Grammar Schools Act
Encyclopedia
The Grammar Schools Act 1860 was passed by Queensland
's first parliament in 1860 and allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £
1000 could be raised locally. Between the years 1863 and 1892, ten grammar school
s were opened under the auspices of the Act. The first of these was Ipswich Grammar School
, which opened in 1863.
. Along with the Primary Schools Act (Qld) 1860, it aimed to bring Queensland
under one general and comprehensive education system without prejudice.
In the early years of Australian education, denominational schools (particularly Anglican schools) had a large influence. These schools were criticised over a number of decades for proliferating a social divide, and providing poor and biased education. By the time of the first parliament of Queensland
in 1860, there was a general feeling that any system of education established in Queensland
should be free of denominationalism
.
The Act received little opposition in either House of Parliament
– revealing its popularity. It found the approval of the public in general, and even amongst sections of the Anglican community. The Act marked a departure from the education systems in place in Victoria
and New South Wales
, where schools were generally tied up with respective religious bodies or (in the case of schools such as Sydney Grammar School
) being provided massive, ineffective endowments, with little effort required from the community.
The main points of the Act are summarised below. Basically, the Act allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £
1000 could be raised locally. The Queensland Government then matched that figure. The Schools were to be administered by a seven member Board of Trustees, of which four members were appointed by the Governor. The Act also made provision for public scholarships for students to attend university in Britain
or the southern states of Australia
.
The act was repealed in 1975 and replaced with the Grammar Schools Act 1975.
When it opened in 1881, Rockhampton Grammar School
was co-educational. Only four years later, the Board of Trustees decided to exclude females from the School, leading to the construction of Rockhampton Girls Grammar School. The latter opened on 11 March 1892 – one day after the official opening of Ipswich Girls Grammar School. (Females were readmitted to Rockhampton Grammar School
in 1977 after a 92-year absence).
In 1936, hit hard by the effects of the Great Depression
, the Maryborough Grammar School and Maryborough Girls Grammar School were forced to close. They were subsequently taken over by the Department of Education, Queensland Government, and renamed the Maryborough State High and Intermediate School for Boys and Maryborough State High and Intermediate School for Girls. In 1974, these schools merged to become the Maryborough State High School
.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's first parliament in 1860 and allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
1000 could be raised locally. Between the years 1863 and 1892, ten grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s were opened under the auspices of the Act. The first of these was Ipswich Grammar School
Ipswich Grammar School
Ipswich Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Ipswich, a city situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia...
, which opened in 1863.
History of the Act
The Grammar Schools Act was the fourth bill of first parliament of QueenslandParliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
. Along with the Primary Schools Act (Qld) 1860, it aimed to bring Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
under one general and comprehensive education system without prejudice.
In the early years of Australian education, denominational schools (particularly Anglican schools) had a large influence. These schools were criticised over a number of decades for proliferating a social divide, and providing poor and biased education. By the time of the first parliament of Queensland
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
in 1860, there was a general feeling that any system of education established in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
should be free of denominationalism
Denominationalism
Denominationalism is the division of one religion into separate groups, sects, schools of thought or denominations. Denominationalism as an ideology which views some or all Christian groups as being, in some sense, versions of the same thing regardless of their distinguishing labels, is not...
.
The Act received little opposition in either House of Parliament
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
– revealing its popularity. It found the approval of the public in general, and even amongst sections of the Anglican community. The Act marked a departure from the education systems in place in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, where schools were generally tied up with respective religious bodies or (in the case of schools such as Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
) being provided massive, ineffective endowments, with little effort required from the community.
The main points of the Act are summarised below. Basically, the Act allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
1000 could be raised locally. The Queensland Government then matched that figure. The Schools were to be administered by a seven member Board of Trustees, of which four members were appointed by the Governor. The Act also made provision for public scholarships for students to attend university in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
or the southern states of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The act was repealed in 1975 and replaced with the Grammar Schools Act 1975.
Schools opened under the Act
There were ten grammar schools opened under the Act – eight of which remain open today. In chronological order, they were:- Ipswich Grammar SchoolIpswich Grammar SchoolIpswich Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Ipswich, a city situated on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia...
(1863) - Brisbane Grammar SchoolBrisbane Grammar SchoolBrisbane Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
(1868) - Toowoomba Grammar SchoolToowoomba Grammar SchoolToowoomba Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding grammar school for boys, in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia....
(1875) - Brisbane Girls Grammar SchoolBrisbane Girls Grammar SchoolBrisbane Girls' Grammar School, is an independent, secular, day school for girls, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
(1875) - Rockhampton Grammar SchoolRockhampton Grammar SchoolThe Rockhampton Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day and boarding school located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia....
(1881) - Maryborough Grammar School (1881)
- Maryborough Girls Grammar School (1883)
- Townsville Grammar SchoolTownsville Grammar SchoolTownsville Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, day, International Baccalaureate and boarding school, located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia....
(1888) - Ipswich Girls Grammar School (1892)
- Rockhampton Girls Grammar School (1892)
When it opened in 1881, Rockhampton Grammar School
Rockhampton Grammar School
The Rockhampton Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day and boarding school located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia....
was co-educational. Only four years later, the Board of Trustees decided to exclude females from the School, leading to the construction of Rockhampton Girls Grammar School. The latter opened on 11 March 1892 – one day after the official opening of Ipswich Girls Grammar School. (Females were readmitted to Rockhampton Grammar School
Rockhampton Grammar School
The Rockhampton Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day and boarding school located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia....
in 1977 after a 92-year absence).
In 1936, hit hard by the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Maryborough Grammar School and Maryborough Girls Grammar School were forced to close. They were subsequently taken over by the Department of Education, Queensland Government, and renamed the Maryborough State High and Intermediate School for Boys and Maryborough State High and Intermediate School for Girls. In 1974, these schools merged to become the Maryborough State High School
Maryborough State High School
Maryborough State High School is a public high school located in Maryborough, Queensland. The school is run by the Queensland State Government, and is split on either side of Kent Street. The school colors are blue and brown...
.
Main Points of the Act
The main aspects of the Act were as follows:- That where £Australian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
1000 was raised by donation or subscription in any district for the purpose of establishing a Grammar School, then the Governor (with the advice of the Executive Council), if satisfied with the proposed School, paid to the Trustees "a sum not exceeding the amount raised". - That when fees to the amount of £Australian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
250 per annum were promised for a period of not less than three years, the Governor (with the advice of the Executive Council) shall pay out of the general revenue of the Colony £Australian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
500 to the credit of the Trustees, towards the upkeep of the School. - A body of seven persons, to be called the Trustees of the School, were to be elected. Four of those seven were to be nominated by the Governor (with the advice of the Executive Council), whilst the other three were to be elected by vote of subscribers of over £Australian poundThe pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
5 to the funds of the School. - The Governor (with the advice of the Executive Council) was permitted to, in any one year, reserve 10% of the amount payable to a School to provide for scholarships to any BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or Australian universityUniversityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. Such scholarships were awarded after public competitive examinations.