Message from the Headmaster – April 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we prepare to conclude the term, I want to reiterate the School’s top priority is to provide your sons with sound teaching and rigorous and regular assessments that allow him – and you – to identify his progress and areas for future focus. 

I have reminded the School at daily assemblies leading up to the recent examination series that if we are to advance their acquisition of knowledge, teachers need to understand what subject specific content they have learnt and retained. This best occurs through providing checkpoints for learning in the form of assessments, such as the recent examination series. 

Creating and maintaining a stable, high standards environment, and a rigorous teaching framework supported by regular assessment are all essential to the fabric and makeup of Auckland Grammar School. While some of these elements have fallen to the wayside or have not been prioritised across the wider New Zealand education landscape, what is well-proven is that when applied well, these elements promote learning, and have done so through time. 

You will therefore understand why we continue to reinforce ‘The Grammar Way’ and will stand up for and protect our educational philosophies and ethos. This is because they are for the betterment of your sons’ education.

I have no doubt that the more consistent we are in building a unique School culture; where expectations are clearly articulated, and applied, a prescribed curriculum is taught, learning is regularly measured that this positively impacts on your sons’ development, the more chance there is for your sons to experience success with learning.

While we continue prioritising the requirements to run effective teaching programmes, we also want students to be actively engaged in School-based activities. This term they have included the annual Athletics and Swimming Championships, Auckland-wide summer sport Championships and competitions in the performing arts, including Polyfest and the National Youth Jazz Festival.  

Next term, your sons have the opportunity to be actively involved with winter sporting codes, music performances, productions, and a diverse range of clubs and activity groups. To get the best out of Auckland Grammar School young men need to be more than 9am to 3:15pm students. They need to personally challenge themselves through extracurricular activities. They then have every chance of realising their potential while understanding they are part of something much bigger than themselves.  

As your sons receive their Term 1 raw examination marks back, I hope they reflect on what they have learned this term, what they need to review and whether the marks they received aligned with the effort they put in and the attitudes they displayed in and out of the classroom. 

Thank you for the support you have shown your sons and Auckland Grammar School throughout the first term of the 2024 academic year.

Per Angusta Ad Augusta

Tim O’Connor
Headmaster