Chandler Public School was opened in 1881. In 1981 a booklet "100 Years of Education: 1881 - 1981" was published. Copies of this publication can be purchased by contacting the school.
Before Chandler
Summarised from Scots Corner,
Chapter 7 by BL Cameron and JL McLennan, 1971.
As late as 1880 there were very few schools or qualified teachers in the remote areas of the New England.
In order to provide some sort of education for their children some settlers employed private tutors, or several families would club together to hire a teacher. Lessons then would take place in crudely constructed buildings which acted as classrooms.
While some of these tutors were well educated and fulfilled their tasks capably, "there were some queer characters among those old dominies" (RA
McRae in "The Recorder). Some were misfits who could do little more than teach the most elementary reading and writing.
On the whole however, these people did valuable work, making it possible for many bush youngsters to receive an education they would not otherwise have obtained.
As time went on half-time schools filled the void. These schools were often run by teachers who had only a basic education themselves. There was but one teacher training college in New South Wales and many of our early teachers opted to gain only "on the job" training.
Children were often needed to help out on the family property and such activities frequently took priority over schooling. It was said that a school inspector in 1906 complained that it was hard to get children to attend lessons because of the high price of rabbit skins!
Another important breakthrough in education came for children unable to attend school regularly with the formation of the Correspondence School in the 1920s.
In 1957 there were so many correspondence pupils in this area that they were able to form their own team to compete in the school sports.