Secondary schools have come a long way in a century
With the proliferation of high schools – both public and private – on the Northern Beaches, readers may not realise that, 100 years ago, there was not a single secondary school.
Secondary education in NSW had only begun in 1881/1883 when education for children also became compulsory. Minimum leaving age was 13. Some primary schools were designated as Superior Public Schools and they provided three years of secondary education. Manly Public was the only such school in our area, the rest providing only primary.
In 1925 the first dedicated secondary school opened. It was Manly Boys’ Intermediate High, located on Manly Public’s Darley Road site. By 1926, two hundred boys had enrolled.
In 1944 the Intermediate High became Manly Boys’ Junior High School and moved the next year to a dedicated site at Sydney Road, Balgowlah. Today this is the home of Balgowlah Boys’ High.
Post-primary education for girls also began at Manly Public School where a Domestic Home Science wing was added in 1927, teaching home economics. This included subjects like cookery, home management and household hygiene. Manly Domestic Home Science School was the only government secondary school for girls in this area until 1954.
In 1949 Manly Boys’ Junior High at Balgowlah was raised to the status of a full high school and the curriculum expanded to five years of education, culminating with the Leaving Certificate. A modern, new building was built on the corner of Harbord and Abbott Roads at Wingala (North Curl Curl) and the first full high school on the Northern Beaches opened in 1954, with 900 boys transferring from Balgowlah, leaving 300 behind. These formed the nucleus of the newly named Balgowlah Boys’ High.
Also in 1954 Narrabeen Girls’ High School opened, albeit starting with an intake of only first year pupils. So overnight the Northern Beaches had three full high schools.
Keith Amos also contributed to this article.
Richard Michell is the vice-president of the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society and the secretary of Friends of Dee Why Lagoon. mwphs.org.au and fodyl.au