Our History

Establishment

The development of the Penshurst area and the resultant increase in population was the result of the improvement along Forest Road as the bush receded and the opening of the first stage of the Illawarra railway to Hurstville in 1884. A railway platform was built at Penshurst but a severe depression in 1893 curtailed development.

In 1911, the last sub-division of the Penshurst Park Estate, bounded by Clarence, Penshurst and Cambridge Streets, was sold.

Petitions for a public school in 1911 and 1915 were declined.

Students walked to Mortdale, Hurstville or Dumbleton Schools.  In 1919 the NSW government selected the present school site bounded by Forest Rd, Penshurst, Arcadia and Percival Streets.  It resumed the land paying $2457 and approved a new school in 1922.  Tenders were let in 1924 with the two storey school ready to take first enrolments in 1925.  The student population quickly increased and by the end of 1928, the two storey building had been doubled in size.  You have to look carefully at the brickwork to see where the two mirrored halves were joined.

Early Days

The first principal was Mr Francis Grainger with Miss Bennie as the Mistress in 1928, there was a population of 730 children with approximately fifty children in a class. Some of the teachers transferred from Mortdale Primary School.  Mr Pike lived in the school cottage in Arcadia Street, across the road from the school (this land was sold in the 1990’s to pay for the renovations and expansion of the school completed in 2000).  There was no school uniform and many children came to school without shoes.  In winter children were asked to bring firewood to school to fuel the open grate fireplaces in classrooms.

Children played a variety of games.  Boys played marbles, cigarette cards, ball games, chasings and spinning tops while girls played hopscotch, netball and skipping games. There was a creek through the middle of the present Penshurst Park and many funny mishaps and deliberate tom-foolery took place crossing the creek on the way to and from the school.  The dolls’ house, still used in kindergarten, was donated to the school by Mr Chapman, a local chemist, in memory of his daughter who died of a cerebral haemorrhage. 

A tuck shop on the corner of Forest Road and Arcadia Street sold half-penny toffees in the 1930s.

Special celebrations for students at Penshurst Public School were the Christmas Party, Wattle Day, Empire Day, Sports carnivals, the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 and swimming at Ramsgate Baths.  Trees were planted along the Forest Road boundary and in Penshurst Park by school students on Arbor Day.  Children were in mixed classes in the infants and then separated into the girls’ and boys’ department for primary school with separate playgrounds.  In primary school children used pen nibs and powdered ink mixed with water.  What a mess!  Top jobs for boys were milk, traffic and incinerator monitors or coke boys as these boys could escape lessons to do these important jobs.  Girls in Year 6 could be staff room monitors.

Growing Up

During the Second World War, the cricket pitches were replaced with air raid shelters (on the present grassed area) and children brought papers, bottles and metal to school to help the war effort. Classrooms emphasized times tables, spelling and reading the school magazine.  The cane was liberally used, especially on senior boys.  There was rivalry with insults traded over the fence between students from the Catholic and Public Schools.  The Junior Red Cross, choir and the Gould League of Bird Lovers were popular amongst girls.

The OD (Opportunity Deaf) classes started in the 1940s after an outbreak of rubella meant there were many children born with a hearing impairment.  The classes were housed in the present band room and preschool building.  In 1990 a Nursery class was added to this thriving hearing impaired unit of three classes at the school.

From the 1960s onwards school fetes, the Easter Hat parade, Mothers Day stall, Sports carnivals and the Christmas concert were highlights of the school year.

A multicultural school

From the late 1980s the school population, has doubled with students from many diverse backgrounds.  Today approximately 90% of the population come from non-English speaking backgrounds with approximately fifty different nationalities represented mainly from Asia. Most students now live in units or high-rise apartments.  The school has a strong creative arts focus with a band, signing choir and dance group.  The school is renowned for its strong academic record with an emphasis on the use of information and communication technologies. The school is  now housed in modern facilities after the renovations of 1998-2000.  These included a new hall, canteen, library, administration block and enlargement of classrooms. 

Children attending Penshurst Public School are very proud of their school and “Aim High.”