School No: 912
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By the mid 1860's, education had taken a turn towards a more global public system with all publicly funded schools becoming "Common Schools", an early form of the State School system. As this model took ground, so did the principle of funding based on enrollment. A principle that remains today in the modern schooling system.
Alexandra saw its first basic school for younger children opened by 1867. At this time only younger children below working age were likely to be educated. Older children were mostly required to work to help make ends meet for the families. The School inspector Mr Brown reported that 300 children of school age were in and around the township thanks to over 1,200 miners whom had taken up residence. By 1868 three schools were operating in the boundaries of Alexandra with the knowledge and approval of the Government who in part oversaw and partially financed the teachers paltry remuneration. One of these was "common school 912". Margaret Pellerin was promoted to Head Teacher of a school that suffered from lack of both land or building. |
In April of 1869, a new school building was completed on the current Webster Street Primary School site by the community. The construction was weatherboard with a shingle roof and one fireplace and was the start of one ofthe three most important educational institutes in Alexandra; the Alexandra State School, the Alexandra Catholic School and later the Alexandra High School.
In 1872, the "Education Act 1872" became the legal basis of all schooling in Victoria. Under this act, Victoria was the first Australian state to establish an educational schooling system based around the staunch educational principles of:
a) free education b) compulsory education c) secular education This was the start of the new education system to which we remain a part today. The original old weatherboard school building now makes up part of the football club rooms at the Alexandra Showgrounds, having been moved there in the early 1970's to make way for a more professional building structure. |