{{Short description|Co-educational public primary school in Australia}} {{Self-published|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox school | name = | logo = Burnside Public School (Parramatta) Crest.png | logo_size = 150px | image = Photo of the Burnside Public School Building.jpg | image_size = 240px | alt = | caption = School Building | motto = Omnia Pro Bono | motto_translation = For the good of all | location = 1 Masons Dr, North Parramatta NSW 2151 | country = Australia | coordinates = {{coord|-33.7925|151.0183|display=inline,title}} | other_name = <!-- or | other_names = --> | former_name = Murdoch School | type = Public primary school | established = 1922 | founder = Sir James Murdoch | closed = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes}} --> | school_board = | district = North Parramatta | authority = <!-- or | educational_authority = or | local_authority = --> | oversight = <!-- use | oversight_label = to override the default label --> | school_code = 1433 | principal = Gill Bennett | head = <!-- use | head_label = to override the default label --> | staff = 28 | faculty = | grades = Kindergarten to Year 6 | gender = <!-- use | gender_label = to override the default label --> | age_range = <!-- or | lower_age = and | upper_age = --> | enrollment = <!-- or | enrolment = or | students = or | pupils = or | roll = --> | language = | campus_size = 2 ha | colors = {{color box|#eeda01}}{{color box|#106d3e}} Green and yellow | song = "Burnside School Song" | teams_label = Burns and Murdoch | publication = Burnside Public School Newsletter | website = {{URL|https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/}} | footnotes = }} '''Burnside Public School''' is a co-educational public primary school in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The school was built and began in 1922 to aid the Burnside Presbyterian Homes (or Burnside Homes) children who walked to North Parramatta School every day. The school buildings and grounds remain the property of Uniting Care, while maintained by the NSW Department of Education.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Burnside Public School: Information Booklet |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/b/burnside-p/localcontent/information_bookletforwebsitemarch2017.pdf}}</ref>
== History == === Founding === In 1919, there were 270 children of majority primary school age living in Burnside Homes, which was established by James Burns.<ref>{{Citation |last=Abbott |first=G. J. |title=Burns, Sir James (1846–1923) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/burns-sir-james-177 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en |access-date=11 December 2022|last2=Gibbney |first2=H. J.}}</ref> Logistically, marching the students back and forth from Parramatta North School every day was a challenge, which led to an offer by Sir James Murdoch, chairman of the Burnside Board from 1923 to 1937, to building a school on the Burnside site (Murdoch donating the school). He contributed 18,000 pounds in total towards the school, and it was named Murdoch School for a period of time.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wolfers |first=Howard |title=Sir James Anderson Murdoch (1867–1939) |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/murdoch-sir-james-anderson-7691 |access-date=2025-02-04 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref> Under the agreement that all primary age children at Burnside Homes would attend the school, the Department of Education was leased the property,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Burnside Primary School |url=https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/objects/pdfs/ND0000413_Burnside%20Primary%20School.pdf}}</ref> and building of the school began for 17,000 pounds.<ref name=":0" /> The architect of the school was Gregory Nolan, the premises were designed by Howard Joseland and Glynn Gilling, and the building was built by Richard Herman Jefferay and Oswald Ernest Bartleet. With the school's strong financial backing, the school funded by Murdoch included an assembly hall, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and dairy, flower, and vegetable gardens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ballyconree orphans in Australia |url=http://clifdenheritage.org/the-ballyconree-orphans-in-australia/ |access-date=3 January 2023 |website=Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Presbyterian Orphan Homes – Summary {{!}} Find & Connect |url=https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/nsw/NE00251 |access-date=3 January 2023|website=www.findandconnect.gov.au}}</ref> The hall still exists today. On 21 April 1922, Her Excellency Lady Forster opened the school<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Memorial Home {{!}} Monument Australia |url=https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/95914-burnside-memorial-home |access-date=3 January 2023|website=monumentaustralia.org.au}}</ref> (Wife of governor general at the time, Henry Forster),<ref name=":1" /> which went under the name of Murdoch School for many years.<ref name=":0" /> Burnside was classified as a central school, accommodating students up to Intermediary levels.<ref name=":0" /> An extra wing was added to school in 1924, which was opened by NSW premier George Fuller on 24 March 1924.
=== After the opening === As Burnside Homes began to increase in size, so did Burnside Public School's enrolment, with 559 children living on the grounds in 1936 – a majority of them attending Burnside. The building was repaired and repainted in 1951.<ref name=":1" /> The school was reclassified from a central school in 1962, and most of the secondary students that were enrolled in Burnside were moved, and enrolled in Cumberland High School.<ref name=":0" /> In 1969, 540 children were enrolled at the school, 150 of which lived in the Burnside Homes. New welfare care policies introduced by the Burnside Homes, now known as UnitingCare Burnside, have led to the relocation of the children living there, and students in Burnside Public School currently are from the Burnside Homes.<ref name=":1" /> In the 1970s, over 400 children, separated into infant and primary students, were enrolled at Burnside. Burnside currently has over 200 students enrolled.<ref name=":0" /> The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Log in or sign up to view |url=https://www.facebook.com/burnsidepandc/posts/pfbid032S4ojAX9CSxEp8E53EpNXcro6UnMK6RuvwtKeuU82EAceqJiUG3HnqbH4tMNBrpDl |access-date=19 December 2022|website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside PandC on Instagram: "Not long now! 💚💛💯" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CjCAQzPP9WQ/ |access-date=19 December 2022|website=Instagram |language=en}}</ref>
Peter Catliffe was principal of the school from 2003 until 2015 until retiring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Public School, Annual Report 2015 |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/b/burnside-p/2015_annual_report_burnside_public_school_final.pdf}}</ref> Gae Bromwich was principal from 2015–2022. Gill Bennet was the relieving principal of the school from 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Public School: Our Staff |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/our-staff.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211143443/https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/our-staff.html |archive-date=11 December 2022 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> and became the official principal in April 2023 after Bromwich was permanently appointed as principal of Matthew Pearce Public School. It was officially announced by an email to parents and by the weekly newsletter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=6th of April 2023, Burnside Public School Newsletter Term 1 Week 11 |url=https://buildsend.com/ws/1.0/viewimage.aspx?c=ataR63cVDj02y08KB3QySeUL3IZ0yD&i=396485&ct=application/pdf&f=Newsletter%20Term%201%20Week%2011.pdf}}</ref>
The school commemorates James Burns and James Murdoch through their sports teams, Burns and Murdoch.<ref name=":0" />
== Campus == Burnside Public School is located at 1 Masons Drive, North Parramatta, NSW. The campus is bounded by Cumberland Highway and Masons Drive, and is sitting on 2 hectares of land.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021–2024 Burnside Public School Strategic Improvement Plan |url=https://reports.sparo.schools.nsw.gov.au/plan-report/2021/1433/2021-2024_Burnside_Public_School_SIP.pdf |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> Redeemer Baptist Church is situated to the west of Burnside, and The King's School Preparatory School is to its north-east. The land Burnside resides on (which was formerly owned by James Burns) is home to a number of other educational institutions, including Redeemer Baptist School, The King's School, Tara Anglican School for Girls, Alan Walker College of Evangelism, and Uniting Theological College.
Burnside has close relations to The King's School due to their close proximity, and often use their Preparatory School grounds for school events and activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=School Swimming Carnival – Burnside Public School |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/news/2019/2/school-swimming-carnival.html |access-date=11 December 2022 |website=burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name="burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au">{{Cite web |title=Presentation Night – Burnside Public School |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/news/2018/12/presentation-night.html |access-date=11 December 2022|website=burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>
== Student profile == Students enrolled at Burnside Public School comes from a wide range of economic and cultural backgrounds. As of March 2020, 1 of the 257 children enrolled were Aboriginal and/or Torre-Strait islander, and 61% of the students in Burnside had a non-English speaking background.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Public School |url=https://educationhq.com/directory/burnside-public-school-1058/ |access-date=14 December 2022 |website=educationhq.com |language=en}}</ref> Students are required to wear a school uniform.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What we offer – Burnside Public School |url=https://burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/what-we-offer.html |access-date=14 December 2022 |website=burnside-p.schools.nsw.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Management |first=Strategic Resource |date=17 May 2022|title=School Uniform |url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/pd-2004-0025.html |access-date=14 December 2022 |website=education.nsw.gov.au |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Burnside Public School Facts {{!}} Good Schools Guide |url=https://www.goodschools.com.au/compare-schools/in-north-parramatta-2151/burnside-public-school/facts |access-date=17 December 2022 |website=www.goodschools.com.au |language=en}}</ref>
== Notable alumni == *Richie Benaud,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cricketing legend Richie Benaud, OBE (1930–2015) {{!}} Parramatta History and Heritage |url=https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/research-topics/sport-and-recreation/cricketing-legend-richie-benaud-obe-1930-2015 |access-date=3 January 2023|website=historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au}}</ref> a famous Australian Cricketer and cricket commentator.
== See also == *James Murdoch (New South Wales politician) *James Burns (Australian shipowner)
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Public primary schools in Sydney Category:North Parramatta Category:1922 establishments in Australia Category:Educational institutions established in 1922 Category:Schools in Parramatta