Mount Claremont Primary School

Mount Claremont Primary School, previously known as Graylands Primary School, has been part of the local community for more than 100 years. It first opened its doors on 13 August 1917 as Graylands Infants School, with just eight children enrolled on its first day. That number quickly grew to 48 by the end of the week, showing just how needed the school was, even in those early days.

 

Growing Graylands

At the time, Graylands was a sparsely settled area on the outskirts of Claremont. The population was made up of small landholders and working-class families living in scattered cottages and bushland. The school was set up by the State Government and cost around £670 to build—a modest amount even then. It was a basic timber-framed, iron-roofed structure with a small cloakroom and store.

 

The school was initially aimed at younger children, mostly aged 5 to 7, which was standard for “infants” schools in that era. It wasn’t until after World War II that the school began to expand. A wave of new housing developments for returned servicemen, the post-war baby boom, and the arrival of new migrants all contributed to a sudden jump in student numbers.

 

One major change came with the opening of the Graylands Migrant Hostel nearby in the late 1940s. Families from Europe moved into the area, and many of their children enrolled at Graylands School. By the early 1950s, enrollments had passed 400, and the school had outgrown its original buildings. New classrooms, including prefabricated units and later brick additions, were added to handle the demand.

 

Education Support

In 1954, the nearby Graylands Teachers’ College opened, and the school became a training ground for student teachers, offering live demonstration classes. At its peak, the school had over 700 students and earned a “1A” classification, a high-ranking administrative rating given to large, well-resourced schools at the time.

 

In 1977, the school added a Child Migrant Resource Centre, an initiative of the State Government to help newly arrived families—particularly from South Asia—settle into school life. It offered extra support for students living at the migrant hostel and helped ease the transition into the Australian education system.

 

Renaming the School

By the late 1980s, the name “Graylands” had largely disappeared from official maps. The suburb was absorbed into Mount Claremont and Swanbourne, and “Graylands” became more associated with the nearby hospital than the residential area. As a result, the school’s name no longer reflected the community it served. In 2006, it was officially renamed Mount Claremont Primary School to match the suburb’s name and identity.

 

In 2017, the school celebrated its centenary with an open day and community events, marking 100 years of continuous education and service to local families.