Guilford Grammar School in Western Australia was a boys only school until it became co-educational in 2018. In line with this change, the school needed to add a uniform for female students.
Guildford Grammar headmaster Stephen Webber said the extension into co-education gave the school the opportunity to review and modernise its uniform. “It really was a pretty straightforward decision for us to provide the options. It made sense,” he said.
In summer, female students can choose to wear a dress, or shorts paired with a short-sleeved blue shirt. In winter, female pupils can choose to wear a blazer with a skirt or pants, with the option of a classic or tailored fit pant. Mr Webber said the uniform would encourage female students to play and be active.
Enrolments increased since the co-ed announcement, with 40 girls and an extra 10 boys signing up for 2018. “In a pretty tough economic climate for families, that’s really positive,” Mr Webber said. “And we expect those numbers to keep increasing because our inquiries in August quadrupled from last year, which is a really strong sign, considering numbers are dropping at the moment at independent schools.”
Renowned Australian fashion designer Jonathan Ward is the person behind Guildford Grammar’s new school uniforms. “I think the most important point is that schools are starting to realise and understand that students of today have many different requirements and opportunities than students 20 years ago,” Mr Ward said.
Guildford Grammar are leading the way in providing a comfortable and modern uniform for all students, that allows girls to choose from a range of suitable options, including shorts and pants.