Classroom tales from yesteryear

By Kate Shilling — 29th July 2022


We love this photograph of children at a primary school in the Beaconsfield district south-east of Melbourne in 1895. Back then, school was only compulsory up until the age of 13, with many children heading into work as farm hands or domestic servants on local properties once they became teenagers.

Can you trace your history back to the 1800s? It’s fascinating (and a little terrifying) to discover how different life was back then, particularly for children and young people. In Melbourne during the prosperous 1870s and 1880s, red-brick schools became public icons but inside these grand buildings, conditions were harsh. Control was maintained by frequent use of the cane and it’s interesting to note that part of a teacher’s salary typically depended on the success of his or her students in exams. Perhaps this is where the expression ‘whip them into shape’ came from?

Despite the extreme discipline within the classrooms, the new schools were absolutely welcomed by working and middle-class families, with parents grateful for the free childcare for little ones, and the opportunity for older children to sit the public examinations which could lead to various white-collar professions.

Just as they are today, schools in the 1800s were the heart of the community in Melbourne (and across Australia). They would fundraise for families in need and celebrate their sporting teams, bands and cadet corps, traditions that continue more than a century later. Children from poor families attended school sporadically, as they were often working to assist the family income, and they often attended run-down, simple classrooms, rather than the new, grand establishments, to avoid being judged by their peers.

The depression of the 1890s tore through the schools of Melbourne, with buildings deteriorating and teachers becoming scarce. Education was pretty bleak until 1902 when Frank Tate was appointed Victoria’s first director of education. He went on to modernise the curriculum to include science, art, music, history and even physical education.

Let us help you put together an incredible Family History Holiday in Melbourne. With the help of genealogists, we can tell you how your family members lived more than a hundred years ago. Gaining this insight can offer an incredible perspective into modern-day life and help us appreciate those things we take for granted, like education and the sovereignty of an innocent childhood.