The Australian Women's Register

Letterbook (21/6/1859-16/2/1860), Admission Registers – State School (1/4/1860-6/12/1869), Daily Report (Attendances) (2/4/1860-17/8/1863). In early 1860, the National Board of Education established the National School (Number 1) in Brisbane . The first Headmaster was John Rendall and on the opening day the attendance was 50 boys and 8 girls. The school was located in Adelaide Street and was conducted as a mixed school until 14 August 1860. In 1862, the National School became officially known as the Normal School when it was re-organised to include a training school for teachers. In December 1862, the boys’ school, and the Board of Education, moved to the new building next door at the corner of Adelaide and Edward Streets; the girls remained in the old building. The name of the school varied, originally being the Brisbane National School, afterwards called the Brisbane Central School and then the Brisbane Normal School. After the girls and boys separated, the separate schools were referred to respectively as Brisbane Central Girls’ School, (number 233), Brisbane Central Infants’ School (number 234) and Brisbane Central Boys’ School, the latter school retaining the number 1. In 1920, a re-organised mixed primary school called the Central State School opened. In 1922, this was superseded by the Central Practising School; again the school remained number 1. In September 1927, the Head Master, staff and pupils of the ” Central Practising School” (i.e., the National or Normal School) were transferred from the old Normal buildings to the combined Boys’, Girls’ and Infants’ Schools in Leichhardt Street. The Normal School Building erected in 1862 was demolished at the end of 1927. N.B The closing date for the school has been given as 1 September 1927, because this is when the National/Normal School buildings were demolished.