon)Headmaster, Townsville Grammar190019109–10 years
3W. A. PurvesMA, (Oxon)Headmaster, Toowoomba Grammar1910192211–12 years
4L. C. Robson CBE, MCMA (Oxon), BSc (Sydney)Senior mathematics master, Geelong Grammar1923195834–35 years
5Basil Travers AM, OBEMA BLitt (Oxon), BA (Sydney) FACEHeadmaster, Launceston Church Grammar1959198424–25 years
6R. A. I. Grant AMBEc (Sydney), DipEd (UNE), BEd (Melb.), MACEDeputy headmaster, Canberra Grammar1984200217–18 years
7Tim WrightPhD, DipEd, BSc (Hons), FACE, MRACI, CChem
2003201916–17 years
8T. PettersonPhD, MBA, BSc (Hons), GradDipEd, DipBS2020 Imcumbent[14]

Notable alumni

Shore alumni are commonly referred to as 'Old Boys', and may elect to join the schools alumni association, the Shore Old Boys Union.[15]

Notes
gollark: That's heavpoot's page.
gollark: I have my ways. Though I can't make the link *clickable*.
gollark: What?
gollark: p a r s e r c o m b i n a t o r !
gollark: Haskell. You can tell.

See also

References
  1. "General Information". The School. Sydney Church of England Grammar School. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  2. "Shore School". New South Wales. School Choice. 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  3. "Shore School (Sydney Church of England Grammar)". New South Wales Schools. Australian Boarding Schools' Association. 2005. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  4. "AHISA Schools: New South Wales". Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. April 2007. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  5. "JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members". Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  6. "International Members". HMC Schools. The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  7. "AAGPS History". Info. Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  8. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barry-alfred-2944
  9. http://www.shore.nsw.edu.au/about/shores-beginnings
  10. "Houses - Sydney Church of England Grammar School". www.shore.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/mosman-daily/prestigious-shore-school-in-north-sydney-to-spend-55m-on-new-pool-gym-classrooms-and-parking/news-story/8e019f962157f2fc6745d76122095b6a
  12. "Shore Physical Education Centre - Sydney Church of England Grammar School". www.shore.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  13. "The Headmaster - Sydney Church of England Grammar School". www.shore.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  14. "April 2019". Vimeo. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  15. "Welcome to the Shore Old Boys Union". Home. Shore Old Boys Union. 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
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