Trinity Grammar School Preparatory School

Trinity Grammar School Preparatory School
Latin: Detur Gloria Soli Deo Let Glory Be Given To God Alone
Location
Strathfield, New South Wales Australia
Information
Type	Independent, Day, Single-sex,
Denomination	Anglican
Established	1938
Founder	Rev. G. A. Chambers
Headmaster	Martin Lubrano
Enrolment	~600
Colour(s)	Green and White
Website	www.trinity.nsw.edu.au

Trinity Grammar School Preparatory School is a campus of Trinity Grammar School, which is used for the education of students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Year 6.^[1] While they serve to educate the same age group of boys, this is separate from Trinity Grammar School Junior School, which is found in Summer Hill, whereas the Preparatory School is based in Strathfield. The School is located on the corner of Llandilo Avenue and the Boulevard. The Preparatory School now houses over 600 students, which are kept together on the one campus, unlike the Junior School, which has its infants department in Lewisham and its primary facilities in Summer Hill.^[2] Unlike the other Trinity Grammar School campuses, boarders are not usually taught at the Preparatory School, as the Boarding House is located a short distance from the Junior School in Summer Hill. In the past, Lauriston was used as a separate boarding house for the Strathfield Campus.^[3]

The Preparatory School competes in several competitions run by the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA), which was previously known as the Junior School Heads' Association of Australia(JSHAA). The School selects a team for these based on school activities, such as Chess, Debating, Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country.

History

Sir Philip Sydney Jones was the original owner of the site on which the Preparatory School is now located. Upon his death, the area surrounding the house (including the house itself) was split into several areas which were then put up for auction. A small group of Strathfield residents first had the idea of using a portion of the grounds as a school, which became Strathfield Grammar School. It was offered to Trinity Grammar School in 1926, but the two schools remained separate entities until 1932, when they merged with each other.^[3] From 1932 until 1937, most, if not all, of the teaching was done in Strathfield, although the school still used the Summer Hill Campus for sport. However, in 1938 the Senior School returned to Summer Hill and the Strathfield Campus for the first time became the Preparatory School^[3]

The Preparatory School grounds are actually three separate properties - "Milverton", "Llandilo" and "Somerset." Milverton House was purchased by the school in 1966 and was used for educating "Sub Primary" or infants students. The most recent extension on "Milverton" was completed in 1991 and the building is now large enough to house the entire Infants department.^[3] Somerset was designed by Bertrand James Waterhouse and built in 1923 for James and Dorothy Larcombe (1900-1990). James Larcombe died in 1943 and his widow married Sir Percy Joske in 1969. Somerset was purchased by Trinity after the death of Lady Joske in 1990 and the Joske room, located on the edge of Somerset takes her name. "Llandilo" house is the largest of all the properties of the Preparatory School. Since its initial purchase in 1932 it has been the main building of Strathfield campus,^[3] providing education for the furthest advanced boys in the Primary curriculum. In 2005, a new sports and music centre was opened opposite "Llandilo." This contains over 10 music studios, as well as several larger music rooms and an underground gym. This allowed all of the Primary School to finally be moved back into "Llandilo," which had ceased to function properly with the sharp rise in student numbers before that date. In 2010, a new library was completed underneath the staff room, which has a connection to the "Llandilo" building.^[3]

Trinity Grammar School Preparatory School has grown extensively over the years, but the overall size of the property is much less than the original holdings of Sir Philip Sydney Jones.

Curriculum

In 2007, the Preparatory School adopted the Primary Years Program (PYP),^[4] which was developed by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) to provide Primary school students with a platform from which they can develop their education in preparation for the International Baccalaureate.^[5] This provides a separate program for learning, but this is the framework for the teaching of Maths, English, Computer Studies, Physical Education, Visual Arts and Music.^[4] Students learn Mandarin Chinese from Year 3, at the beginning of Primary School, and continue this up until the time they leave Preparatory School.

House System

Students at the Preparatory School are organised into four houses.^[3] These houses earn points towards the house cup, which is awarded at the Prize Giving each year. Competitions for houses include track and field, swimming, cricket, debating, rugby and academic. Each house is assigned a housemaster, who has responsibility for the direct organization of the pupils in their house. Most teachers are assigned a house, and although they have no day-to-day tasks relating to the house, they are used to provide additional control at house events. Unlike the house system at the senior school, the Preparatory School houses do not have any direct impact on the academic or co-curricular aspects of the school.^[3]

• Archer (Red)
• Henderson (Gold)
• Hilliard (Purple)
• School (Dark Blue)

References

1. "About The School". Preparatory School. Trinity Grammar School. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
2. "Introduction". Lewisham Campus. Trinity Grammar School. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
3. Collective (2011). Trinity Grammar School Record Book 2011. Good Impressions Offset Printing.
4. "Curriculum". About the School. Trinity Grammar School. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
5. "Primary Years Program". Primary Years Program at a Glance. International Baccalaureate Organisation. Retrieved 2011-04-14.