Founded in 1893 by Emily Hensley and Alice Taylor, theschool has a non-selective enrolment policy and caters for 1,010 students from Early Learning to Year 12, including 90 boarders.[5] It was originally known as Merton Hall and then asMelbourne Church of England Girls Grammar School.[6]
Melbourne Girls Grammar School is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia,[7] theJunior School Heads Association of Australia,[8] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia,[9] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria,[1] the Australian Boarding Schools Association,[2] and is a founding member ofGirls Sport Victoria.[10]
Melbourne Girls Grammar School was founded in 1893, as aprivate school known as Merton Hall in Domain Road, South Yarra, by Emily Hensley and Alice Taylor. In 1900, the School moved to its current location in Anderson Street, and in 1903 it became the first girls' school to be owned by theAnglican Diocese of Melbourne. Mary and Edith Morris were the headmistresses[11] and in 1911Mary Valentine Gutteridge led the junior school.[12]
Merton Hall, now the main senior campus, was named after the house inCambridge, England, whereNewnham College began.[13]
The tenthheadmistress of Melbourne Girls Grammar, Christine Briggs, announced her retirement in 2007. Catherine Misson was appointed to the position of Principal in 2008 serving until 2019, when Toni Meath, previously principal at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, was appointed as the twelfth Principal of the Melbourne Girls Grammar.[14]
The Junior Years (Prep–Year 4) learning environment is located at the Morris Hall campus on Caroline Street, while the Early Learning Centre (3- and 4-Year Old Program), the Middle Years (5-8) and Senior Years (Years 9–12) are all located at the Merton Hall campus, in Anderson Street, South Yarra.
The Merton Hall campus provides a chapel, gymnasium, library, dining hall, specialist Sport, Art, Drama, Music and Science Centres, assembly hall, multipurpose sports fields and a rowing facility located nearby on the banks of the Yarra River. The Boarding House (which caters for approximately 90 students) is also located on the Merton Hall campus.
Wildfell, which was built in 2011 for the Middle Years Program, includes an eLearning studio and learning studios.
Morris Hall, the Junior Years campus, incorporates learning studios, specialist art, music and science centres, an oval and sustainable gardens.
The School opened its Science Futures Centre in 2005, with a ceremony attended by SirGustav Nossal. The Science Futures Centre comprises eight laboratories, three preparation rooms, three laboratory technicians' offices and withdrawal areas. This was renamed the Christine Briggs Building in 2007 following the retirement of Principal, Christine Briggs.
The most recent additions to the campus include the Artemis Centre (2017) and the St Hilda’s garden (2021).[citation needed]
A Strategic Planning Framework was commissioned for the Anderson and Caroline Street sites from the architectural firm ARM.[citation needed]
Melbourne Girls Grammar offersVictorian Certificate of Education (VCE) for its students at Years 11 to 12, with some students beginning their VCE studies in Year 10.
Thehouse system involves many students in a variety of student competitions from sport to art, music, drama, debating and public speaking. The houses run across Morris and Merton Halls and are:[17]
Clarke: red, named after ArchbishopLowther Clarke, who was a major influence in the early development of girls’ education within the Church of England framework
Hensley: pink, commemorates one of the two first headmistresses of the school - Emily Hensley
Mungo: green, named after "St Mungo", the house in Domain Road where the school first opened in 1893
Taylor: blue, commemorates the other of the first two headmistresses of the school – Alice Taylor
This is adynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byediting the page to add missing items, with references toreliable sources.
Melbourne Girls Grammar School is the sister school ofMelbourne Grammar School, with which it has a strong association, as the two stream productions, formals, workshops and concerts together. The student bases also enjoy a strong association throughout the secondary years as many MGGS girls attend Grimwade House (Melbourne Grammar School's co-educational primary campus).
^ab"Melbourne Girls Grammar".Find a School. Association of Independent Schools of Victoria. 2007. Archived fromthe original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved5 February 2008.
^"Victoria".School Directory. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. 2008. Archived fromthe original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved5 February 2008.
^Butler, Jan (2006)."Member Schools".Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Archived fromthe original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved5 February 2008.
^Mawkes, Leonie (2005)."Member Schools".Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. Archived fromthe original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved5 February 2008.
^Mellor, Elizabeth J.,"Mary Valentine Gutteridge (1887–1962)",Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved14 October 2023
^Patrick, Alison,"Enid Joske (1890–1973)",Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved5 November 2023
^Payten, Marianne,"Buntine, Gladys Selby (Jim) (1901–1992)",Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,archived from the original on 28 January 2022, retrieved28 January 2022
^"White, Vera Deakin (1891–1978)",Australian Dictionary of Biography: White, Vera Deakin (1891 - 1978), National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,archived from the original on 5 March 2021 (accessed:27-07-2007)
^"Grey popular for autumn wear".Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia: National Library of Australia. 23 March 1939. p. 7. Retrieved18 March 2024.
^Verso, M. L.,"Bryce, Lucy Meredith (1897–1968)",Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,archived from the original on 28 January 2022, retrieved28 January 2022
^Whyte, Jean P.,"Archer, Mary Ellinor Lucy (1893–1979)",Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,archived from the original on 7 April 2022, retrieved28 January 2022
