Learning at school

Country schools usually had just one schoolroom. Towns and cities had bigger schools.

Children wore normal clothes to school. They wore their best clothes for their school photo.

School uniforms started about 80 years ago.

View the photos

• View the gallery of historic photos.

• Notice what the students are wearing.

Compare clothing past and present

• Complete the Clothing of the past activity sheet (Google doc).

• Compare the clothes to what students wear to school today.

Did you know?

The teacher lived in a house next to the school.

Learning at home

This is a story about a country boy in the 1930s.

Geoffrey Collins lived on a farm in the country.

He did school at home as it was too far to go to school.

Geoffrey's school was Blackfriars Correspondence School in Sydney.

His lessons were sent by post. He got them from his letterbox.

He did his work and posted it back to his teacher.

Geoffrey's teacher marked it and sent it back to him.

All of Geoffrey's school work is in the museum's collection.

View the photos

• View the photo gallery.

• Compare Geoffrey's schooling to your own.

• How is it similar and different?

View more photos

• Go to Blackfriars Correspondence School by NSW State Records to view photos of other country children learning from home.

Travelling to school

In the past, most children walked to school.

Country children could ride their pony.

Sometimes a horse-drawn bus took children to school.

Cars and buses were used once they became common.

View the photos

• View the gallery of historic photos.

• What do you find surprising?

Step into the photo

• Complete the Step into the photo activity sheet (Google doc).