Brentwood Primary School (School No. 4984; previously known as Brentwood State School 1969 – c.1970; also known as Glen Waverley South State School 1969 - 1970)

Full description

Brentwood Primary School (School No. 4984) (VA 3924) was a co-educational primary school located in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley. Initial staff advertisements in the Education Gazette listed the school as Glen Waverley South State School, however it was later listed as Brentwood State School by the time it opened in February 1969. The name Brentwood was derived from the Brentwood Estate subdivision, named after the developer's former home near London.

The school site, originally a 20-acre market garden, allocated 5 acres for Brentwood School and 15 acres for Brentwood High School (School No. 4984). Construction began in 1968, with plans to build 16 classrooms, a library, a multi-purpose room, an office, and storerooms. Brentwood High School occupied six of the primary school classrooms during the first year of operation whilst both schools were still under construction.

Brentwood State School opened with an initial enrolment of 320 students, many transferring from Glen Waverley Primary School (School No. 2219). Rapid housing development in the area led to a quick increase in student numbers, reaching 530 by March 1970. However, the opening of nearby Cooinda State School (School No. 5018; VA 3823) in 1972 caused net enrolment to drop from 671 to 520.

In 1970, there was a statewide decision to change the use of the term ‘State School’ to refer to all primary, secondary and technical schools instead of just primary schools, and for all primary schools to use ‘Primary School’ in the name. Accordingly, it was likely at this time that the school name was changed to Brentwood Primary School.  Victorian Government Gazette notices from the period reflect this change.

The 1990s marked a significant era of transformation in education throughout Victoria, as the Jeff Kennett government initiated numerous school closures and mergers across the state. Brentwood Primary School permanently closed in 1993 when it merged with the recently closed Cooinda (School No. 5018; VA 3823) to form Glen Waverley South Primary School (School No. 5436). The two schools were consolidated on the Brentwood site and the Cooinda Primary School site was sold.