Bankstown Grammar School

Infobox Aust school private
name = Bankstown Grammar School


motto = _la. Exultate Deo
("Rejoice Greatly in God")
established = 1984 (as St Paul's Choir School)
type = Independent, Co-educational, Day School
denomination = ostensibly Anglican
slogan = a caring, learning environment.
key_people = Mr. Terry Lidgard (Principal)
Mr. Linden Evans (Chairman)
fees = AU$6,579 p.a - AU$7,776 p.a [http://www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au/Home/Fees/documents/2007BGSSTPFeeStructure_000.pdf Bankstown Grammar School Fees 2007] (accessed:13-08-2007)]
city = Georges Hall
state = New South Wales
country = Australia
enrolment = 900 (K-12) [http://www.schoolseek.com.au/school/bankstown-grammar-school SchoolSeek: Bankstown Grammar School] (accessed:13-08-2007)]
num_employ = 53 [http://www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au/Home/Notices/documents/AnnualReportBGS2006Final.pdf Bankstown Grammar School Annual Report 2006] (accessed:13-08-2007)]
revenue =
products =
colours = Blue & White
homepage = [http://www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au/ www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au]

Bankstown Grammar School (BGS) is an independent, co-educational, day school located in Georges Hall, a suburb of South-Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1986, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 900 students from Kindergarten to 12.

Bankstown Grammar School is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), [http://www.ahisa.com.au/Display.aspx?tabid=2230 Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia: NSW] (accessed:13-08-2007)] the New Anglican Schools Sports Association (NASSA), [http://www.aices.com.au/ Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools] (accessed:13-08-2007)] and the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools (AICES).

History

Bankstown Grammar School was founded in 1986 as a joint venture of the Anglican and Uniting churches in Bankstown. [http://www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au/Home/BGS.htm Bankstown Grammar School: School - BGS] (accessed:13-08-2007)]

Its name is Bankstown Grammar instead of Georges Hall Grammar because it was once based in Bankstown. The school is located next to Bankstown Airport.

Formerly on the same site was St. Pauls Choir School. St. Pauls began in 1984 as the choir school of St Paul's Anglican Church Bankstown, and BGS was founded to enable students to proceed to a secondary education. In 2008, St Paul's Choir School ceased to exist and simply became the junior school of Bankstown Grammar School.

The School has four houses - Wood, Jackson, Rossiter and Chamberlain - named for the founders of the school.

BGS has emerged as the school of choice in the Liverpool-Bankstown area for families seeking a strongly academic education for their children. It has marketed itself as a school with a strong focus on study and discipline and is consistently among the highest academic performers in the region. Unlike other new Anglican Schools, BGS has had no financial support from the Diocese of Sydney and has only loose association with the structures of the Anglican Church. Correspondingly, the school's physical resources are unimpressive, comprising a large number of temporary buildings, though this has improved of late. The student population at BGS is as culturally diverse as the surrounding suburbs, but the school has almost completely avoided sectarian disharmony and conflict. The junior school is the fastest growing portion of the school, often having to turn away prospective enrolments in order to maintain small class sizes. This is attributable in large part to the leadership of Mrs Nina Heinecke who began teaching the first Kindergarten class at the school in the mid nineties before taking up the role of Head of Junior School. Strangely for a school in such a location, it has a very strong agriculture program featuring an Angora goat stud named 'Banmar' and a range of other livestock and produce options. For a time in the late nineties, BGS was a state leader in the teaching of Japanese, and it still maintains a solid reputation in this subject.

The school has a good record of participation in sporting events, providing a range of options for students, but has not displayed pre-eminence in any particular sporting endeavour. Debating and public speaking are strong points for the school, with strong curricular and co-curricular programs developed over many years. The school has always had a substantial brass band program and varying choral programs. BGS has developed a tradition of regular blood donation by senior students and has consistently been the areas largest donor, winning the 'Vampire Shield' on a number of occasions.

References

See also

* List of Non-Government schools in New South Wales

External links

* [http://www.bankstowngrammar.nsw.edu.au/ Bankstown Grammar & St Paul's Choir Schools]