CGS Boarding

Canberra Grammar School has always been a proud boarding school, acknowledging the responsibility and commitment it takes to nurture students who are entrusted to our care.

Find out about visiting the School via our Open Days page.

With a vibrant community of students from Canberra, NSW and overseas, boarding is central to the CGS community. The mix of students brings together young people from very different backgrounds for a shared experience and develops a sense of camaraderie that is difficult to match in any other setting.

Canberra Grammar School is currently the only co-educational boarding school in the ACT. The School draws students from surrounding rural and coastal areas, overseas, and local students whose families are on overseas postings with Parliament, Foreign Affairs and the Federal Police. Many of our students also take advantage of our weekly boarding option and return home each weekend to spend time with their families. The nature of Canberra’s workforce and our mix of students lead to a dynamic environment and a need for us to be flexible in our approach: we aim to nurture the individual but recognise that there is also a need for routine in order to provide the best care for our 120 students.

Canberra is rated as #1 in Australia for Quality of Life and Traffic Commute Time.*

Facilities

In 2019, Canberra Grammar School welcomed its first cohort of female boarders into its new state-of-the-art Girls’ Boarding House.

The male boarders are accommodated across two Boys’ Boarding Houses which are currently being extensively refurbished.

All students enjoy Wi-Fi internet access, study and social spaces, and modern bathrooms.

Other facilities include:

• Common Room with kitchen, billiard table and television
• Dining Hall for communal meals with staff
• Tennis Courts, gymnasium and an indoor swimming pool
• Weekend access to the Health and Physical Education Centre
• Private music practice rooms; and
• Health Clinic with registered nurses available.

Residential and Development Care with Dedicated Pastoral Care Staff

Our boarders have 24 hour, seven day a week support from an incredible team of dedicated and caring professionals, led by the Heads of Boarding. The team also includes live in and visiting tutors, a registered nurse and visiting doctor. Academic tutors offer that little bit extra to support our commitment to academic excellence while our Boarding Coordinator  assists in the day-to-day care of boarders by providing pastoral, domestic and administrative support to boarders, their families and the Boarding House staff. CGS Boarding also offers a range of dedicated pastoral care staff, including counsellors and psychologists who are on-staff.

A Range of Social and Leisure Opportunities

All CGS Boarders have access to not only a variety of sporting facilities, but to a wide range of leading sporting programmes from rugby, soccer, tennis, cricket, netball to water polo and extra-curricular programmes like Code Cadets and student-based academic support groups like the CGS Academy. Additionally, students have the opportunity to apply for international exchanges as a part of their academic programme, or may even participate in an international-trip as part of a sporting commitment.

Parent Participation

Staying in touch with family is important to Canberra Grammar School and we welcome parent contact and involvement. The Boarder Parent Committee Group meets each term where feedback, initiatives and inquiries are openly discussed. And of course, parents and students have unlimited access to one another.

Further Information and Assistance

The Registrar provides guidance and support with enrolment procedures and arrangements prior to entry to the School, including guardianship and accommodation matters, health insurance, and visa. Most overseas students seeking a place at Canberra Grammar School as boarders will need to undertake capability and achievement tests which will help to assess the student’s ability to manage the courses offered and their English proficiency.

Apply online now.

For more information about living and studying in Canberra, you can access:

• Living in Canberra
• Canberra Create Your Future – Learning Portal
• Canberra Create Your Future – Living Portal (including cost of living, education, medical and health care, transport, etc)
• Study Canberra – Information about studying in Canberra
• Study Canberra – Information about living in Canberra (including student visas, finding accommodation, Australian values/principles/social customs, healthcare, banking, etc)

*As at 29 May 2018 on NUMBEO.COM