History of the Upper Horton School

Upper Horton School

By 1907 the old 1892 building was not only too small but was in poor condition.  It measured 17 x 14 feet, the walls were unlined and in parts were crumbling away; the ceiling was still of hessian, and the fireplace was falling apart and beginning to constitute a danger.  At the old measure of 8 square feet of floor space per child the room could accommodate thirty pupils, but in recent years the Department had liberalised this measure to between 10 and 12 square feet per child, and at this rate only about twenty children could be comfortably housed.  Yet there were already thirty-four enrolled, and another thirty children under six years of age coming up.  The inspector of schools described the district as “a flourishing agricultural and pastoral centre with very good prospects”, where the settlers were permanent; and the small township included a general store, saddlery, blacksmith’s shop, post office, hotel, Anglican and Catholic churches, and a police station.  He recommended the erection of a schoolroom to accommodate forty pupils and this was approved late in 1908 and the building completed in March, 1909.
With the completion of the new building the old 1892 building was transferred to Rocky Creek where it was used probably as a Subsidised School by local residents.
By early 1914 the enrolment had climbed to nearly  fifty and the 1909 building was becoming cramped but not yet uncomfortably so.  In 1924 the Horton Upper Parents and Citizens Association began a campaign to have the 1909 building enlarged and remodelled to improve lighting and ventilation.  The Association wanted additional verandahs added to prevent the sun’s rays from shing directly on the school walls making the schoolroom “insufferably hot and close during the summer months”.

Upper Horton School
1959 – 1966

The Upper Horton School consisted of a single classroom with as many as 35 children in any one year.  The school came with a residence - rented for a nominal fee - and was the largest of the one-teacher schools in the Barraba district.  Classes ranged from 1st to 6th class, each requiring a different programme of learning and annual testing results required by the Education Department.  The school had no electricity nor running water and was heated by a wood heater.  It boasted a tennis court, always popular with students.

6th December, 1988
One of the State’s smallest schools, Upper Horton, is to close.  Falling student numbers and general Education Department cutbacks have been blamed for the Government’s decision to remove the only teacher at the school - effectively closing it.  The school, over 100 years old, will cease operations from last day of term this month, December 16th.  The small Upper Horton community and the six current students are upset at the decision but say it was inevitable as Government belt tightening increased.  The six students will now make the two hour round trip to the Barraba Central School.