Located in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Oxford Falls Grammar is a co-educational school with an inspiring and dynamic Christian foundation for children from Kindergarten through to Year 12. With 1,100 students and over 30 years of educating young lives, we continue to enjoy outstanding results in academia, sports, visual and performing arts.
Our Ethos
For Greatness
Developing young men and women of great character, attitude and purpose.
For Excellence
Empowering students with a love of learning and the skills to achieve their full potential.
For Christ
Our students will enjoy a meaningful and positive lifestyle of the Christian faith.
Our Vision
To develop in each child their unique qualities, equipping them to enjoy a successful, Christ-centred life.
Our New Crest
Our new school crest embodies the ethos of Oxford Falls Grammar; For Greatness, For Excellence, For Christ. Three symbolic images are encased within circles. Circles are ever present within the letters of our ethos and school name. The circle represents wholeness and totality. It connects our new crest with the old, the first and original shape of the Northside Christian School emblem.
- The Crown – Greatness, The Star – Excellence, The Cross – Christ
- The shield symbolises protection and strength.
- The vertical lines represent the Falls, the waterfall is a key visual landmark of the area and significant as it is our school’s name.
- The colours of navy and red signify the strong emotional connection many families have made with our school since 1984, a seamless integration that provides a unified identity.
Whilst launched amongst our school community in October 2020, the broader community beyond the school will see the crest come to life across our new uniform in January 2021.
Principal
Dr Peter Downey’s desire is to see our students learn to “do life well”; to lead the staff in guiding our students to stretch academically and grow in Christian character as they navigate the complexities of life in the evolving 21st Century.
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He is excited and inspired to lead the Oxford Falls Grammar community. Having worked in independent education for over thirty years and with a background as a teacher of English, History and Christian Studies, Dr Downey has also served in a variety of leadership roles; as Tutor, Year Coordinator, Director of Public Relations and Enrolments, Deputy Pastoral Care, Deputy Principal, Executive Strategist and Acting Principal. He has written several internationally published books on parenting, marriage and the Christian faith, and he also served as the Chairman of the NSW Deputy Principal’s Network for HICES (Heads of Coeducational Independent Schools in New South Wales).
Dr Downey holds the degrees of Bachelor of Education, Master of Arts in Education, Master of Educational Leadership, Diploma of Biblical Studies and Doctorate in Education. He is committed to developing and building on the strong foundations Oxford Falls Grammar already has in academic excellence, pastoral care and co-curricular opportunity.
Dr Downey brings a wealth of knowledge, strong and steady leadership and extensive experience to our school community, and he is proud to lead an exemplary group of professional educators and colleagues at Oxford Falls Grammar School.
School Executives
Mrs Juliette Siemsen has been a dedicated and enthusiastic educator for over 25 years. Her career started at Northholm Grammar School in Arcadia as a Senior HSIE Teacher. Mrs Siemsen then worked at Waverley College, St Catherine’s School and the prestigious Kambala Rose Bay, as Head of House and Senior HSIE Teacher. She commenced at Oxford Falls Grammar in 2005 and in 2006 became the Director of Wellbeing Years 7-12. Mrs Siemsen’s educational philosophy focuses on meeting the needs of students in the 21st Century and encouraging student engagement across all levels and contexts. She is passionate about her current role as Head of Senior School where she values a relational model of leadership whilst remaining focused on the core vision, mission and values of Oxford Falls Grammar.
Mr Michael Dickinson has been a passionate part of the Oxford Falls Grammar community for the last fifteen years. He is passionate about the importance of a high quality Junior School education that provides opportunities for all students to thrive and develop into lifelong learners. As the previous Director of Curriculum and Wellbeing K-6, he holds a strong belief in the importance of rich learning experiences for all students and the vital role of wellbeing in education. His interest in curriculum, differentiated learning and school leadership have propelled him to pursue further training in both Gifted Education and Educational Leadership. Mr Dickinson brings this experience to his role as the Acting Head of Junior School, as he leads a professional academic team committed to bringing out the best in each child.
Mr Greg Morris came to Oxford Falls Grammar with experience in a range of fields including financial management, education, business operations and not-for-profit/church leadership. He values the role of Christian education in equipping young people with a Christian worldview that underpins educational excellence. Mr Morris oversees the Support Services functions at the School and is supported by a Management Team comprising an IT Manager, Property Team Manager, Finance Manager, Human Resources Manager, School Registrar, Office Manager and Marketing Manager.
Christianity in Action
Through active involvement in a caring and dynamic Christian Faith community, genuine individual experiences are accumulated as students see Christianity ‘lived in practice’ by their peers and teachers.
Under the guidance of our School Community Chaplain, Christian Studies Teacher and Youth Chaplains, students develop into self-aware, respectful, and mindful adults. Our contemporary Christian study program teaches students in an engaging, meaningful and relevant way about God and His love for them. We believe each child should feel valuable and loved, with a sense of purpose and identity.
Outreach program
Our Christian ethos is demonstrated through the OFG Outreach Program. It is a K-12 philanthropic initiative that seeks to raise money for less fortunate children and communities across Australia and Asia. In Year 10 and 11, students have the opportunity to participate in an annual overseas mission trip. OFG fosters a strong culture of generosity. We believe it is important to encourage students to think beyond themselves and to help others around them.
Quality Teaching
Quality Teaching Program
Teacher quality is hugely influential on your child’s educational success. OFG’s Quality Teaching Program drives innovative, professional development for every teacher in a collaborative, supportive environment. This is an exciting initiative with a direct impact on positive student engagement and learning.
Dr Sue Marks, the Director of Teaching and Learning has implemented SaLT (Sharing and Learning Teams), the Quality Teaching Program at OFG. SaLT aims to develop a professional learning community where teachers are encouraged to reflect on and develop their teaching knowledge and practice for improved student outcomes. The program provides teachers with an action model of continuous professional development that is grounded in research, inspires teachers to experiment with engaging approaches and ultimately has a direct impact on how students’ participate in meaningful learning.
3C’s Model
OFG Senior School teachers encourage students to exercise particular behaviours that enable effective learning and improve their academic achievement. The learning behaviours fall into three domains: Cognition, Collaboration and Commitment
01
In the Cognition domain, behaviours such as questioning assumptions, imagining and critical reflection engage students in the learning process as creators, rather than consumers of ideas.
02
Collaboration instills the importance of working effectively with others, where students demonstrate reliability and empathy with their peers.
03
A Commitment to learning is an important part of the model, representing perseverance, self-belief, focus and effective planning so student learning is not shallow and sporadic.
CAFÉ Model
In the Junior School, our literacy focus was ignited through the CAFÉ model an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding vocabulary. Differentiated instruction across these four pillars have fostered a love of reading throughout the Junior School and improved independent learning.
RELATIONSHIPS
Encouragement – Leadership – Teamwork – Assertiveness – Empathy – Reliability – Listening – Humility
Encouragement – Leadership – Teamwork – Assertiveness – Empathy – Reliability – Listening – Humility
EMOTIONS AND WILL Effort – Focus – Revision – Perseverance – Self-belief – Planning – Risk-taking – Absorption
MIND Questioning – Reasoning – Analysis – Observation – Independence – Imagination – Connecting – Reflection
Our Board
Our Board
Top left: Mr Clyde Daish (Director), Mrs Tracey Berry (Director), Dr Phil Pringle (President & Founding Member), Mrs Pam O’Flaherty (Chairman), Mr Marcello Forestieri (Director). Bottom left: Mr Craig Stanmore (Director), Mr Ian Harry (Director), Mr Paul Macken (Director)
Our Heritage
Oxford Falls Grammar was founded in 1984 under the vision of Ps Phil Pringle (Senior Minister, C3 Church Oxford Falls) to build a Christian school intentional in its spiritual direction and offering a contemporary, quality education. Today, Ps Phil Pringle is the President and founding member of the School Board and continues to support the progression and development of OFGS as we provide Christ-centred educational excellence.
