VPRS 795 Building Files: Primary Schools

This series comprises correspondence files relating to the construction, alteration and maintenance of State primary school buildings in Victoria. The series also comprises some files relating to school residences and land purchases.The series was created and maintained from 1863 to 1975. For the period 1883 to 1947 responsibility for school building works rested with the State Schools Branch of the Public Works Department (VA 669) and there was no Buildings Branch in the Education Department. The transfer of the function between the two agencies seems to have had little effect upon the filing system.The content of the files changed significantly in circa 1956. To this date the files contained papers pertaining to all aspects of school construction and maintenance such as obtaining grants, raising local money, site selection, and construction and maintenance of the buildings, residences and school grounds. From circa 1956 the only papers added to the files in this series were documents pertaining to minor works and routine maintenance of primary school buildings.Residence files found within this series appear to relate to residences that had been sold by the 1970s. The remaining residence files were transferred to the Teacher Housing Authority. Residence files in this series are identified in the Records Description List by the letter R.Land purchase files found within this series were created by the Buildings Branch prior to the establishment of the Estates Branch in 1960 and for some reason were not transferred to the Estates Branch when the function moved.