Plattsburg Public School celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary (150 years) in 2015 and we collated our history into a book. This web page provides a brief history of our school.
Plattsburg Public School has occupied two sites in its nearly 150 years and has, over this long time, experienced a diversity of educational identities. They include:
- Public School Sep 1865 - Mar 1892
- Evening Public School 1880 - 1883
- Superior Public School Mar 1892 - Dec 1912
- Public School and Commercial School Jan 1913 - Dec 1927
- Public School and Home Science School Jan 1913 - Jun 1923
- Public School and Home Science School 1927 - Mar 1928
- Public School and Boy Intermediate High School Jan 1928 - Mar 1933
- District Rural School Mar 1933 - Dec 1959
- Public School Jan 1960 - present
Wondering what some of these identities meant? Well, here are a few explanations.
Evening Public School
A school which first emerged in 1880 to provide an elementary education for persons over 14 years of age who had previously received no education, or very little. Evening Public Schools offered young men (very few females were ever enrolled) two hours of instruction three nights a week. They were usually conducted in the local Public School building by the headmaster or another competent teacher. Most of them were poorly attended and short lived.
Superior Public School
A Public School officially recognised from 1881 as providing both primary and post-primary education. Pupils who had completed the primary course studied subjects like mathematics and languages which were also taught in High Schools. After 1931 the term Superior Public School was abandoned.
Home Science School
A school department or a separate school combining a general post-primary education with home science and commercial training for girls. The home science course (known as domestic science until 1942) included subjects like cookery, home management and household hygiene, but girls could also take a commercial course with subjects like economics, shorthand and typing.
District Rural School
A school combining primary and secondary departments, which emerged in 1923 to provide a prevocational education for the country child. A three year post-primary course was offered, including agriculture, applied farm mechanics and rural economics for boys, and home science and horticulture for girls. From 1926 agricultural, commercial, home science and technical courses were made available, with the Intermediate Certificate being adopted as the final examination. From 1944 all District Rural Schools were classified as Central Schools, but the special designation was often retained by the school. In theory it indicated the type of secondary course offered, although in practice even before the introduction of comprehensive secondary education District Rural Schools were often no different from other forms of post-primary schools.
Year unknown, note the bare feet
1929 Soccer Premiers: Mr Staples, Headmaster (LHS) and Mr Maiks, Science Teacher (RHS).
Do you have any memories of Plattsburg which you would like to share with us ? Email us at
plattsburg-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
and let us know, drop into the school or call us on 4955 9196.
150th Anniversary Newsletter.
Download Our 150th Anniversary Newsletter (pdf 297 KB).
Historical Photo Galleries by the Decade