Page 173 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

196.

KURRI KURRI SCHOOL

In this same report, he details the composition of Stanford Merthyr School
enrolment, as being a total of 211 pupils.

57 Children from Stanford Merthyr area
154 Children from Kurri Kurri area.

L To the Department of Public Instruction it was obvious, with almost
250 children travelling from Kurri to neighbouring schools, and an almost
daily increase in the town of Kurri's population, that a school at Kurri was
urgently required. Tenders were called for this purpose. The successful
contractor was H.Y. Russell of Maitland. His quote had been £920.15. 6.
($1,841.56). The school was completed and ready for occupancy on 28th
September 1904.

On 1st October 1904, the Stanford Merthyr Public School was closed
and the Headmaster, his staff and his pupils were transferred to the new Kurri
School. The enrolments at Kurri School by the end of 1904 had reached a total
of 407 pupils, 209 boys and 198 girls. In March 1905, the Department of
Public Instruction had to hire Lewis' Hall to provide additional accommodation
in an endeavour to relieve the Kurri School's overcrowding. At this period,
Mr. H.J. Brown, the Headmaster, had a staff of eight (8) teachers at the school
and Lewis' Hall.

Kurri School, on 21st November 1906, was raised to the status of
a Superior Public School. A Superior Public School was one which combined
a primary school and some classes of the lower levels of secondary education.

The school population at Kurri continued to grow dramatically.
On 1st July 1908, the School of Arts was leased as additional accommodation
to the combined areas of .the school and Lewis' Hall. The Department of Public
Instruction again was required to construct additions to the school at Kurri.
A new Infants' School and a manual training classroom were erected by E. Grace.
The new building additions were completed on 8th April 1909. Lewis' Hall
and the School of Arts were both vacated and the pupils returned to the Kurri
School.