History of the School
St Luke's Grammar School began in February 1993, following the amalgamation of three Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation schools on Sydney's Northern Beaches: Roseby Preparatory (Junior) School, Peninsula Grammar (Boys) School and St Luke's Anglican College for Girls.
The new K-12 Co-Educational School opened with 43 staff and 488 students, under the leadership of Mr John Scott. During the first year, the School started its first Cottage (Preschool) class with 11 children, located in a house adjacent to the School. By the following year, the first Master Plan was unveiled, which involved the building of a multi-purpose hall as well as a new administration building and Technological and Applied Studies block.
The Parents and Friends (P&F) Association was critical in the early years of the School in forming relationships within the School and the community and in providing social events and significant fund raising support. In 2001, the first St Luke's Golf Challenge Cup took place, involving large numbers of parents and local business leaders. This significant event continues to the present. Similarly over the years, the P&F has organised several Spring Fairs which have seen thousands of students, parents, ex-school families and members of the community come to the School.
The School was expanded by the introduction of a second Kindergarten class in 1995 and a third Year 7 in 1996. This lay the foundation for a fully double streamed Junior School and a fully triple streamed Senior School by 2001. The School has grown from its original 488 in 1993 to approximately 880 students in 2012.
Building work has been extensively undertaken on the site. In February 1997 the multi-purpose hall was officially opened by the Archbishop of Sydney. In 1998 work commenced on the St Luke's Junior Centre, accommodating classrooms for Cottage, Kindergarten and Year 1 and this was opened in 1999. The most extensive building program was the multi-million dollar three storey building housing the Resource Centre, Administration Offices and TAS which opened in 2002. A third storey was added to the Junior School in 2005, which involved the construction of the Link Building and the creation of a Common Room for Year 12 students. In 2010 work on St Luke's Primary Centre and Art facilities commenced and was opened in 2011.
The educational development of the School has been significant. As a result of Mr Scott's study leave to the UK and USA in 1997, St Luke's Middle School commenced in 1999. The Middle School has provided a pattern for transition into the Senior School. In 2007 a whole school pedagogical framework was introduced to differentiate the curriculum to meet the learning needs of all students. Subject choices have been expanded to cater for the interests and abilities of the students.
With John Scott's retirement in 2004, Mrs Jann Robinson took over the leadership of the School. In its second stage of development Mrs Robinson brought in new Strategic Plans to take the School into its next stage, focused on the theme of students 'making a difference in the world'. The School has grown in this period and the Senior School is a fully four streamed school. The School's academic profile has been strengthened and the development of Christian character through service both locally and internationally is at the heart of the School. There has been an expansion of the Chaplaincy department, significant development in the integrated use of technology across the School with the appointment of a Head of Technology and major growth in sports and co-curricular activities. A new uniform was introduced in 2010.
The School has an established program for overseas and regional outdoor education experiences which have been coupled with service. These have been to Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, South America, Indonesia and, since 2005, Africa. There have been three trips to Watoto Children's Christian Mission in Uganda raising over $130 000 to build houses to accommodate the orphans cared for by the Mission.
Sporting and cultural tours have been a feature of the School involving a Netball trip to Hawaii, Rugby trips to New Zealand, a Basketball trip to the USA, a French Study trip to Noumea, music trips to Queensland and New Zealand, a French and History trip to France, with other trips planned for the future.
Performing Arts were established from the beginning. The School has staged:
The Importance of Being Earnest, Annie Get Your Gun, Bye Bye Birdie, Away, Calamity Jane, Little Shop of Horrors, Pirates of Penzance, Oliver, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The School has always strongly supported charity work. One of the long standing commitments is to Bike for Bibles which began in 1993 and is an annual charity cycle marathon originally from Sydney to Canberra but more recently starting in the Snowy Mountains finishing at Kosciuszko. The charity has now raised over $200 000 for world literacy programs.
St Luke's currently has approximately 880 students and 120 staff and has established itself as a leading independent school in the northern region. It has a strong reputation for its pastoral care, academic results, Christian values and focus on its students making a difference in the world under its motto 'Christ Our Light'.