Durban Girls College

Durban Girls’ College was founded in 1877 as the “Durban Young Ladies’ Collegiate Institution” by a group of six Durban Commissioners and Protestant Clergy under the leadership of J F Churchill. The founders are still remembered in our Founders’ Day service each year, and the six school houses bear their names – Churchill, Cottam, Greenacre, Hunter, Palmer and Rutherford. In 1905, DGC moved to Musgrave Road, its present site, which was donated by Sir Benjamin Greenacre. The beautiful original school building is a monument to the spirit of excellence in which the school was established. Over time, the spacious campus has been extended and developed and the present pupils enjoy world-class academic, cultural and sporting facilities and equipment.

The founders and benefactors envisioned our school to be an institution that would provide women with a quality education that would span across generations. For more than a century, our school’s ethos and philosophy have been shaped and developed, resulting in the strong core values and standards that underpin our school today.

The pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit of the DGC founders remains in effect today, as our school embraces positive change, reform and the best of new trends in education policy, curriculum development and teaching methods. This proactive and creative management ethos also permeates facets of school life such as staffing and admissions policies.

The outstanding school-leaving results achieved by our Grade 12 girls and the successes of our Old Girls stand as testament to the Durban Girls’ College educational experience. Combining tradition and innovation, with the aim of educating holistically, typifies the DGC educational approach. The thriving Old Girls’ Guild, which is represented on the Board of Governors, is an active custodian of the school heritage and the DGC ethos.

To offer a globally relevant, balanced education, to develop significant women, in all spheres of society. Durban Girls’ College is a Christian School that inspires girls to realise their potential through a unique educational journey built on tradition, innovation, diversity and excellence aimed at enriching our world.

The Durban Girls’ College Old Girls’ Guild exists to facilitate and actively encourage the continued involvement of all Old Girls in the DGC community, with a view to ensuring the continued well-being of our school and its Old Girls. The Guild works to build relationships with the girls while they are at school to encourage them to remain connected with DGC when they leave. Old Girls host various networking events throughout the year in order to create a brand for the Guild and identify fundraising opportunities.