Schooling was not formalised until the Public Schools Act 1866. Prior to this, schools were run by churches or privately funded. Once the Public Schools Act came into force, a number of different schooling options were made available throughout NSW:
- The PUBLIC SCHOOL was formalised in 1866. It is considered the basic elementary school in the NSW system. To be classified as a public school, a school required 30 children in 1866, 25 children in 1867 and 20 children in 1880.
- The PROVISIONAL SCHOOL was devised in 1867. A provisional school was established in areas where at least 15 children, but less than the 25 children required for a public school, were of school age. The teacher, books and equipment were supplied by the Department of Education. Local parents had to provide the building and classroom furniture. The numbers of children required for a provisional school were adjusted over the years based on the numbers required for a public school.
- The HALF TIME SCHOOL was devised in 1867 for areas of scattered population. Attendance of two groups of ten children was required to form a half time school and an itinerant teacher moved between the two. Between 1867 and 1868, these teachers were responsible for up to seven half time schools in country areas of NSW. This proved to be too much of a strain for the teachers, due to the large distances travelled each week. Thus, in 1869, the number of schools a teacher was responsible for dropped to two. Like the provisional school, books and equipment were supplied by the Department of Education, with parents responsible for the rest.
- The SUBSIDISED SCHOOL was devised in 1903. This type of school was smaller than a half time school and was heavily backed by local families wanting a school in their area. The last subsidised school finished in 1989.
Prior to the 1880s, government secondary school was not available. The Public Institution Act of 1880 created secondary schools, while also withdrawing funding from denominational schools and making school attendance compulsory for children aged between six and fourteen.
Source: NSW Department of Education website and Cobbora Coal Project EA - Appendix Q - Historic heritage assessment, 2012
