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What do I need to know?

A school's locality or name and the year/s that you are interested in. 

 

How do I search?

Enter the year into the search box below. If you get too many results, try again by adding the name of a school or its locality.

About these records

This search returns results from Record Series Numbers (VPRS) 19, 61, 880, 878, 903; together, these series constitute over five hundred boxes of records, covering 34 years of education administration by 5 different government agencies.

Record Series Number (VPRS) 19 contains letters received by Charles Joseph La Trobe, in his role as the Chief Superintendent of the Port Phillip District. These letters have been digitised and can be viewed online - simply use the search box above, searching for the subject of a letter and a year.

The remainder of these records are arranged by date, with thousands of letters or other records available for each year. Follow the links in the Tips section on this page for detailed information about each of the series, and further strategies to work out whether a record exists and how to find it.

 

Next Steps

What are in these records?

The content of these records varies widely. They are generally files of correspondence relevant to a variety of schools and / or issues, between a specified date range.

Areas discussed in the correspondence include:

  • establishment of a new school
  • staffing
  • buildings
  • planning
  • management
  • maintenance
  • complaints
  • applications for subsidies or grants

TIPS

If your search returns too many or too few results to be useful, consider exploring a specific Record Series in detail. Choose a relevant time period from the list below, and follow the links for detailed instructions on how to locate records within each particular records series.

Record Series Number (VPRS) 19 Inward Registered Correspondence 1839 – 1851 
Record Series Number (VPRS) 61 Inward Registered Correspondence 1848 – 1862
Record Series Number (VPRS) 880 Inwards Registered Correspondence 1852 – 1862
Record Series Number (VPRS) 903 Inwards Registered Correspondence 1862 – 1872
Record Series Number (VPRS) 878 Outwards Letter Books 1852 – 1862 

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples

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