Brisbane Girls Grammar School is an independent non-denominational secondary day school for girls, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1875, the school is one of eight grammar schools in Queensland that were established under the Grammar Schools Act of 1860. The school originally opened as a branch of the Brisbane Grammar School with fifty students under the direction of a principal, Janet O'Connor.
Brisbane Girls Grammar is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), and is a member of the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA).
Brisbane Girls Grammar School has approximately 1,370 students enrolled in Years 7 to 12. Its brother school is Brisbane Grammar School.
History
Brisbane Girls Grammar School was founded in March 1875, six years before women were admitted to universities in Sydney and Melbourne. The school opened as a branch of Brisbane Grammar School with fifty female students under the direction of a lady principal, Janet O'Connor, in premises on George Street, Brisbane. Within six months the school outgrew these premises and subsequently moved to a site on Wickham Terrace.
By July 1882, the school was well established and a decision was made to separate from Brisbane Grammar School, so as to operate independently under the Grammar Schools Act. Plans were also made to move the school to its present location on Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill. In 1884, the Main Building, designed by architect Richard Gailey, was opened to one hundred students.
The school's motto is Nil Sine Labore, Latin for "Nothing Without Labour". It was adopted from the Brisbane Grammar School, which in turn borrowed it from Horace's Second Book of Satires. The school badge is an open book on a shield with the school motto on a ribbon underneath. The open book was also borrowed from Oxford University, where over half of the original staff of Brisbane Grammar School were originally secured.The School colour is royal blue, adopted from the colours of Brisbane Grammar School, which were originally derived as a compromise between the Oxford colour of light blue and the Cambridge colour of dark blue.
In 2007, the $25 million, six-level Cherrell Hirst Creative Learning Centre opened, winning several awards including the prestigious Sir Zelman Cowen Award for public architecture in 2008. In 2009 a new suspended swimming pool and multi-purpose covered area were completed. The Gehrmann Building, constructed in 1986, was renovated in 2011.
In 2015, the five-storey, $17.4 million Research Learning Centre opened, to coincide with the introduction of Year 7 to the school. Home to a collection of more than 55,000 resources, the Research Learning Centre provides numerous flexible contemporary learning spaces as well as space for individual study.
Co-curriculum
Brisbane Girls Grammar offers 18 competitive and non-competitive sports. The School is a founding member of the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools Sporting Association (QGSSSA) competition, and participates in a range of Brisbane Club associations as well as operating a comprehensive Interhouse programme.
QGSSSA: artistic gymnastics, athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, cross country, football, hockey, netball, rhythmic gymnastics, softball, swimming, tennis, touch and volleyball. CLUB: Fencing (QFA), Rowing (BRSA) and water polo (BWPI) Lifestyle: Yoga, pilates and rock climbing.
The three core music domains (strings, band and choir) offer more than 900 places for students to pursue their musical talents at their specific level of proficiency. Specialist music staff provide instrumental and vocal tuition in group and private lessons.