Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School - History

History

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The history of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School is the history of two schools, Penleigh Ladies' College and Essendon Grammar School. Each of these schools has its origins in the early years of Melbourne. Essendon Grammar School was established for boys in 1934 following the amalgamation of Northern Grammar School and St.Thomas' Grammar School. Northern Grammar School commenced in 1921 in the Moonee Ponds area but soon moved to new premises on the site of St.John's Church in Essendon.

In 1924, the school acquired the present site at 59 Raleigh Street, Essendon. Carlton College opened in 1872 and this school occupied several premises in the Parkville area. This school combined with St Thomas's Grammar in 1910, when they moved to a larger property in Essendon. In 1948 Essendon Grammar School began its affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. The site of the senior school in Keilor East was purchased in 1956 and this new campus of the school was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Robert Menzies in 1960. Penleigh was originally established in 1871 as Dorset House, Mrs. Tulloch's School for Young Ladies. The school occupied several sites in the Moonee Ponds area. The school developed and expanded particularly under the guidance of the Limerock sisters. The school was renamed Penleigh Ladies' College during the First World War and it moved to the present site at 83 Park Street, Moonee Ponds in 1921. After the Second World War Penleigh was purchased from the Limerock sisters by the Presbyterian Church.

The first links between Essendon Grammar School and Penleigh Ladies' College were established in 1952 when Intermediate and Leaving students participated in some common classes. By 1969, the councils of the two schools agreed to integrate the two schools at the senior levels. In 1973, the co-educational senior college, McNab House, was established on the Keilor East site. The two schools were amalgamated in 1977 to form Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School; the school also joined the Uniting Church in 1977 and became an incorporated body in 1982. In the following year, the school purchased property at Lake Eildon to develop an Outdoor Education Programme.

The sites at Raleigh Street, Park Street and Keilor East have been developed into state of the art school environments and, during 2010, commenced a substantial, multi-campus redevelopment to run over several years. Another site of approximately 40 acres (160,000 m2) was purchased in the Keilor Park area in 2006 and has been developed as the school's sporting grounds. The four sporting houses for in-school boys' competition are Bradman, Elliot, Reynolds and Rose; those for the girls are Limerock, Park, Chaucer and Dorset.

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