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central school

noun a state school in a rural area which provides both primary and lower secondary education. Compare area school, consolidated school, district school.

Contributor's comments: I have always known this term to denote schools which offer education Kindergarten to year 10, but not years 11 & 12.

Contributor's comments: Central School was an official term in Vic for many years.

Contributor's comments: In Northern Ontario, Canada, we use 'central school', as well as 19 others on your regional list for the Hunter Valley and North Coast.

Contributor's comments: This was also used in Victoria in the 60s - I remember Spring Rd Central in Caulfield.

Contributor's comments: The term Central School was quite common in Melbourne from at least the 20s through to the 60s and 70s. My father went to Nth Fitzroy Central School in the 20s and I attended Camberwell Central School in the 50s and 60s. Contrary to your definition, Central Schools in Melbourne were combined primary school grades (Prep to Grade 6) and Form 1 and 2 high school. One then went to a "proper" high school for Form 3 to 6. It is interesting to note that Malvern Central School is now know as Malvern Central Primary School and Malvern Central Secondary School (both on the same site in Malvern) - presumably in an effort to retain some of their history. Again most people who grew up in Melbourne during the 20s through to the 60s and 70s would be familiar with the term "Central School".

Contributor's comments: The term central school was used in Melbourne to refer to a school that went up to year 8 or form 2. I went to Gardenvale Central School from 1976 to 1981 and there were several other central schools in the early 80's.

Contributor's comments: Central Schools exist all through NSW; years ago they used to be kindergarten to Year 10; now they are Kingergarten to Year 12. Having said that, though I believe that Newcastle Central School (where Broadmeadow School of Performing Arts now is) was only the first three years of high school, i.e. Years 1,2,3, ending with the Intermediate Certificate. Initially it was boys' only; Cooks Hill was, I believe, the girls' equivalent. They date back to the days of Boys/Girls' Highs (academic top); Tech and Hunter (next level down) both going to the Leaving Certificate; then the next layer of ability went to these other schools. All this information is based on listening to people who went to school in Newcastle in the 60's. Would bear checking with the Dept. of Education, if appropriate. All the schools in question became co-educational.

Contributor's comments: I had a friend who went to Molong central school near Orange in central west NSW and then went to the Orange High School in year 1 (7) but he had other friends who stayed at Molong till year 4 (10). They travelled on the Molong bus (so there were a large number of them) for an hour each way to Orange every day in order to do to do the HSC years as these were not available at Molong Central School in the early 70's.

Contributor's comments: In the Melbourne context Central Schools went to Form 2 (Year 8). They acted in some ways as feeder schools for MacRoberston Girls High School and Melbourne High School. Since both of these schools had competitive entry exams for Form 3 (Year 9) the Central Schools had an academic - 'exam cramming' - focus to their curriculum. This lead to the development of some alternative schools in the 1970's. The famous Ardoch High School was formed originally from the South Yarra Annexe. Which was part of South Yarra Central School. The annexe was for the low achieving stream of students who would not have gained entry into Melbourne or Mac Rob High Schools.

Contributor's comments: I attended St Josephs Central School in Oberon, which is a K - 10 instution. We got together anually with 5 other central schools for the Quinn Cup. The other central schools were in Wellington, Blaney, Coonabarabran, Cowra and Mudgee.

Contributor's comments: Yeoval Central School was only a k-10 school until about 10 years ago where the Yrs 11 & 12 were added by Distance Education and is linked to several other schools by computers & phone lines.

Contributor's comments: In the Victorian Catholic School system in the fifties, a central school was a special year 8 only school. Entry was by scholarship, the Diocesan Scholarship. The purpose of the central schools was to cram students for the Victorian Junior Government Scholarship.
area school

noun a state school in a rural area which provides both primary and secondary education. Compare central school, consolidated school, district school.

Contributor's comments: Sheffield Area School was established the first in Tasamania. [It] was established in 1939 - many other area schools in rural Tas. All have now converted to 'district high schools' with classes from K to 10.

Contributor's comments: An 'area school' in Tasmania, from the early 60s to mid 80s, was ostensibly a rural primary school, though there may have been an attached kindergarten and in some of the more remote areas classes may have continued to include grades 7 & 8.

Contributor's comments: [Adelaide informant] A school that is both primary and secondary combined as one entity.

Contributor's comments: In Queensland country towns where there was no high school they often had what was known as "secondary tops" which was grade 8-10 attached to a primary school.

Contributor's comments: I attended an Area School in rural South Australia. They still exist as single entity K -12 School.

Contributor's comments: Up to '80s most area schools in Tasmania had schoolfarm (and rural studies subjects at secondary level)

Contributor's comments: Booleroo Centre had a High School in the sixties, whilst nearby Orroroo had an Area School, which at that time seemed to mean that you could go up to your Leaving Certificate (Year 11) at Booleroo, but only to Intermediate (Year 10) at Orroroo.
consolidated school

noun a state school in a rural area which provide both primary and secondary education. Compare area school, central school, district school.

Contributor's comments: In Queensland, these such schools are (were?) known as "high tops", covering Years 1 to 10.

Contributor's comments: Growing up in North East Victoria, I attended a Consolidated School. It became "Consolidated" when all the single teacher schools in the surrounding area where closed and their students transferred to our school. The consolidation, in this case did not refer to the joining of primary and secondary students as our school was independant of the High School up the road.
district school

noun a state school in a rural area which provides both primary and secondary education. Compare area school, central school, consolidated school.

Contributor's comments: Until recently most district schools were called district high schools. The trend is now towards renaming such schools as 'district schools' as they cater for Kindergarten to VET (vocational education students) and so the 'high' descriptor is no longer accurate.

Contributor's comments: Until recently (late 80s) �District High Schools� in Tasmania were known as �District Schools�. I went to KIDS (King Island District School) and much to my bemusement - as it is a K-10 school - it has been reclassified as a district high school: who can figure the workings of a bureaucrats mind.

Contributor's comments: Perversely the practice in Tasmania is to now rename �district schools� as �district high schools� even though they are in the main K-10 schools. Go figure bureaucrats: It�s ruined the symmetry of the acronym of the school I attended KIDS (King Island Dis).