We pride ourselves on the care of our boys and we make a commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for them. A sense of belonging is a vital key for transition.
Your son’s Head of Year and House Tutor will be his main pastoral carer, providing support with transition, academics and social and emotional wellbeing. House Tutors meet regularly with their Houses to check in on day-to-day operations.
House Tutors are the first port of call for day-to-day operational matters such as absence, questions regarding academic classes or social/emotional concerns.
House Tutors attend the Outdoor Education Program in Term 1 and may coach boys in interschool sport during the year. As such, the House Tutor is the primary pastoral care provider for boys throughout Year 7.
All boys will be allocated a House in 2026. There are eight Houses at Brighton Grammar School: Armstrong, Crowther, Dixon, Fairweather, Hancock, Melville, Rofe and School. Boys from the BGS Junior School will remain in their previously allocated Houses and those who have a sibling at BGS or a family association with the school will be allocated the same House to continue the family tradition.
In order to assist boys in integrating into the school, and to form new friendships, Year 7 camps are held in Term 2, week 1. Attendance at camp is compulsory.
The Director of Students (7-12), our Secondary School Chaplain and Student Counsellor offer another layer of pastoral care for all Year 7 boys.
Boys in Year 7 undertake the following subjects: Design and Media, Drama, English, Food Technology, Humanities (Geography & History), Mathematics, Music (Choral and Classroom Music), Science, and Health, Wellbeing and Physical Education.
Year 7 boys will experience two of the following four languages throughout the year: Chinese, French, Japanese and Latin.
Please note that in Chinese, we offer 2 options: ‘Chinese’ for non-native speakers and ‘Chinese Advanced’ for students of Chinese background and who are aiming to study VCE Chinese First Language or Second Language Advanced in their senior years.
There is an opportunity for students new to English to study EAL (English as Another Language) or have additional literacy support. However, this support is subject to discussion and approval by the School.
The complete Year 7 subject guide provides detailed information about each of the subjects our Year 7 boys will study, including a list of themes covered, skills developed and assessment tasks.
We know everyone learns at a different pace. Our Learning Strategies teachers work closely with subject teachers to provide curriculum support that ensures effective learning strategies are implemented to facilitate successful academic outcomes and maximises learning potential.
A variety of learning strategies are used in mainstream classes and in small groups to facilitate differentiated curriculum. Specialist assessments are arranged for any boy who requires in-depth assessment. The information gained is disseminated to staff with recommendations about adapting instruction in the Learning Commons.
Under the supervision of the Learning Strategies Coordinator, Sylvanna Lewis, our Study Club runs three mornings before school, and one afternoon after school, each week. This provides students with the opportunity to undertake private revision, meet with peers for group work or work closely with Sylvanna on areas of the curriculum they find challenging.
We recognise the importance of providing leadership opportunities and actively encourage all boys to be involved. In the Secondary School, boys are mentored by older boys in their House and guided through the varied leadership opportunities with the Head of Student Leadership (7-12).
Boys interested in Student Leadership will be exposed to varied roles and responsibilities. Student Leaders meet as a team on a regular basis and develop their leadership skills to ensure they leave a positive legacy. Further leadership opportunities for boys in Year 7 and Year 8 also include Library Committee, House Service, Student Voice, Wellbeing Committee and on the sporting field.
We firmly believe that leadership is something that can be nurtured and learnt through these opportunities. Our mentoring and training programs aim to develop leadership skills and capabilities in all our boys.
The Norris Family Library (located in the Wellbeing Centre) provides a current and vibrant collection of recreational reading materials of fiction, true stories and biographies, graphic novels and picture books. The Library also subscribes to a collection of e-audio and e-books to support students that prefer reading in different formats, or need audio support with their reading.
Resources in print and electronic format are made available to students via the Schoolbox, and the use of authoritative and quality resources is facilitated by subscriptions to online databases and encyclopedias.
The Library hosts lunchtime chess training and play, a hands-on MakerSpace Centre, a coeducational book club with Firbank Grammar girls and a Library Committee for students who wish to contribute to daily Library operations.
At Brighton Grammar School (BGS), all Secondary School students are compulsorily required to have a laptop via the BGS Laptop Program as part of the standard curriculum resources used in the classroom and at home. When your son joins BGS, his laptop, orientation training and School ICT policies will be provided in the first few days.
The School has undertaken an extensive review of technology in the classroom and identified the benefits of the school-managed laptops, particularly on the effectiveness of boys’ learning. As such, we do not offer a Bring Your Own Device option for any students.
The BGS Laptop Program
Our laptop program is a concierge-style service for students and their families to be fully supported with the
following to ensure no loss of learning time:
• HP Elitebook 8 G1i laptop and Targus Tanc bag
• All software, licenses and updates
• Cyber security and child safety monitoring
• Daily IT student service available in the IT office (including school holidays)
• Repairs performed onsite by HP technicians daily
• Capped-price repair service of $250 for any accidental damage
• Loan laptops during servicing.
Cost
The laptops are charged via an annual computer levy of $850 over a period of three years, which will appear on your fee statement at the start of each year. The total cost is $2,550 for the duration of the three year program, with you owning the device outright after three years.
Laptop Deployments
When your son commences in Year 7, he will be automatically provided with a new laptop, which will be valid for 3 years, and another new device on the first day of Year 10 to ensure all students have a reliable device throughout their secondary years. If your son commences BGS in any other year level, the IT team will endeavour to ensure his laptop changeovers align to his cohort at its expiry or arrange otherwise directly with you and your son.
When each three-year laptop program ends, software licenses and HP support expire, so the laptop can no longer be used at school. Students may take their expired laptops to the ICT department to remove school restrictions and software if desired for repurposing at home.
Cyber-safety
Brighton Grammar School ensures computers and networks remain secure for student learning. Social media, gaming, and inappropriate websites are blocked on student devices to maintain a child-safe, learning-ready environment at all times and comply with relevant legislation. Attempts to bypass school systems violate ICT
policies.
Insurance
We recommend that you evaluate whether insuring your laptop against loss is feasible via your own home and contents insurance, as any loss or replacement of student equipment is at your cost.
The eLearning program at BGS includes a full day laptop induction and ongoing in class laptop training and support. Heading up our eLearning program is our program is Melissa Faulkner (eLearning Coordinator 7-12) who coordinates the induction of all Year 7 boys and ensures support and training is available to those boys who may need it beyond the initial induction.
Parent participation is a key pillar in the School’s Strategic Plan. There are many ways you can stay connected at home and work including our website, BGS app (how to download), Weekly eNews (latest eNews) and BGS social media pages (follow us here).
Assessment varies according to the subject and includes such things as topic tests, assignments, essays, spelling tests, oral tests, practical tasks and model building. All marks are available on Schoolbox for both parents and boys.
Reports are prepared at the conclusion of each term, offering parents a summary as to how their son has performed. Parents can access results from Schoolbox at any time for more detailed feedback and monitoring.
During the year, Year 7 boys all undertake the compulsory NAPLAN tests. The boys also participate in a variety of Mathematics, Science and English competitions. Other standardised testing is conducted during the year to assist in mapping progress.
Homework tasks will range from subject to subject, and weekly expectations will be communicated via a homework schedule. During Term 1 boys will be provided with guidance in study skills and time management. Additional ongoing support is provided at Study Club and through individual appointments.
