1890s

The Prospect School building was 7.6m x 4.8m, and in 1888 held 89 children. The enrolment rose to 113 by 1898. In 1890, the shingle roof leaked and the walls were mildewed, exuding an "unhealthy smell", and by 1896 there was still no heating. Sanitary arrangements were usually primitive in most schools - in the 1910s, the Dog Trap Road school had closet pans (one pan for 83 boys) which were emptied and cleaned twice a week. Once the contractor emptied them into the playground. Not surprisingly, there were outbreaks of diphtheria and some children died.

Source: Karskens, Grace (1991) Holroyd: a social history of western Sydney. Sydney: University of NSW Press.

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