2010 ANNUAL REPORT - parliament.qld.gov.au€¦ · • the 1st XI’s ranking of second in the GPS Cricket season • a Year 12 student representing Queensland in the 2010 National

2010 ANNUAL REPORTTO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education and Industrial Relations

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TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL

2010 ANNUAL REPORT

TO THE

MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

© The State of Queensland – Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School 2010

ISSN 1837-848X


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 2010 HIGHLIGHTS ..................................................................................................... 1

2. LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................. 2

2.1 Legislation ........................................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Establishment .................................................................................................................... 2

2.3 Statutory Functions of the Board .............................................................................. 2

2.4 Statutory Powers of the Board ................................................................................... 3

2.5 Location ................................................................................................................................ 3

2.6 Availability of the Annual Report .............................................................................. 3

2.7 Governance ......................................................................................................................... 4

2.7.1 Membership of the Board ................................................................................. 4

2.7.2 Meetings of the Board ........................................................................................ 4

2.7.3 Organisational Structure ................................................................................... 4

2.8 Overseas Travel ................................................................................................................. 5

2.8.1 Board of Trustees................................................................................................. 5

2.8.2 School Tours .......................................................................................................... 5

2.9 Consultancies ..................................................................................................................... 5

2.10 Risk Management ............................................................................................................ 6

2.11 Controlled Entities .......................................................................................................... 6

2.12 Management Systems .................................................................................................... 7

3. TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL OPERATIONS .......................................... 7

3.1 Economic Climate and Factors Affecting the School ......................................... 7

3.1.1 Students ................................................................................................................... 7

3.1.2 Staff ............................................................................................................................ 7

3.1.3 Staff Professional Development .................................................................. 10

3.1.4 A Commitment to Boarding .......................................................................... 11


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3.2 Special Interest Groups ............................................................................................... 12

3.2.1 The Environment Club .................................................................................... 12

3.2.2 TGS Old Boys ....................................................................................................... 13

3.2.3 Parents’ and Friends’ Association .............................................................. 13

4. STRATEGIC DIRECTION ......................................................................................... 14

4.1 Learning and Understanding .................................................................................... 14

4.2 Relationships and Physical Development ........................................................... 19

4.3 Society ................................................................................................................................ 24

4.4 Finance and Infrastructure ....................................................................................... 25

4.5 Future Direction............................................................................................................. 29

4.5.1 Boarding ................................................................................................................ 29

4.5.2 Building Projects ............................................................................................... 29

4.5.3 Year 7 into the Senior School ....................................................................... 29

5. APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 30

Appendix 1 – Staff Organisational Chart ....................................................................... 31

Appendix 2 – 2010 Annual Financial Statements ..................................................... 32


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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2010 TO 31 DECEMBER 2010

1. 2010 HIGHLIGHTS

The School in 2010 We commenced the year with a total enrolment of 987 students comprising 770 in the Senior School (280 boarders and 490 dayboys) and a Junior School enrolment of 217 (8 boarders and 209 dayboys). Next year’s enrolments appear most positive indeed with waiting lists existing in most year levels. Early this year we received the wonderful news of Old Boy Mr Andreas Heger, who completed his Year 12 studies in 2001, being awarded an Australian-at-large Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. Another highlight of the year was the opening of the School’s new Aquatic Centre (comprising two indoor heated swimming pools) which has replaced our old outdoor swimming pool (originally called the “New Swimming Bath”) which was completed in 1927. The opening of the Aquatic Centre on Sunday 16th May was a memorable one for current students, Old Boys and the entire school community. A further important development in the School’s history has been the construction of a major extension to the Junior School which was completed recently. This new building, which is for the exclusive use of the boys from the Junior School, incorporates a new library and technology centre, a multi-purpose assembly hall, eight new classrooms, an art/woodwork studio and a music centre. Further highlights of 2010 are many and varied, but they include: • the academic endeavour and successes of so many boys • the national and international success of two School Prefects representing Australia in Science (with only eleven young men in Australia being selected) • a Year 12 student being placed amongst the highest percentile of candidates in a National Chemistry competition • a Year 12 student winning the top school-based Apprentice of the Year throughout Queensland • the 1st XI’s ranking of second in the GPS Cricket season • a Year 12 student representing Queensland in the 2010 National Constitutional Convention and the Queensland Youth Forum • the growth of our Wind Ensemble to now include over sixty musicians • the success for members of our a’Capella vocal ensemble, The Grammarphones, and our School Choir in winning their respective divisions in the Toowoomba Eisteddfod • the success of a number of our students in the Toowoomba Musical Eisteddfod • the gaining of first place throughout Australasia for an indoor Soccer (Futsal) team • being named runners-up Champion School in Orienteering throughout Queensland


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• the involvement of a total of 82 boys in the School’s choral and instrumental production and a further 58 boys in the drama production • the introduction of a new dramatic performance for boys in Years 8-10 • having approximately 600 grandparents visit the School and also sharing the commemoration of ANZAC Day with us, our Cadet Unit and personnel from HMAS Toowoomba II • the introduction of tablet laptop computers to all students in Year 9 as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Digital Education Revolution • observing all students in the Senior School perform in the inter-House Singing Competition and most students’ involvement in inter-House Swimming, Cross-Country and Athletics events • a Year 11 student being one of only four cadets from Australia participating in a Cadet Overseas Exchange Programme in Germany • thirty-one boys undertaking a cultural and historical tour to Turkey • the fundraising efforts of the students collecting approximately twenty-five per cent of the total money collected for the Salvation Army in Toowoomba • the commitment of so many of our boys to commendable behaviour and to doing the very best they can in all areas of their endeavour

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 school in the State, and is one of the Great Public Schools of Queensland currently educating boys from Prep to Year 12. At the commencement of 2010 the enrolment was 987, comprising 288 boarders and 699 dayboys.

2.3 Statutory Functions of the Board The functions of the Board are to:

supervise, maintain and control the conduct of the School;


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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 Availability of the Annual Report This report is available for viewing by contacting the: Chief Financial Officer Toowoomba Grammar School PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350 ISSN 1837-848X

http://www.twgs.qld.edu.au/


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2.7 Governance

2.7.1 Membership of the Board

The Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School was constituted in 1874. Members of the Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School are appointed by the Governor-in-Council. Members of the Board are appointed for a term of four years. The current Board of Trustees was appointed on 9 July 2009. Four members are nominated by the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts. Three members who have donated or subscribed the prescribed amount to Toowoomba Grammar School are elected by persons who are qualified to be elected in accordance with the Act and are included on the Roll of Electors. Elected Representatives Mr Glen William McCracken, Solicitor (Chairman). Mr Stewart John Handley, Teacher (Deputy Chairman). Government Appointments Mrs Julie Ann Michael, Barrister (Member of the Works Committee). Mrs Barbara MacDiarmid, Teacher (Chairman of the Marketing Committee and Member of the Works Committee). Mr Evan Russ Johnson, Chartered Accountant (Chairman of the Finance Committee). Dr Russell Malcolm Domrow, General Practitioner (Member of the Finance Committee).

2.7.2 Meetings of the Board

The Board of Trustees held eight General Meetings and one Special Meeting during 2010.

2.7.3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FINANCE

COMMITTEE

WORKS

COMMITTEE

MARKETING

COMMITTEE


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2.8 Overseas Travel

2.8.1 Board of Trustees No overseas travel was taken on behalf of the School by any Member of the Board of Trustees in 2009. 2.8.2 Student Tours Seventeen students from Years 10, 11 and 12 were incredibly fortunate to be able to visit Japan in the September holidays on a language and cultural tour. The boys stayed with Japanese families near Hiroshima and in Takatsuki, Toowoomba’s sister city. The tour group met the Mayor of Takatsuki who complimented the boys on their proficient use of the Japanese language. Apart from attending school, the boys participated in a local festival, undertook a range of cultural activities and visited numerous scenic and world heritage sites.

This year we undertook two international Football tours. An Under 13 team travelled to Japan in the September holidays for a sporting and cultural experience and it competed in an international carnival based at Maebashi. An Open Football team travelled to the United Kingdom, also in the September holidays, and derived much benefit and pleasure from this experience.

During the Term One holidays a group of thirty-one boys undertook a cultural and historical tour to Turkey, where they left the beaten track and saw some of the country’s amazing sights such as Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Pamukkale, Bodrum and Kusadasi. Four of these destinations are listed in Patricia Schultz’s 1000 Places To See Before You Die. The tour group also spent two days at Gallipoli. Besides visiting the battle sites, cemeteries and memorials, the boys laid wreaths at the graves of Old Boys who made the ultimate sacrifice at Gallipoli.

2.9 Consultancies Consultants were engaged in 2010 to assist the Board -

Human Resource Management - $17,789 Professional/Technical - $394,326


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2.10 Risk Management A number of procedures are in place to ensure that risk management strategies are current and effective. These include:

The School’s Workplace Health, Safety and Compliance Officer coordinates the Schools Safety Management System and its implementation. Each term a Safety Specialist visits the School to review the Safety Management System Action Improvement Plan and assists Management, the Workplace Health and Safety Committee and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compliance Officer to identify issues and effective strategies to correct the issues.

Annual update of policies. Regular reviews by the Finance Committee of the actual income and expenditure

against the approved budget. The School has in place a number of policies and procedures to ensure its ethical standards are maintained. They include:

Code of Ethics for Teachers in Queensland Parent Complaints Against Employees Procedures Staff Grievance Policy and Procedures Stress Management Policy Workplace Bullying and Harassment Policy

Staff are regularly made aware of these policies and procedures which are published on the School Intranet and training is provided on a regular basis.

2.11 Controlled Entities The Board of Trustees of the Toowoomba Grammar School established a Building Fund in 1958 managed by the Trustees and is established in accordance with “Collections Act 1966”. The fund is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Taxation Office and is audited by the Queensland Audit Office. The financial details are included in the attached statements. The functions of the Toowoomba Grammar School Public Building Fund are to provide money for the acquisition, construction and maintenance of the School buildings through public donations. In 2008 the School established the Toowoomba Grammar School Scholarship and Bursary Fund to receive, acquire and hold gifts, donations and legacies and devices for the advancement of the Fund. The Fund is maintained solely for providing money for scholarships or bursaries and is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Taxation Office. The financial details are included in the attached statements.


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2.12 Management Systems Early in the year the school transferred its financial and enrolment activities to the TASS school administration software. 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.

3. TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL OPERATIONS

3.1 Economic Climate and Factors Affecting the School

3.1.1 Students

Overall student numbers increased by 3.4% from 955 in 2009 to 987 in 2010. The Boarding numbers also increased slightly from 276 in 2009 to 289 in 2010.

Indications from confirmed enrolments and future enquiries would indicate that 2011 should

again see overall record enrolment numbers at the School.


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3.1.2 Staff

The Toowoomba Grammar School Workplace Agreement 2008 is in place and will be in operation until the end of 2011. As reflected in the table below, our full-time equivalent staff grew by 4.9. Additional staff have been employed in both the Primary and Secondary Schools to accommodate the additional students.

Staff – Full-Time Equivalent Teaching Staff 2007 2008 2009 2010 Primary 14.9 15.7 15.7 16.1 Secondary 54.8 55.6 57.5 57.9 Boarding 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 TOTAL 71.5 73.1 74.8 75.6 Non-Teaching Staff

2007 2008 2009 2010

Primary 8.2 9.6 10 10.6 Secondary 24.9 27.2 29.1 32.1 Boarding 31.6 29.7 30.1 30.6 TOTAL 64.7 66.5 69.2 73.3 GRAND TOTAL

136.2

139.6

144

148.9

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Boarders

Day Boys

Total Students

Student Numbers


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The School’s 2010 Workplace Profile is as follows:

Workplace Profile 2010

Non Government Schools

Occupational Women Men Casual Totals %

Average FT salary $k

Category FT PT FT PT women men women men women men female male

Principal 1 0 1 1 0 100 $240

Deputy principal 2 0 2 2 0 100 $130

Other - Snr Administrators

2 4 2 4 6 33 67 $104 $115

Senior teachers 6 21 6 21 27 22 78 $89 $90

Other Teachers 13 4 29 17 29 46 37 63 $76 $78

Other Professionals

3 3 3 6 6 9 12 21 43 57 $65 $79

Maintenance & Support Staff

12 31 16 11 27 13 70 40 110 64 36 $52 $49

TOTAL 36 35 76 14 33 19 104 109 213 49 51

(Does not include intermittent or seasonal employees such as supply teachers, casual sports coaches etc)

All positions are first advertised internally through staff notice boards then externally through relevant media outlets i.e. newspapers, webpage etc. Unless it is deemed appropriate, all positions are classified as non-gender specific. As Toowoomba Grammar School is an all boys’ school, some positions in the Boarding Houses will be classified as male only. 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. During the year one part-time position was made redundant and replaced by a full-time position. 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. A staff organisational chart is detailed in Appendix 1.


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3.1.3 Staff Professional Development This year the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) introduced a new requirement whereby all teachers are required to complete thirty hours of “Continuing Professional Development” (CPD) per annum. This is now mandatory for all teachers in Queensland for it ensures their professional registration. In reality it means that all teachers are personally required to enter their thirty professional development hours for registration purposes. The School subsequently submitted a very detailed application to the Queensland College of Teachers identifying the various professional development programmes which are collectively undertaken by our staff. The QCT responded by granting its approval for the School to register twenty of the required thirty hours on behalf of all of its teaching staff. In addition to our teaching staff attending various conferences, seminars and educational workshops, they have been required to attend two evening professional development sessions held at the School. The first of these sessions, which were each of four hours duration, involved a guest speaker, Mr Brett Lee, an internet safety consultant. Following his address, the staff elected to attend one of nine workshops from the following list – tablet computers and their application to Mathematics; Photoshop and visual literacy; Dreamweaver and website creation and design; film making; data logging in Science; Adobe in Design; Core Web 2.0 tools; Interactive White Boards and Information Communication Technologies in education. At the second evening seminar we heard from Mr John Flemming who is from Haileybury College in Melbourne. In consultation with the staff, Mr Flemming examined the topic of school improvement and the monitoring of students’ academic performance. Other major seminars and conferences which were attended by individual members of staff included the Head of the English Department travelling to Melbourne to attend a Technology in Education briefing; the School’s Director of Studies, who attended the national conference conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) in the Term Three holidays; and the Deputy Headmaster, who attended the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) conference on Pastoral Care which was held in Alice Springs during the Term One vacation. At the same time, the Headmaster attended the National Coalition Against Bullying Conference. In late September the Teacher-in-Charge of the Senior School Library attended the 12th Biennial School Library Association of Queensland conference incorporating the 39th International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference. Also during the year the Heads of Department representing English, Mathematics and Science, together with the Head of the Junior School and the Director of Studies, attended a major Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) conference on the introduction of the Australian Curriculum. In addition, Boarding staff represented the School at the Australian Boarding Schools Association National and State conferences. In total, all of our teaching staff spent some time engaged in professional development and training beyond the School during the year.


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3.1.4 A Commitment to Boarding Toowoomba Grammar School is committed to being regarded as the premier boarding school for boys throughout Queensland, Northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory. The School has backed up this strategic aim with the announcement in September from the Board of Trustees to commission the building of a new boarding house to facilitate the transfer of the Mackintosh boarders from School House. At this stage it is anticipated that construction will commence late in 2011 and continue throughout 2012. Subject to budgetary constraints, it is hoped that additional boarding houses will be built in the future to replace some of the older current boarding infrastructure. Today, Toowoomba Grammar School is one of the largest boys’ boarding schools in Australia.

With the construction of the new Aquatic Centre, the School’s laundry building was removed from the grounds at the end of last year. The School has entered into a long term lease of an industrial building in Toowoomba which is now used by our staff to provide this laundry service to the boarders which is consistent with that previously offered. Our laundry staff are thanked for coping so well with the disruption accompanying this relocation. Furthermore, with the appointment of the new Executive Chef, the School’s House Manager has accepted greater responsibility for the appearance of the boarding houses. Having a regular inspection of all of the boys’ boarding houses from a woman’s perspective, the House Manager has enhanced the operational efficiency, cleanliness and the general appearance of the dormitories.

A very important and much appreciated service to the boarders and the parents of boarders as well as the dayboys and staff is that provided by the nursing sisters and the visiting doctors in the Dr Jim Blaikie Health Centre. Their professionalism and the physical quality of the Health Centre certainly reassures the boarding parents, in particular, that we are totally committed to the boarders’ welfare. The appointment of an Executive Chef in the boarders’ kitchen since the beginning of the second semester has also highlighted the level of commitment the School is making to ensure the boarding experience at Toowoomba Grammar School is first-rate. The Deputy Headmaster has co-ordinated the monthly boarders’ church services which are held on campus and as a school we enjoyed a confirmation service involving nine of our boys which was conducted by Bishop Robert Nolan at St Luke’s Anglican Church in September. Regarding staffing, a second full-time, non-teaching Boarding Assistant appointment was made this year to Taylor House following an earlier appointment in Groom House. It is hoped that, subject to budgetary limitations, more full-time, non-teaching Boarding Assistants can be employed in the future. To have members of staff operating exclusively in boarding has certainly had a positive influence on the supervision of our boarders.


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The charter of the Boarder Parents’ Support Group is to “enhance and support the relationship within the boarding community and the School”. This group has met on the last day of Terms 1, 2 and 3 and has provided an opportunity for the parents of boarders to discuss specific boarding issues, as well as providing them with the opportunity to meet other boarder parents and members of the School Executive. This group has a House representative system in which each House representative attends all meetings and then communicates with all parents in their particular boarding house. The Boarder Parents’ Support Group meetings are complemented each year by the Headmaster’s Welcome Function for all Senior School Parents, the Boarder Mothers’ Luncheon and Boarder Appreciation Function. This latter function allows boarder families to invite dayboy parents to thank them for their support and hospitality towards the boarders throughout the year.

3.2 Special Interest Groups

3.2.1 The Environment Club The Environment Club continues to promote environmental awareness amongst the student body. This student led club has operated since 2006. The School’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr Graham Woolacott, monitors a number of environmental indicators at the School including electricity, gas and water consumption. The Board of Trustees also has a Sustainability Policy which considers the measurement and identification of resource usage and taking action to minimise waste and improve our environmental “footprint”. An address at Assembly by the Schools’ Workplace Health, Safety & Compliance Officer and a student representative from the Environment Club reported on the environmental implications of the School’s energy consumption. It was explained to the boys that the School has this year, from January to the end of September, used in excess of 1,432,453 kWhrs of electricity. This figure of energy consumption is equivalent to using 143,245 litres of unleaded petrol, the same as filling over 2,000 cars with fuel. It takes approximately 2.5 litres of water to generate 1 kWh of electricity. That makes approximately 3,581,132 litres of water or around 2.86 times the volume of our 25 metre swimming pool that has been boiled to generate our electricity needs this year. To boil this much water takes a significant amount of energy and most of this energy comes from burning coal. The NSW Government states that it takes about ½ kg of coal to generate a kWh of electricity. That means that we have burnt 716,226 tonnes of coal to produce electricity for our School between January and the end of September. This would fill 11.3 rail cars and it equates to approximately 1.69 tonnes of CO2 per person (staff/student) this year. This information was presented to the Senior School boys and they responded by producing stickers to place on switches to remind us all to switch off the power switch. At another Assembly Old Boy Mr Sid Plant (60-63) addressed the boys. Mr Plant is a farmer who had been invited to speak to representatives of the United Nations in Brazil on the topic of climate change. Relevant to the Environment Club, the School won several State Awards during the year. The School was one of only ten schools in Queensland to be awarded the


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“Queensland 2010 Keep Australia Beautiful, Green and Healthy Schools’ Award”. Furthermore, following a successful application from members of the Environment Club, the School won a “water wise” award from the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. 3.2.2 Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boys’ Association

The Old Boys’ Association remains an active and vibrant organisation committed to the past, the present and the future. The Association values the past by organising reunion dinners for former students of the School. The most important of these dinners is that which is always held in Toowoomba, and this year in May over three hundred Old Boys and partners attended the Annual Reunion Dinner held at the Picnic Point Function Centre. On this occasion we welcomed the Old Boys representing the “year of the tens” – 1930, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 2000. The most represented year group at the dinner was the Old Boys who completed their education in the year 2000. The Brisbane Branch of the Old Boys’ Association also organised their annual reunion in July held at the Cricketers’ Club at the Gabba. 3.2.3 The Parents’ and Friends’ Association Inc. The work of the various Parent Support Groups – Supporters of the Arts (SOTA), the Cricket Supporters’ Group, the Rugby Supporters’ Group, the Volleyball Supporters’ Group, the Football Supporters’ Group, Friends of the Library, the Swimming Supporters’ Group, the Boarder Parents’ Support Group and the Grammar Junior Supporters’ Group are an integral part of the success of the School. These bodies operate under the overall organisation known as The Parents and Friends’ (P & F) Association Inc. All groups have done a most commendable job. Fundraising and social activities conducted by the P & F have included the annual Art Show, the Melbourne Cup Day luncheon and the operation of the Pavilion during winter and summer sports seasons. These various functions are huge logistical challenges and the various parents involved are deserving of much praise and our gratitude. The catering at the Pavilion for the ‘home’ games provides an ideal venue for parents to get together, socialise and to help the School with fundraising at the same time. The School is most grateful to all parents and Old Boys who help us in this way. It is with enormous excitement that we learn of the intent of the Parents and Friends’ Association to finance a major extension to the Pavilion. Architectural plans have been prepared and a process of tendering should occur in the near future and the various government planning and approval permits sought.


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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.

Outcomes: Academic Achievement From the commencement of a boy’s education with us, we seek to develop those personal qualities deemed to be so important – far more than a single OP score – the qualities of honesty, integrity, perseverance, compassion, humility, resilience, ability to work with others, tolerance, acceptance of the need for hard work and so on. The School congratulates all Year 12 students who have worked diligently to achieve their goals. In 2010: Eight (8) boys gained an OP 1 (5 boarders and 3 dayboys); four (4) boys gained an OP2; five (5) boys gained an OP 3; eleven (11) boys gained an OP 4; and nine (9) boys gained an OP5. 34% of the 109 boys studying an academic course for entry to tertiary education gained an OP in the range 1-5.


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Nearly 50% of the students achieved an OP in the range 1-7 (representing approximately the top 20-25% of the State).

92.6% were in the OP range 1-15.

Our students achieved these impressive academic results in a well rounded educational environment involving extensive participation in sporting, cultural and social activities. In addition, 21 (twenty-one) Year 12 students completed a vocational and educational training (VET) and School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SAT) programme. This included a Toowoomba Grammarian honoured as the Queensland Apprentice of the Year. The Headmaster and teaching staff are delighted to see our young men achieve their goals. These young men have benefited from a broad, general education offering them every opportunity to live full and rewarding lives. Commerce This year, as part of the Year 10 Business Studies curriculum, all of our commerce students participated in the Australian Business Weekly Online Business Management game. The boys, in teams of five or six, were asked to take over an established manufacturing company and run it for a simulated two year period. Competing against teams from Western Australia and Hong Kong, our students performed strongly by placing second and third in this national on-line simulation. In a similar vein, eighteen students from our Year 11 Economics cohort engaged in a three day entrepreneurial business simulation titled “ECOMAN” (Economic Management) which was facilitated by the Queensland Private Enterprise Centre. Our students managed their three companies whilst operating out of the Boardroom of Wagners in Toowoomba. Again, as part of the Year 9 Business Studies and Year 11 Economics curriculum, our students participated in the Australian Stock Exchange Schools’ Sharemarket Game. Beginning with an imaginary $50,000, the students invested in Australian shares with the aim being to accumulate the highest share portfolio over the ten weeks duration of the competition. Given the reverberations from the Global Financial Crisis still being felt in the market, the ability of some students to achieve a positive return on their investments was a most favourable result.


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English As a School we sadly acknowledged the recent passing of two of our distinguished Old Boys who, during their lives, made international contributions to literature. These gentlemen were literary giants and two of Australia’s best known poets: Mr David Rowbotham AM (TGS 1939- 40) and Mr Peter Porter (TGS 1943-46). Both of them were acknowledged, in their lifetime, on our Old Boys’ Wall of Achievement. With the impending introduction of the Australian National Curriculum, the English Department has continued to refine and develop its offerings this year. Some of the most discussed Units of Work have stretched our students’ creativity and technological skills. These have included the Year 8 and 9 interactive website constructions, the Year 10 advertising assignment and the Year 12 Australian Story film task. Our students’ creative exploits were matched by commendable results in the University of New South Wales International English Competition. Four of our boys placed in the top one per cent in Queensland and another thirty-seven students received Distinctions which placed them in the top ten per cent. Similarly, our Year 9 students performed well above the State and National averages in the NAPLAN results. The boys demonstrated an improvement on previous years in Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar/Punctuation; namely in all of the four areas of the National Literacy Test. Overall, the Writing results have been the most improved area over the three year period since the introduction of the national testing programme. Mathematics In the annual Australian Mathematics Competition the School was successful in achieving three Prizes which are only awarded to the top 0.3 per cent of the participants in the country. We also achieved 15 High Distinctions (top 1 per cent of the participants), 88 Distinctions (top 10 per cent of participants) and 211 Credits (the top 40 per cent of participants). This is another fine result which reflects well not only on the students but it also confirms the merits of a strong academic programme operating in conjunction with quality teaching. The Darling Downs Mathematics Team Challenge was held in May and six teams of our boys participated – one team from each of Years 9-12 and two Year 8 teams. We were again successful in winning the Year 8 Division, the Junior Division (Year 9) and the Senior Division (the Year 12 team). In a competition conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT), our Year 8 team came second at the District level. Science During the year boys from Years 8 to 10 entered the University of New South Wales Science Competition (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools). Eight boys were placed in the 99th percentile in Queensland for their Year level and accordingly were awarded High Distinctions. A further fifty-five students were awarded Distinctions while one hundred and forty received Credits.


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A further scientific competition for a number of Year 10 students was in the Queensland Science/Engineering Super Challenge which involved our boys in a series of scientific, engineering and technological challenges and competitions. After competing in the Darling Downs Regional Challenge in May, our team comprising thirty Year 10 boys advanced to the State Super Challenge in Brisbane in August. The team performed admirably but was unable to secure a place in the October National Grand Challenge which was held in New South Wales. Every year approximately 400 places are offered to students across Australia and overseas to attend the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra and more recently also in Perth. Well over two thousand students applied to attend the Forum held in January and we were delighted that four of our Year 12 students were successful in their application. Following this January 2010 event, two of the participants were then selected to represent Australia. Patrick O’Connor in Year 12 was one of only six young Australians invited to represent Australia at the International Youth Science Forum in Turin, Italy, in July. A fellow Year 12 student, Stuart McKelvie, was one of only five young Australians selected to participate in such a scientific tour to South Africa in September. Remarkably, only eleven young men throughout all of Australia were selected for this international Science representation and two of the eleven were Toowoomba Grammarians. In addition, two of our current Year 11 students will attend the National Youth Science Forum in January 2011 and I am sure that they will also represent the School and our State with distinction. Vocational Studies and Careers Education Recognising that not all boys seek to pursue an academic course at university after Year 12, the School offers a most worthwhile programme of Vocational Education. This year 30 Year 12 boys and 30 Year 11 boys completed vocational courses including schoolbased apprenticeships and traineeships and TAFE programmes. Apprenticeships and traineeships enable the boys to attend work placements one day per week and the majority of boys in apprenticeships complete at least the first year of their respective trades whilst still at school. Lachlan Mead, a Year 12 boarder in 2009, was successful in achieving a 2009 Australian Vocational Student Prize. This Prize recognises the outstanding achievement of those who completed their secondary studies while undertaking a vocational education and training programme or apprenticeship. To the School’s great delight and pride, we learnt in September that Year 12 student, Jake Jones, was awarded School Based Apprentice of the Year for Queensland. He will now compete in the Australian Training Awards in Sydney in November and has the opportunity to be named “Australian School Based Apprentice of the Year”. Jake is completing his school based traineeship in carpentry with Hutchinson Builders in addition to studying five Year 12 subjects towards qualifying for the Queensland Certificate of Education. Missionary work in the Philippines building classrooms there in 2007 inspired Jake to begin a schoolbased carpentry apprenticeship. He has also recently returned from a mission trip to Uganda where he put his construction experience to use helping to build a house and classrooms. This year, Armstrong Auto Group and Downs Industry School Co-operative (DISCO) have sponsored a new vocational award which recognises a student who has participated extensively in vocational learning and achieved outstanding results. The recipient of this award this year has completed Certificates in Engineering, Agriculture and Information Technology.


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The Junior School In 1877 ten of the original 44 boys who started at the School were under 12 years of age. The School has had a Primary Section from the very early days through until 1963. Therefore, primary school age students have been associated with the School across three centuries. Grammar Junior opened in 1997 with 105 boys in four classes from Years 5 to 7. Since 1997, Grammar Junior as a sub-school of Toowoomba Grammar School commenced with students in Years 5, 6 and 7. Year 4 was introduced in 2001 and Years 1 to 3 followed in 2003. In 2005 Preschool, known then as Reception and now known as the Preparatory Year was established, two years prior to the formal introduction of this year level in Queensland schools. Therefore in 2005 with the introduction of a Preparatory Class in the Junior School we were able to offer a complete education for boys from Prep to Year 12. The Junior School has benefited greatly from three separate building projects over the past two years. Last year an additional staff facility comprising a new, much larger staffroom and several staff offices, was built. During 2009 and 2010 Toowoomba Grammar School’s Aquatic Centre was constructed and completed for the use of all boys at the School. This year a significant building project has just been completed, effectively doubling the size of the Junior School and providing a range of facilities specially developed for the Junior School boys and staff. This is a major milestone in the history of the Junior School. Last year the School benefited from the Federal Government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) economic stimulus package. In 2009 the Federal Government allocated billions of dollars to be spent on the development of primary schools across Australia. Toowoomba Grammar School received two million dollars, which was based on our student numbers in the primary school. Across the country this money had to be spent on libraries, assembly halls and classrooms. Our two million dollar grant was supplemented by an equivalent amount from school funds and borrowing. This funding has financed a new library and technology centre, a multi-purpose assembly hall, eight new classrooms, an art / woodwork studio and a music centre, all in the Junior School. The extension was constructed as a continuation of the current building on Herries Street and turns towards Corfe House and the Year 7 classrooms. We expect construction will be completed by mid-November with the new facilities being ready for use at the start of the 2011 academic year. In terms of the academic programme in the Junior School, this has been further enhanced over the past two years with the introduction of interactive whiteboards in all classrooms. This technology is highly motivational for young boys and provides class teachers with yet another tool to assist their teaching. It is also well supported by the provision of six computers in each classroom, a full class set of computers in the library and a range of support hardware and extensive software for the benefit of the boys and staff. Significant internal and external professional development has been provided for the Junior School teachers to support the use of this technology. The Junior School boys have access to a full and diverse academic curriculum, well supported by a broad range of co-curricular activities and opportunities. All boys from Prep to Year 7 are


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taught by specialist teachers in the subject areas of Music, Drama, French, Japanese, PE, Health and Library. Next year, every Junior School student will visit the purpose-built art and woodwork studio each week for lessons. In addition, the boys enjoy participating in a full and diverse sporting programme and they have the opportunity to be involved in before and after school clubs and activities. The Performing Arts – Music and Drama One of the most significant changes observed by Old Boys returning to the School is the positive and massive development that has taken place in our music and drama programmes. Specialist tutors now conduct private lessons and some ensemble work in the areas of brass, flute, oboe, woodwind, piano, strings, strings ensembles, drums and percussion, guitar and voice. The various ensembles for the year have included the Big Band A; Intermediate Band; Wind Ensemble; R ‘n’ B Band; Glennie/Grammar Orchestra; Choir; the Grammarphones; the String Ensemble and Quartet; the Electric Guitar Ensemble; the Acoustic Guitar Ensemble; the Technical Team and the Toowoomba Grammar School Acting Academy (TiGAA). It has been most rewarding to see so many boys participate in the School Choir, the specialist Vocal Ensemble, the Grammarphones and the various ensembles. Indicative of the depth of musical talent and interest in the Music programme in the School at present is the statistic that the Wind Ensemble currently numbers in excess of sixty boys. Several of our students hold the music qualification of Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) AMusA. Amongst our standout musicians is a Year 11 student awarded second place in the Young Instrumentalist Competition conducted by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

4.2 Relationships and Physical Development Objectives: To provide each boy with:

An appreciation of their individual strengths and an understanding of their shortcomings, their interests and their self-esteem.

An understanding and acceptance of the importance of good sportsmanship and learning to win and lose in an appropriate manner.

An interest in and enjoyment of a diverse co-curricular programme including outdoor recreational activities and pursuits in a variety of challenging and interesting experiences and environment, in which his self-reliance can be developed.

Outcomes: A Commitment to Pastoral Care We use the term “Pastoral Care” in education to describe the ability of this school, in particular, to get to know the individual student, to understand his character, his strengths, weaknesses, personal interests and to support, encourage and guide him in all that he does.


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One of the goals for our Pastoral Care programme is to provide a framework, under the House system, to monitor, guide and encourage all of our boys in all of their endeavours. House Colours are awarded for sustained participation in both House and School activities, with a boy able to earn points towards Half, Full and Honour Colours. To encourage involvement in a range of activities, points must come from all of the following four categories: House Sport/Activity; Cultural/ Academic/ Cadets/ Outdoor Activity/ Clubs and Societies; GPS Sport/ Other Sport; and Service to the School and Community. For Year 11 boys to be eligible to apply for the office of School Prefect they must have achieved, as a minimum level of involvement and commitment, the award of House Half Colours. One of our Year 11 Assembly guests this year was Mr Lorin Nicholson, a vision impaired guitarist who has appeared on national television. Lorin played numerous pieces for the boys which were interspersed with stories about his own life and the challenges he has been able to overcome. Another guest was the motivational speaker Mr Eric Bailey who addressed the Year 12 boys as part of the Keyway Lifestyle Programme sponsored by the Queensland Teachers’ Credit Union. Eric, an American and a former professional Basketball player, discussed issues relevant to the boys’ development. These areas included goal setting, the motivation to succeed and the importance of a positive attitude. Speakers from Student Care Welfare talked frankly about their addiction to drugs to the Year 11 and 12 boys and they also heard from representatives of the Spinal Education Awareness Team. The latter personnel spoke from their wheelchairs about how to prevent accidents such as the ones they had suffered. Another inspirational speaker was Mr Sam Bailey who spoke to boys in Years 8 and 9 in March. He has featured on “Australian Story” and has written a best selling book titled Head Over Heels. Sam comes from Croppa Creek in north-west New South Wales, where he is a grain farmer and a cattleman. He can drive a tractor, a header, a front end loader and four wheel quad bike. He also flies an ultra light. Of special significance, though, is that he’s a quadriplegic. Sam’s next goal is to be the first quadriplegic to fly a helicopter. A further worthwhile presentation for the Year 11s was from Sydney-based Glenn Gerreyn (the Oxygen Factory) on the topic titled Study Smart. The programme, accompanied by a student workbook, was based on steps for successful schooling. Mr Gerreyn later returned to the School to deliver his memorable “Hour of Power” to the Year 12 boys whilst on another occasion, author Barry Heard’s powerful and moving address prompted many of the same cohort to read at least one of his books: Well Done Those Men – Memories of a Vietnam Veteran; The View from Connor’s Hill - A Memoir; or TAG – A Novel. Several plays performed to boys in Years 8 and 9 by the group Brainstorm Productions explored bullying and a range of other issues faced during adolescence and were deemed to be highly pertinent and therefore valuable. Outdoor Education An integral part of the Pastoral Care programme has been the conduct of the Outdoor Education and Activities Camps for students in the Senior School. Occurring in the final week of Term One the various year levels undertook a range of activities. The boys in Year 8 stayed in bunkhouse accommodation for a three-night stay at Alexandra Park Conference Centre at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast. This programme included a surf awareness course run by the Alexandra Headland lifesavers; one evening of ten pin bowling, another of Theatre


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Sports, and the final evening to learn the School song and various School war cries; numerous beach and pool activities; and a range of other sports and games. The programmes for boys in Years 9 and 10 were supervised by our teachers and co-ordinated and organised by instructors from a registered Outdoor Education company. Year 9 students undertook a Wilderness Camp experience at Glastonbury Recreational Park, 15 minutes north of Gympie in the Brooyar State Forest. The camp included a three-night stay and the programme included canoeing and raft building, abseiling, bush navigation, river crossing, rock climbing, mountain biking and team development. Boys in Year 10 spent four days at Noosa North Shore embarking on a Surf Camp where they spent time body surfing, receiving formal surf and body-boarding instruction, surf safety and surf awareness as well as a high ropes course, survival challenge, team development and night activities. A four-day Leadership Camp for Year 11 took place at Couran Cove on South Stradbroke Island. The School’s Deputy Headmaster, Mr Kelly, co-ordinated this camp and the various sessions examined different styles of leadership as well as providing opportunities for self-reflection. During the final week of Term One the Year 12s benefited from a varied programme. This included a full-day accredited Defensive Driving Course covering both theoretical and practical components and a “Survival for Bachelors” programme involving cooking, ironing, sewing and social etiquette. A Senior First Aid Practical Course was also completed by the Year 12 students under the instruction of the Queensland Ambulance Service. A Commitment to Sporting Participation and Competition Even before the official commencement of the new school year our students displayed active involvement in, and commitment to, their sporting endeavours. Many of our boys and staff were involved in summer holiday camps, training programmes, tournaments and carnivals. Our First Volleyball team travelled to Melbourne, the First Cricket squad to Adelaide and our Swimmers to the Sunshine Coast. The School also hosted the Queensland Primary Cricket team camp, the National Primary Cricket Carnival and then the ever popular Toowoomba Grammar School Cricket Coaching Camp – all of this prior to the first classroom lesson of the year! Football (Soccer) In a decision causing much initial confusion, this year the nine schools representing the GPS Association of Queensland decided to refer to Soccer by its international name of Football. This decision was probably vindicated with the playing of the World Cup in South Africa during the year with billions of people, including many Australians, concentrating on the playing of “Football”. One of the many highlights of the School’s Football programme this year was the announcement that a Year 9 student received a National Youth Scholarship with the Brisbane Roar.


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Futsal (indoor football) The Queensland Futsal “Champion of Champions” Cup was held in early August. The School was represented by our Under 13, 14 and 15 teams for a place in the national finals. The Under 13 team finished as runners-up, losing the final 3-2 but still qualifying for the national titles. In a tough day in a very competitive age group our Under 14 boys finished 5th in Queensland. The Under 15 boys were undefeated on the day, winning the final 6-1 to also qualify for the national titles in October. Here they became the Australasian Champions with an emphatic 10-4 result in the final game. From this championship an “Australasian Allstar” team was selected from the age group with our School team remarkably accounting for three of the five positions. Rugby During the Rugby season the School’s 21 teams played a total of 152 games. Of these, 55 were won or drawn. A pleasing feature of our trial matches against Marist Brothers College, Ashgrove was the fact that we won more than half the games played. The overall season results are respectable and the boys and coaches are to be thanked for their efforts and involvement. The 2010 season commenced early in the year when 12 players from the First XV squad travelled to Brisbane to participate in the Queensland Secondary Schools’ 7’s Rugby competition hosted at Ballymore. Further preliminary training events included two “Super Sunday” training sessions for all boys, an Under 13 team trip to Sydney and all A teams competing in a Rugby Festival at Brisbane Grammar School at the end of the Easter vacation. Swimming A lot of hard work, coupled with excellent presentations by some of Australia’s finest athletes including Olympic and Commonwealth Games representatives greeted the 40 members of the School’s swimming squad as they attended a four day, live-in camp at the Sunshine Coast from the 20th – 23rd January. The boys undertook a number of swimming training sessions in the Kawana Aquatic Centre’s 50 metre pool as well as completing a number of open water swims, including a 1.3 kilometre open water swim in Lake Kawana where many of the state and national open water triathlons are held. It has not been for many years that we have seen this number of our boys attend the Swimming Camp and due recognition must be given to the encouragement and support offered by the School’s new Head Coach, Mr Dick Orbell. As an ex Australian Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimmer and a coach of some national squads, he has injected both quality coaching and passion into the sport in an attempt to have the boys experience some personal best times. Tennis The 1st IV had a strong season being competitive in all fixtures to be placed 7th overall in the GPS competition. Several close contests could have gone either way and the team secured wins against St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace and The Southport School. A year 10 student was successful in winning all singles matches throughout the season at number two. All teams


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enjoyed success throughout the season with the 9A team most promising with wins in all but one fixture. The School was successful in winning the majority of matches against The Southport School, Ipswich Grammar School and Brisbane State High School. Track and Field The Track and Field season was unfortunately interrupted by wet weather. Following a wind affected House Championships, the Toowoomba Districts Carnival was abandoned due to wet weather and several pre-GPS lead-up meets were also cancelled. Training was also regularly interrupted due to the wet conditions. The School had a most promising Track and Field squad with an impressive 24 boys selected in the Darling Downs team. At the State Championships, a year 8 student was able to win the Under 13 Discus title and he then continued this impressive form by winning both the Discus and Shot Put events at the GPS Championships. All of our athletes performed very well at the GPS Championships and were somewhat disappointed with our 8th place overall knowing that we were just 6 points from 6th place. We look forward to challenging our nearest rivals next year to improve our placing in this highly regarded competition. Ms Debbie Wells, our Master-in-Charge of Athletics (and three time Olympian) is once again thanked for her contribution. Cross Country Running The School’s Cross Country team was successful in winning the Darling Downs Championships this year. Each age group from Under 13 to Open won their respective divisions and five boys were selected in the Darling Downs Cross Country team. This sport has been supported this year through the Cross Country Monthly Medal which involved a handicapped race with attractive prizes offered. In August the GPS Cross Country Championships were held at Limestone Park in Ipswich. We had over eighty runners who ran their best on the day and who were placed ninth overall. We will set a goal to improve our GPS ranking in 2011. Cricket The annual Toowoomba Grammar School Cricket coaching camp in January attracted 136 players aged between 11 and 14 years. Boys came from Toowoomba and many country regions to participate in the four days of intensive coaching. Twenty-three experienced coaches and assistants mentored the boys and once again the camp proved popular for all. Dates are set for 2011 with the camp taking place from 9th to 12th January. The 2010 Cricket season saw us field a remarkable number of 26 teams. For two years now the School has been participating in an annual cricket festival involving some of Australia’s finest independent schools. The competition involves four schools, namely St Peter’s College (Adelaide), Camberwell Grammar School (Melbourne), Knox Grammar School (Sydney) and Toowoomba Grammar School. It is with great pride that our School is competing in such a festival, for we are the only school in the competition that is not based in an Australian capital city. In 2009 this cricket festival was hosted by Knox Grammar School and in January of this year by St Peter’s College. Visiting such an historic school, playing some highly competitive cricket, having the opportunity of visiting the Adelaide Oval and exploring the Donald Bradman Museum all proved to be an enriching experience for our boys. In


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terms of our cricket, our First XI side enjoyed good wins against St Peter’s College and Camberwell Grammar School but lost to Knox Grammar School in the final. In January 2011 it will be our turn to host these visiting interstate teams.

4.3 Society Objectives: Our students to become more aware of the needs and circumstances of others. Outcomes: Community Service The Interact Club, now in its forty-fourth year of operation, has had another successful year supporting an array of local, national and international charitable organisations. Through a range of fundraising activities, the Club has raised money for the Endeavour Foundation, the Salvation Army, Australian Red Cross, Drug Arm, Guide Dogs Australia, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Make a Wish Foundation. Considerable effort also went into raising funds to support international aid for victims of the earthquake in Haiti (Rotary) and flooding in Pakistan (World Vision). A book collection was also organised to assist in the setting up of a mobile library for Toowoomba’s homeless population. The School has a stated aim of encouraging its boys to contribute to the welfare of others. Hopefully this value will be one that the boys will hold for the rest of their lives. Our involvement with Rockville State Primary School continues, with weekly visits by the boarders in Mackintosh House. Here the boys engage in the supervision of the primary-age students in sports coaching, playing games and also artistic pursuits. The Principal and staff of Rockville Primary School have expressed their gratitude to our boys for the fine work they do to assist their children. In addition, some boys from Boyce House have visited Toowoomba West Special School to help with students and provide general assistance. Our students also participated in the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal in May. The boys raised approximately twenty-five per cent of the total monies collected for the whole city of Toowoomba. The message given to the boys is that service is far more than just donating a few dollars, for it is more about assisting and serving others through the donation of their own time. As such, boys this year have assisted with the Million Paws Walk, Clean-Up Australia Day, the 40-hour famine and Earth Unplugged. Each of the Interact Club directors also worked within their Houses to engage boys in service activities. Through the Houses, and with the assistance of Housemasters, strong relationships have been either developed or maintained with Toowoomba West Special School and Rockville State School, as previously mentioned, as well as with St Vincent’s Hospital, Tricare Retirement Village and the weekly soup kitchen run by St Luke’s Anglican Church. During the first weekend of the September holidays the School held its fourth Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp. This year, 31 children with disabilities were cared for by 26 of our Year 11 boys, 12 Fairholme College girls and 9 girls from The Glennie School. Whilst the weather throughout the camp was decidedly wet, this certainly did not dampen the spirit of


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the campers and the addition of the Aquatic Centre into the camp programme was most helpful. This camp is a significant service activity for the School and again it met its objectives of providing an enjoyable time for our guests, some respite for their families and a significant personal growth experience for the senior students involved.

4.4 Finance and Infrastructure Objectives:

To maintain income at least at a level which will meet all operating (recurrent) expenditure including interest on loans.

To ensure that general capital replacements are funded from annual cash flows. To maintain a level of debt that will not expose the School to financial risk in poor

market conditions. Outcomes: 2010 was a sound financial year thanks to the prudent financial management by the Board of Trustees. Our Net profit for the year was $2,426,684 compared to $2,779,235 in the previous year and our Total Equity increased by $2,476,664 to $87,395,084. Whilst our Total Assets, net of amortisation and depreciation, increased by $6m (due mainly to the Aquatic Centre), our debt increased by $3.5m to $6.65 in total. Overall, revenue increased by 11% whilst expenses increased by 14.5% over the previous year. Enrolment numbers in the Junior School grew by 10 and by 22 in the Senior School whilst boarding numbers increased by 11 overall. Tuition and boarding fee income showed no significant signs of deterioration from previous years and interest and trust distributions increased due to improved interest rates and returns. The 2010 supplementation increase to the Commonwealth Recurrent Grants of 8.2% for primary students and 7% for secondary exceeded our expectations. The request by the school for parents of boys planning to enter the School in 2012 to confirm their enrolment in 2010 rather than in 2011 substantially increased our income from enrolment fees. The Federal Government’s Digital Education Revolution (DER) and Building the Education Revolution (BER) programmes resulted in greater than expected Capital Grants. In 2010 the School received $1m of a $2m grant under the BER P21 programme and along with a $2m allocation of funds by the Board, the School has been able to construct a new multi-purpose hall, library and 12 rooms catering for general classrooms and specialist facilities of music, art, woodworking and technology. This is an important addition to our Junior School which we would not have completed without this government stimulus programme. Finance costs associated with the Aquatic Centre and Junior School Extension commenced in 2010 and amounted to $363,000 compared to $57,000 in 2009. Salary rates rose by 4% in 2010 as per the Workplace Agreement as well as the second phase of the paid co-curricular programme which cost $150,000. On top of these increases we also employed an additional 7 full time staff:

IT Teacher LOTE Teacher Head Swim Coach Admin. Assistance – Aquatic Centre


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Resident Assistant Apprentice Greenkeeper Head Coach of the First XV Rugby Union Team

Amortisation and depreciation increased by $318,267(20.5%) due mainly to the completion of the Aquatic Centre and the School completed $1,256,664 of minor capital works compared to $826,998 in 2009. Projects of significance included:

Tennis Courts Carpark $144,000 Long Jump Track and Pit $ 67,000 Ag Science Classrooms $145,000 Professional Fees-Gymnasium $ 75,000 Professional Fees-Boarding $ 83,000 Professional Fees-Pavilion $ 33,000 Digital Education Revolution $608,000

In 2009 the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) implemented the Financial Health Assessment Framework (FHAF) to measure the financial performance and viability of non-government schools. In July 2010 Toowoomba Grammar School was advised that “the school appears to have been in a viable financial position as at 31 December 2009” and that “as a financially viable school, no further action is required other than the continued compliance with the standard reporting and compliance requirements detailed in the Schools Assistance Act 2008 Administrative Guidelines and your Funding Agreement”. The School also 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 are as follows: Ratios 2007 2008 2009 2010 Benchmark

2009

Working Capital 7.89 6.00 4.68 4.1 0.92

Cash Flow Adequacy 2.54 1.46 0.43 0.91 0.95

Reinvestment 22% 55% 222% 199% 148%

Interest Cover 29.44 53.66 39.37 13.02 11.07

Total Debt per

Student

$1,101 $553 $3,293 $6,743 $6,883


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Our Endowment Fund grew by $370,000 to $3,211,412 during the year thanks mainly to improved

trust distributions and additional enrolment fee income. The Deductible Gift recipient Fund which

includes the Building Fund and Education Fund increased by $65,600 to $2,702,178 thanks mainly

to increased interest as a result of higher rates.

The following graphs highlight the breakdown of revenue and expenditure during the year and

compared to the previous year.

0

2000000

4000000

6000000

8000000

10000000

12000000

14000000

Expenditure

2009

2010

0100000020000003000000400000050000006000000700000080000009000000

Revenue

2009

2010


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61% Employment Costs

9% Depreciation

5% Tuition

5% Boarding

2% Repairs & Maintenance

6% Minor Capital Works

2% Finance Costs

2% ICT Expenses

2% Utilities

6% Other Expenses

2010 Expenditure

38% Tuition Fees

17% Boarding Fees

37% State & Commonwealth

Grants

2% Donations & Bequests

2% Enrolment Fees

4% Investment Income

1% Other Income 2010 Revenue


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4.5 Future Direction

4.5.1 Boarding

The Board has confirmed its commitment to be regarded as the premier boarding school for boys in northern New South Wales and throughout Queensland. The Board is close to confirming the final specifications and financial analysis to commence the construction of a new boarding house in 2012. 4.5.2 Building Projects

Gymnasium

The construction of a new Gymnasium for the expected enrolment of 1085 students will meet the Australian Government’s objectives of catering for the needs of regional, rural and remote students, meeting educational needs and attempting to combat the growing incidence of childhood obesity. The current Gymnasium at the School as constructed in 1983 when the School had an enrolment of 671 students. Since this time the School has nearly doubled and this includes the construction of a Junior School for primary aged children on the school campus. The Board is currently analyzing the final specifications and financial implications of this project. Pavilion The Pavilion was constructed in 1995 and has served the School extremely well as a meeting place and function area. As the School has grown over time and the number of school functions has expanded, we have increasingly noted limitations associated with the building. These include: (i) very limited bathroom facilities (particularly for women) (ii) limited meeting area and one unable to provide for larger audiences (iii) restricted storage space (iv) “wear and tear” over the years (v) no changing rooms for students The Board is currently reviewing the final specifications and financial implications of this project. 4.5.3 Year 7 into the Senior School

The School is currently reviewing the implications to its facilities, staffing and management of the future introduction of Year 7 students into the Senior School.


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5. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - Staff Organisational Chart Appendix 2 - 2010 Annual Financial Statements


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APPENDIX 1 STAFF ORGANISATIONAL CHART

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Toowoomba Grammar School – Report to the Minister for Education and Training 2010 32

APPENDIX 2 2010 ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Toowoomba Grammar School24 Margaret Street, East Toowoomba Qld 4350

PO Box 2900 Toowoomba Qld 4350ABN: 86 510 299 250 – CRICOS REGISTRATION No. 00525D

Documents

2010 ANNUAL REPORT - parliament.qld.gov.au€¦ · • the 1st XI’s ranking of second in the GPS Cricket season • a Year 12 student representing Queensland in the 2010 National