Page 178 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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KURRI KURRI HIGH SCHOOL

STATE ARCHIVES FILE NO.

Eighteen months after both the Stanford Merthyr and Pelaw Main
Public Schools had opened on the same day, 1st May 1903, the Stanford
Merthyr School was closed and the pupils and teachers under Headmaster
Henry Brown, were transferred to the newly constructed Kurri Primary School.
This Kurri School commenced on 1st October 1904 with so~~ 400 pupils.
School numbers continued to rise with the development of the Kurri area
coal mines.

On 21st November 1906, Kurri Primary School was raised to the
status of a 'Superior Public School'. A Superior Public School was one
which combined a Primary School with some classes of lower level of Secondary
Education. On 8th April 1909, a new building provided the facilities
for a new Infants School, and a Manual Training Classroom. During 1910,
strong representations were made by Kurri Progress Association for the
establishment of a separate Kurri High School. However, the efforts
of the Progress Association did not meet with any success. An evening
continuation school for adults and older pupils was conunenced on 19th
February 1912.

Kurri Primary School was again raised in status in January 1913.
This time Kurri Superior Public School was designated a 'Junior Technical
School' and provided secondary education to Second Year level. By this
period the Education Department had broadened its policy so that Superior
Schools as well as Primary School training no~ provided for (a} Commercial
Training, (b) Junior Technical, including Metalwork, ·Carpentry and similar
trades, (c) Domestic Science subjects, or (d) such shools could cater
for a combination of all the previous three types outlined.

Before 1930, Kurri Primary School (or Kurri Central School,
as it was commonly called), had developed so that it had five (5) Depart-
ments, namely:-