School and education records

Find records of involvement in Tasmanian schools as students or employees.

​​What is online?

• Some images from Tasmanian schools, including plans of some schools
• Inward correspondence received by the school teacher for Cape Barren Island, 1929-1935 (AF45). The school teacher often did extra duties for the Police, Public Health, and Lands and Works Departments. They also had Electoral Office and census duties for the Commonwealth Government.
• Chronological list of inspectors’ reports on schools, 1890-1970 (AE958). This is a finding aid for records in Inspector Reports (ED30 and ED31)

​​Employment records​

• Applications for teaching positions and associated papers, 1862-1905 (ED2)The website lists the applicants
• Applications for registration of a teacher, 1910-1935 (CB23/6)​
• Personal history cards of male teachers, 1886-1945 (ED238). Incomplete but helpful if the teacher’s file is missing. Female teachers do not have a similar set of cards

• Inspectors’ reports of examinations in state schools, 1898-1909 (ED30), or see the chronological list (AE958)
• Inspectors' reports on staff, teaching and organisation of schools, 1890-1970 (ED31), or see the chronological list (AE958)
  
• Inspectors' reports on staff, teaching and organisation of high schools, 1913-1939 (ED32)
• Inspectors' incidental reports on staff, teaching and organisation of schools, 1918-1939 (ED36)

Records about teachers and other Department of Education staff​​

General Correspondence Files

There are large gaps in some correspondence files.

• General correspondence (1), 1875-1904 (ED1)
• General correspondence (2), 1896-1904 (ED4)
• General correspondence (3), 1905-1916 (ED9)
• General correspondence (4), 1906-1991 (ED183)
• General correspondence “O” Series, 1917-1939 (ED10)
• Correspondence about schools (ED11)
• Secretary’s and director’s letter books 1857-1947 (ED13)

Not all correspondence has survived but the indexes, registers and letter books (ED13) can provide a potted history.

Indexes - General correspondence

• Indexes to correspondence, 1855-1905 (ED6)
  
• Indexes to general correspondence (Boards of Advice) 1905-1916 (ED28/1/1)
• Index to “O” Series correspondence, 1917-1961 (AD282)
• Subject index to correspondence, 1912-1968 (AD297)

References to schools in correspondence

• Index to general correspondence (Schools) 1905-1916 (ED28/1/3)
• Alphabetical index to schools, 1914-1981 (AD335)
• Alphabetical index to closed Schools, 1915-1974 (AD347)

Registers of general correspondence

• Registers of correspondence, 1855-1905 (ED3)
• Register of general correspondence, 1899-1904 (ED5)
• General correspondence “A” Series, 1881-1904  (ED7)
• Register of correspondence about particular schools and subjects, 1904-1905 (ED26)
• Register of correspondence about school buildings and accommodation, 1881-1904 (ED8)
• Register of inward correspondence, 1905-1939 (ED12)
• Subject index to correspondence with main headings, 1912-1968 (AD331)
• Numerical register of correspondence 1912-1968 (AD332)

Library resources

• Tasmanian school yearbooks​
• Histories of Tasmanian schools

Records from or about schools

To locate a record from or about a particular school you can perform a basic search. For example, entering ‘Hagley Farm School’ produces not only records received from the School (‘Agency TA1456 Hagley Farm School’) but also records from other agencies such as Public Works Department plans, films and photographs. In this example the list is long. You can narrow the search by clicking the radio button, ‘Boolean Query’. Then you can search only for films by entering ‘Hagley Farm School and film’.

What can I find from other organisations?

• Department of Education Tasmania website
• List of schools in Tasmania
• Independent Schools Tasmania
• Australian Schools Directory - Tasmania
• Christian Schools Tasmania