The origins of Lakes Grammar – An Anglican School can be traced back to 1994, when Lakes Anglican Grammar School (LAGS) was established at Gwandalan and Summerland Point. For a decade, dedicated staff, families and volunteers built a school community known for its commitment to young people (who wore a different school uniform to the one you see today) and its strong sense of belonging.

Yet as the Central Coast grew, it became increasingly clear that the initial school site faced significant limitations. Accessibility challenges, zoning restrictions, environmental constraints and slow local population growth made it difficult for the school to fulfil its long-term potential. Rather than accept those limitations, the School Board and the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle began asking a bigger question:

What might Anglican education on the Central Coast become?

In 2000, planning commenced for what became known as the ‘Warnervale Option’ – a bold proposal to establish a new K–12 co-educational Anglican school on a 12-hectare greenfield site at the corner of Sparks Road and Warnervale Road. It was a courageous decision. There were no guarantees.

A New Beginning

With plans approved, attention turned to appointing the school’s founding Principal, Mr Michael Hannah, who commenced in November 2003, overseeing the final preparations for the opening of the new school.

In February 2004, Lakes Grammar – An Anglican School officially welcomed its first students to Warnervale. The school began with approximately 150 students (around 50 students from Kindergarten to Year 2, and approximately 100 students across Years 7 to 12). Year 3 to Year 6 students continued their learning at Gwandalan before joining the Warnervale campus the following year.

Reflecting on those early days, Mr Hannah wrote:

“The school opened its doors to students on 2nd February 2004, with an incomplete administration block and a makeshift staff room and administration office in a classroom. Only two days later we had our school dedication under cover around the courtyard as it rained. An inauspicious start if one were inclined to be superstitious! However, as an Anglican school, we believe in faith not fate and trust that God will work out his purposes for us regardless of a little rain.

Those words capture something that continues to define Lakes Grammar today: a willingness to embrace challenge, trust in a greater purpose and build something meaningful for future generations.

Building a Culture

As one of the school’s earliest website statements explained:

“Our school sets high academic and behavioural standards for our students within the context of Christian care for their wellbeing and their growth as individuals. All are welcome, regardless of religious backgrounds.”

This commitment to educating the whole person, and celebrating diversity in the richness of our community, remains central to the school’s identity today. They are manifested not just in the classroom, but in all the cocurricular program and reflected in some signature events within the school. Even from our LAGS days in Gwandalan, students participated in Showcase performances, sporting carnivals and community events. The Athletics Club quickly became a

defining feature of school life, attracting strong student and parent participation. Music, drama, public speaking, service opportunities and sporting pursuits all became important parts of the student experience. Even our bagpipe tradition for Year 12 graduation owes its heritage to Gwandalan, as evidenced by this grainy photography from our 2003 year book, although of course there is a longer-standing affiliation that Anglican schools more generally have with many similar Scottish and British traditions.

The school’s early years at the new Warnervale site saw some remarkable achievements. Wearing a new school uniform to reflect the beginning of a new era, students won the Model Solar Car Challenge, developed a health promotion campaign that became a television advertisement on NBN, achieved success in robotics competitions and received recognition for outstanding community service. On sporting fields and courts, students represented the Hunter Region and achieved success in golf, athletics, swimming, cross country and soccer. These accomplishments reflected a philosophy that education should open doors, broaden horizons and help young people discover their gifts and passions.

A Growing Community

The Warnervale site quickly proved to be the right choice.

As enrolments grew, so too did the school’s facilities and programs. Additional classrooms were constructed, the Senior School precinct emerged “up the hill”, and opportunities expanded for students across every stage of learning.

By 2007, demand was so strong that a second Kindergarten stream was introduced. That same year, Years 9 to 12 moved into the newly completed Senior School facilities. By 2009, the Junior School had expanded to three streams, reflecting the confidence local families had placed in the school.

Growth brought new opportunities. The Opportunity Class commenced in 2006 to support gifted and talented learners. Music programs expanded, choirs flourished, students performed in Rock Eisteddfod events, and a growing range of co-curricular experiences enriched student life.

Importantly, growth never came at the expense of community. Families frequently describe Lakes Grammar as a school where relationships matter and where students feel genuinely known and cared for.

Support Through Partnership

In 2010, Lakes Grammar joined the Newcastle Anglican Schools Corporation (NASC), becoming part of a network of Anglican schools across the Diocese, including Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, Manning Valley Anglican College and Scone Grammar School. The partnership has enabled each school to benefit from shared expertise, resources and strategic leadership, while preserving the unique culture, character and local identity of each community. This partnership continues to develop through the current era, enriching all our schools in different ways.

The establishment of the Corporation’s Schools Management Division took place in 2012, further strengthening our collaborative model and enhancing operational support for each of the Newcastle Anglican schools. The idea was to enable each school to focus even more strongly on providing educational excellence, student wellbeing and community engagement. Still today, Lakes operates with the dedication and expertise of Newcastle Anglican across a range of critical administrative and strategic functions.

Resilience and Adaptability

Like every community, Lakes Grammar has experienced its share of challenges.

One memorable example occurred in 2010 when a freak gale blew part of the roof from the Junior School. Thankfully it occurred outside school hours and nobody was injured. While the school closed briefly while repairs and safety works were undertaken, the event became another reminder of the resilience and determination that have characterised the school’s journey from the beginning.

Throughout its history, the school has continually adapted to changing educational needs, expanding facilities, introducing new programs, strengthening student wellbeing supports and embracing new approaches to learning.

In June 2021, Mrs Deborah Clancy became the second Principal of Lakes Grammar, assuming leadership during one of the most significant periods of disruption in modern education. Commencing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she guided the school community with resilience and clarity, and positioned the school for its next phase of growth and development. Under Mrs Clancy’s leadership, the school refined its academic and wellbeing frameworks, invested in contemporary approaches to teaching and learning, and undertook important organisational restructuring to support the next stage of the school’s development.

One of the most significant initiatives of this period was the relocation of Year 5 and 6 students to the upper campus, and creating a new Middle School (Years 5-9). This decision recognised the unique developmental needs of pre-adolescent learners, providing access to specialist facilities, subject expertise and greater independence, while preserving the nurturing environment and pastoral support that characterise the Junior School experience. This decision also linked the school back to its earliest days at Gwandalan, where there had also been a junior, middle and senior school. By providing additional support and familiarisation for students as they transition into 7 especially, this quickly became a well-established and distinctive feature of a Lakes Grammar education.

In July 2025, Mr Richard Wheeldon became the third Principal of Lakes Grammar. Building upon the strong foundations established by his predecessors, his appointment marked the beginning of the next chapter in the school’s story, with a renewed focus on strategic growth, educational excellence, community partnership and preparing young people for a rapidly changing world.

Looking Forward

“A school can never say, ‘We’ve made it’. Change is constant and the school will continue to adapt to changing technological and social changes.”

Written by the founding Principal in the school’s 2014 year book, a decade after the school opened on our Warnervale site, these words continue to resonate. While technologies, educational practices and social conditions will continue to evolve, our core values at Lakes endure. Our commitment to nurturing young people of character and purpose remains unchanged, supported Newcastle Anglican’s wider vision which exists across all its entities: “our people flourish because of what we do, inspired by the way of Jesus”.

Building on our strong foundations, the school’s current Strategic Plan (found here) seeks to honour the past, embrace the opportunities of the present, and prepare confidently for the future.

We look forward to continuing that journey together.