Newcastle East Public School

Newcastle East Public School is situated in the heart of Newcastle city, and is housed in beautiful heritage-listed Gothic buildings. Established in 1816, it is the oldest continuously-operating school in Australia, and has a proud heritage of the provision of free education to all. Newcastle East Public School serves a diverse inner-city community in an area of rapidly increasing population. The current school enrolment is 256 students. There is a significant group of overseas students and ESL classes are provided for these students. Academic levels are well above national averages. The school aims to foster and nurture development of the whole child by catering for physical, social, emotional, creative and academic needs. Our school ethos is encapsulated by the comment 'We are a country school in the heart of the city.' Special features of the school include various avenues of parental participation, including in legislative matters of school policy. There is a strong emphasis on student welfare and the school has adopted streaming for literacy and numeracy. The school has a very strong extra-curricular program which includes sports, French Language classes, musical instrument lessons, creative and performing arts, environmental education, debating and public speaking.