In the Beginning...                                                                         

Now just a leisurely drive on Eastlink into the centre of Melbourne, Scoresby was originally a rural community.  In fact, on the very same land where our school now sits, was a large cattle run extending from Dandenong Creek all the way to what is now Emerald.

The name Scoresby (adopted by the local community and the school) was taken from a famous traveller and adventurer by the name of Reverend Scoresby, who had visited Melbourne in 1856 and told of his daring adventures in the Arctic and Greenland.

Compulsory Education was introduced in Victoria in 1872, however three years before that, in 1869, the determined residents of the Scoresby District were requesting a school to be built to service their children.  This application was granted on the 9th of February, 1870 and resulted in the original brick building being completed, still standing today in the centre of what is now Scoresby Village.  It is the oldest building in the City of Knox.  The costs of the original building (a bargain!!!) are outlined below-  

                     Single School Room                    150
                     Teacher's Residence                    90
                     Outhouses and Water Tank      17
                     Furniture                                          25
                     Fencing                                           23

                     Total                                             £305

Nearly 60 children attended the Scoresby School in its first year.  Some travelled long distances as this was the first established school in the Shire of Knox.  With the absence of motor vehicles and properly made roads, the weather was often a barrier to many children attending school and in the middle of winter, attendance dropped to an average of 22 children per day.

Over the next 97 years, several additions were made to the original brick building including extra classrooms and a new office.

By 1971, the school had an enrolment of over 300 and had outgrown its miserly surrounds.  Rapid housing development in the area meant that alternative arrangements had to be made.  In February 1976, Scoresby P.S. was relocated to its present site, on a healthier 5 acres, in Ingrid Street.  In the years that followed, eight portable classrooms were added to cater for student numbers which peaked at 476 in 1990.  Three of these rooms were removed in 1996.  In 1987, the present day office was established at the eastern end of the building when there was a building upgrade.

Since 2000 internal renovations have seen some larger classrooms serviced with computer rooms and offices. 

Scoresby Primary School today is one of the leading government Primary Schools in the Shire of Knox.  It has a current enrolment of 285 projected to grow over 300 in the next 3-4 years as the result of new housing development in the area as well as many out of area enrolments.

The building of our new hall was completed in 2007. New building works to refurbish current classrooms, to create a new computer lab and to provide new staffroom facilities will be completed by 2008. In addition, a state of the art running track skirting around the edge of the oval was constructed in keeping with the school's new theme of 'Being Healthy, Active and Engaged'.

These changes, in addition to the ongoing support of the local community, will ensure that Scoresby P.S. is well-placed to service the residents of Scoresby and surrounding suburbs well into the future.

Famous Students

*Much of the information on this page taken from The Centenary Booklet (Scoresby Primary School 1872-1972).
Many thanks to Jack Fisher and Marion Notman for their help with the historical content on this page.