Auckland Grammar School

Auckland Grammar School (fully, The Auckland College and Grammar School; commonly AGS), is a state school in Auckland, New Zealand, colloquially known as "Grammar" to Aucklanders. It is a mixed day and boarding school for boys aged 13 (Year 9 or Form III) to 18 (Year 13 or Form VII). The 2004 roll was 2490 http://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/display_school_info.php?school_id=54, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand.

Profile

The School is famous for its excellent examination results and its alumni. The school has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars and 52 All Blacks. Annually a significant minority of its students gain Oxbridge admission. The School has also produced 16 Girdlers' Scholars to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge — New Zealand's most prestigious school-leaving award.

Related Topics:
Rhodes Scholars - All Blacks - Oxbridge - Girdlers' - Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

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The School has been shaped into one of New Zealand's largest schools as a function of its age, central Auckland location, and record of academic and sporting acheivement. As with many other schools in higher socioeconomic areas in the centre of New Zealand cities, the demand for places in the school has outstripped capacity. Historically, entry was determined by examination, scholarship or by a family connection (father/grandfather's attendance). A selective entry policy has the ability to advance a school's academic standing.

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Further enhancing the school's profile, during some periods (including the present time), the school has operated a zoning scheme, where geographical proximity of the students' home determines entry. Some parents purchase property to be "in zone" for such a school, driving up house prices and increasing the socioeconomic status of the school's zone. Currently, AGS is on the tenth (top) socioeconomic decile http://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/display_school_info.php?school_id=54.

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The School still admits out-of-zone students by ballot, prior association with the school (son of a previous student; sibling of a current student), or to take up residence in its only boarding house. According to the schools' website http://www.ags.school.nz/academic/enrolment.html, a merit rather than geographical basis for selection would be preferred. They note that the geographical basis is likely to reduce access to students from lower socioeconomic groups. In either case, the student population is considerably different to the makeup of most other state schools, where no selection, either geographic or merit based occurs. This further increases the school's prestigious status. Further differentiating the school from others, its 'voluntary' donation for each student is the highest in the country, approximately five time higher than the average http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10008811.

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Perhaps due to the school's status, the current headmaster, John Morris, is well-known for his criticism of the NCEA and the Labour Administration. The school has implemented the British GCSE and GCE A-Level examinations in addition to the NCEA for the majority of its pupils.

Related Topics:
NCEA - Labour - GCSE - GCE - A-Level

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