Archives In Brief 19 - Teachers
Provides a brief overview of the major sources held by State Records that relate to teacher employment in the Government sector between 1788 and 1979.
1788-1848 | 1848-66 | 1866-80 | 1880+ | Further reading
1788-1848
In the early years of the colony, government involvement in education was primarily concerned with the provision of funding for church schools. The establishment of the Clergy and Schools Lands Corporation in 1826 reinforced this link between government and church. Salaries of schoolmasters were drawn from the proceeds of land controlled by this corporation.
Index to Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825
The online index is also available in hardcopy in the reading rooms. The names of individual teachers are located under the heading School Teachers. Any surviving correspondence is then listed separately under surname. It may also include details of appointments and salary.
Colonial Secretary
NRS 1286, Returns of the Colony,
1828-57
Fiche 446-613
The returns under the heading Education cover both Sydney and
country schools. They include the names of teachers for each school and
their annual salaries.
Clergy and School Lands Corporation
NRS 773, Letters received from
clergymen, catechists and schoolmasters, 1825-33
This series includes letters from schoolmasters on a wide
variety of subjects and may also be useful in building a picture of
working conditions at this time.
1848-66
Between 1848-66, education was under the joint control of the Board of National Education and the Denominational School Board. The Board of National Education was responsible for appointing teachers, teacher training and classification. Key records include:
For additional records of the Board of National Education researchers should consult the Archives Investigator, and the interim guide to the records of the Board, available in the reading rooms
Board of National Education
NRS 613, Miscellaneous letters received,
1848-66
Reels 4001-4038
This series includes correspondence concerning the provision of
teachers, nominations of teaching staff, complaints against teachers
and details of appointments and resignations.
NRS 622, Applications to the Board of
National Education for various situations, 1848-52
These applications give information on marital status, age, place of
birth, religion, whether previously trained as a teacher, period of
residence in the colony and place of employment. There is an index in
the front of the volume.
NRS 623, Applications for and reports on
candidates for positions as teachers and pupil teachers,
1856-66
Reels 2380-2384
NRS 616, Reports on teachers and
pupil-teachers, 1864-66
Reel 2385
1866-80
In 1866 the Council of Education was established, with responsibility for the administration of government schools in New South Wales. Teacher training was conducted at the Model School, Fort Street and a grading system for the certification of teachers was introduced.
Council of Education
As well as the records listed below, researchers should consult Archives Investigator and the interim guide to the records of the Council of Education, available in the reading rooms.
NRS 2621, Miscellaneous letters received,
1867-75
Reels 1784-1796, 1798, 1802-1803, 1844-1850
This correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of school. It
may include applications for positions as teachers and letters received
from teachers concerning illness, complaints or resignations.
NRS 2639, Copies of letters sent,
1868-80
These are arranged chronologically and include letters and memoranda
sent to teachers.
NRS 2624, Results of teacher examinations,
1867-78
This register gives the name of the school to which the
teacher was appointed, results for individual subjects and comments on
skill in teaching.
NRS 2626, Pupil-teacher applications and
reclassification reports, 1867-76
Reel 1802
Each application contains information about the candidate's educational
history, details of previous and present employment and signature.
NRS 2631, Applications for employment,
1867-72, 1874-75
Reel 1803
This series includes applications for teaching positions and normally
show present position held, details of exams passed, previous teaching
appointments and experience.
NRS 4073, Teachers' rolls, 1868-1908
Reels 1991-1998
These rolls provide a service record for each teacher and include date
of birth, examination results, appointments, promotions and date of
resignation. The Index to teachers' rolls,
NRS 4072 Reel 1990 is arranged alphabetically by surname.
1880+
The Public Instruction Act, 1880 (43 Vic. No. 23, 1880) repealed the Public Schools Act of 1866, dissolved the Council of Education and transferred its responsibilities to the Minister for Public Instruction. The new Act also provided for a system of teacher training.
In 1957 the Public Instruction (Amendment) Act (Act No. 45, 1957) altered all existing references to the Department for Public Instruction to the Department of Education. The name of the Department was changed to the Department of School Education on 15 December 1989 and on 3 December 1997 the Department of School Education was abolished. Its branches were amalgamated with those of the former Department of Education and Training Coordination to form the new Department of Education and Training.
Department of Education
See also the Index to teachers rolls, 1868-1908, NRS 4072 and the Teachers' rolls, 1868-1908, NRS 4073 listed above.
As well as the records listed below, researchers should also consult the Archives Investigator, under the heading Education — Teacher Personnel Division.
NRS 3830, Subject files,
1875-1948
The subject files include information on individual teachers concerning
promotions, resignations and retirements. See Short Guide 6
which provides a full subject listing.
NRS 3829, Schools files, c.1876-1979
These files are arranged by name of school. They contain information
concerning teacher appointments, leave, examinations and occasionally
details of complaints about teachers by parents and inspectors. The
files after c. 1950 do not contain detailed information about
teachers.
The schools are listed in the online
index.
NRS 4074, Results of teachers'
examinations, 1901-09
Names of applicants and their marks in each subject are listed by
examination centre.
NRS 4076, Listing of male teachers
born 1 Jul 1906-30 Jun 1921
This alphabetical list gives the teacher's marital status, district,
date of birth, school and hometown.
NRS 4077, Salary Registers,
1908-22
These registers are arranged alphabetically by school.
NRS 15320, Teacher career cards,
1908+
The cards detail the various appointments occupied by each teacher in
his/her career in NSW government schools or the Department of
Education.
NRS 15319, Teacher leave cards,
1908+
Leave taken is presented in tabular form, showing the period of leave
and whether this has been recreation, sick, extended, short, special,
without pay or military leave. There is a remarks column used to
indicate the reason for the leave.
NRS 4078, Records of teachers and officers in the A.I.F. during World War I, 1914-40
NRS 15051, Photographic collection,
1963-91
The History Unit of the Department of School Education collected these
photographs. Most show school buildings, pupils, teachers, or
educational activities, with nearly all including an identifying
caption and date. The Department of Education holds a digitised copy of
these records for reference purposes.
Further reading
State Records' published finding aids (now out of print):
- The Administration of Education under Two Boards, 1848-66 (available in hardcopy in both reading rooms), and
- Council of Education, 1866-1880 (available in hardcopy in both reading rooms).
See also
- Government schools of New South Wales, 1848-1998: 150 Years, Open Training and Education (OTEN) — Distance Education, New South Wales Department of Education and Training, Sydney, 1998.
Other records may be identified in Archives Investigator and the interim guides to the Board of National Education, Denominational School Board and the Council of Education, which are available in the reading rooms.
Access
Researchers should consult the Register of Access Directions to confirm the public availability of records. State Records' staff can advise you on the availability of records if they are not listed on the register.
© State of New South Wales through the State Records
Authority, 2003.
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