Mount Gravatt State School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

located in the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

suburb of

Mount Gravatt Mount Gravatt is a southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and a prominent hill and lookout within this suburb (). In the , Mount Gravatt had a population of 3,733 people. Geography T ...

, Queensland, Australia. It is administered by the

Queensland Department of Education The Department of Education is a ministerial department of the Queensland Government responsible for the administration and quality of education in Queensland, Australia. The department is composed of two separate portfolios, Education Queen ...

, with an enrolment of 275 students and a teaching staff of 21, as of 2023. The school serves students from

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Year 6 Year 6 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including Japan, most of Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the sixth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between ten and eleven. It is genera ...

. It has been placed on the

Brisbane Heritage Register The Brisbane Heritage Register is a heritage register containing a list of culturally-significant places within the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mai ...

as a Local Heritage Place since 1 January 2004, due to being the first school within the district.

History

The school opened on 29 June 1874 as a Provisional School at 1263 Logan Road due to it, at the time, being located centrally for the then local farming community of the region. The school had 30 foundation students. By 1894, it was classified as a state school due to enrolment numbers being of the required amount to be classified as one by the Department of Public Instruction (the Education Department). The original school building was a

slab hut A slab hut is a kind of dwelling or shed made from slabs of split or sawn timber. It was a common form of construction used by settlers in Australia and New Zealand during their nations' colonial periods. Huts, humpies and hovels The Australia ...

, with a teacher's residence; its associated detached kitchen and both a buggy and play shed were added to the site soon thereafter. On 8 May 1896, the school community came together and celebrated

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

by planting trees around the school grounds. In 1901, the teacher's residence was transformed into the Infant's school building, and headmaster Samuel Jackson relocated to a nearby cottage on land owned by Amandus von Senden. Mr. Samuel Jackson was the headmaster from 1880 until his death in 1916; he died by either heart failure or drowning while bathing on 25 December 1916. The number of enrolments had increased significantly following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, enough so to outstrip the facilities of the school. The local community and school staff advocated strongly for the construction of a new school; however, this would not become a reality until 1930. On 13 June 1930, the Education Department purchased land surrounding the site for the school to expand. The very same year, three classrooms and an office for the headmaster were constructed, while a fourth classroom was added in 1933 and Electric lighting being installed in 1934, despite the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

occurring during this time. Another significant enrolment increase would occur following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with the school having only 112 students in 1945 to having 1,005 by 1959 and 1,660 by 1972. The school's enrolment has since decreased to 275 students, as of 2023. The original school building was moved to the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds during the school's expansion in 1930 and was demolished by Brisbane City Council in 1974, while the Infants school (previously the teacher's residence) was moved and became a private dwelling at 99 Dawson Road. The detached kitchen became part of the residence at 28 Invermore Street. In 1973, the school received $20,098 for external painting as part of a million-dollar school building and housing programme. In 2013, a man died at the school on election day after acting aggressive towards electoral officials and being detained by the police. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024.

Demographics

In 2021, the school had a student enrolment of 241 with 20 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 123 students and Male enrolments consisted of 118 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 6% of total enrolments and 49% of students had a language background other than English. In 2022, the school had a student enrolment of 251 with 21 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 129 students and Male enrolments consisted of 122 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 6% of total enrolments and 44% of students had a language background other than English. In 2023, the school had a student enrolment of 275 with 21 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 134 students and Male enrolments consisted of 141 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 5% of total enrolments and 45% of students had a language background other than English.

Heritage listing

The

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...

listed the school on the Brisbane Heritage Register as a Local Heritage Place on 1 January 2004, with the citation being created in January 2010. Even though the school was listed in 2004, and the citation was created in 2010, the significance of the school is assessed under the local heritage criteria, which is based on the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It follows three of the criteria, these being the historical significance (Criterion A), representation of the local area (Criterion D) and social significance (Criterion G).

Criteria A – Historical significance

To meet the historical significance criteria, the site should illustrate its role in shaping the region's evolution and historical patterns. It meets this guideline due to it providing a reminder of the need for educational institutions for the district's early residents.

Criteria D – Representation

To meet the representation criteria, the site should signify its importance in showcasing the cultural characteristics of the region. This criterion is met due to the school buildings being built during the era of the

Criteria G – Social significance

To meet the social significance criteria, the site should identify that it has a significant connection with local communities and/or there associated cultural groups, either through social, cultural, or spiritual connections. It meets this guideline due to the school being the earliest state school within the region.

References

External links

School website
Public primary schools in Queensland Primary schools in Brisbane Educational institutions established in 1874 1874 establishments in Australia Brisbane Local Heritage Register