Wakehurst Public School

Wakehurst Public School is a co-educational primary school located in the Sydney suburb of Belrose, and draws its students predominantly from the surrounding suburbs of Belrose, Davidson and Frenchs Forest. The school has approximately 400 enrolled pupils from kindergarten to Year 6.HistoryOwing to the large growth in the Belrose and Frenchs Forest regions during the 1950s and 60s, in 1963 the decision was taken by the Minister for Education, The Hon. Ernest Wetherell, to have a third primary school built in the Forest district. At the time, the existing schools were deemed to be insufficient: Frenchs Forest Public School (1916) was at capacity with 1000 students and 29 rooms and Belrose Public School (1952) was too small and undeveloped with only 67 students and 3 rooms. For these reasons the decision was taken to build a new school on Glen Street.The school was opened as Belrose South Public School in January 1966 but was later renamed as Wakehurst Public School in July 1966. It was named after Lord Wakehurst, who was a popular Governor of New South Wales between 1937 and 1946.The fireOn Thursday 20 November 1980 at approximately 10:20pm a fire broke out in the School library. The fire completely destroyed the building along with almost all of its contents, including over 8000 books and a number of school records and historical items. The seat of the fire was under a cabinet in the library office. It is now thought that vandals broke a window and threw in rags, impregnated with something flammable.