Historical information

State School No. 3161 was originally situated between High Street (then Bulleen Road) and Kilby Road adjacent to Burke Road and was officially opened on 25th April 1892 with Mr Roland Gray as its Headmaster. With more people moving into the district, the School was moved in 1905 to Strathalbyn Street. (This site was to became the Kew East Bowling Club, and is now a Kindergarten.) 1929 saw the erection of the brick Infant School adjacent to the main building. In subsequent years many other buildings were added, including a weatherboard ‘Rural’ school, a brick library, an administration block, several portables, and a Community Music Centre and shelter sheds, culminating in the opening in March 2011 of the Commonwealth funded new Music/Sports Complex. At one time it was called Kew East Central School and included years 7 & 8. When Kew High School started, the high school students were accommodated there whilst their buildings were being completed.

Physical description

Original print positive of a co-educational class of students at Kew East State School. Howard Nickell is identified in an inscription on the reverse of the mount.

The Age newspaper on 6 March 1906 included in News of the Day that: "At a meeting of the Executive Council yesterday it was decided to proclaim the following State schools as training schools under the provisions of the Teachers' Act: Brunswick 1213; Queensberry-street, Carlton 2365; Kew East 3161; and Queensberry-street, North Melbourne 307. These schools have been specially selected and staffed in order that teachers in training and junior teachers may study the methods of the best teachers in special kinds of work. The infant class is the special feature at Brunswick, while Kew East will be a model of the methods of a country school. The schools at Queensberry-street, North Carlton and North Melbourne, are to be more especially connected with the training college."

Inscriptions & markings

Reverse: "Howard Nickell. Back Row. Second right."