Guildford Primary School (School No. 264; previously known as Guildford State School c.1875 – 1970; Guildford Common School 1862 – c.1875; Guildford School 1861 - 1862)

Full description

Guildford Primary School (School No. 264) (VA 5225) was opened in September 1861 as Guildford School, gaining official recognition by the National School Board (VA 919) some months later in November 1861. Located in Guildford, Victoria, approximately 124 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, the school was a co-educational and non-denominational primary school.

When Guildford School first opened, it operated out of a single-roomed timber building lined with calico, which had been erected with private funds. The exact site of the original school is subject to further research.  

In 1862, through the Common Schools Act, the Victorian Parliament abolished the two existing centralised boards and created a single Board of Education (VA 713). With the passing of this act, the school was renamed Guildford Common School and was given the number 264. A new school site of 2 acres fronting Franklin Street was selected, and a brick T-shaped building was completed on the site in 1868. Additions were made to the building in 1870 and 1873 and major alterations carried out between 1877 and 1912.

The Education Act of 1872 established the Victorian Education Department (VA 714) which marked further change to school naming conventions, with the school becoming Guildford State School at some stage between 1873 and 1878. 

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, the school’s name was changed to Guildford Primary School.

Guildford Primary School was annexed by Campbell’s Creek Primary School (School No. 120) (VA 5788) from 1994 until Guildford Primary School closed in 2017. Three years later, in October 2020, the Minister for Education James Merlino and State Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards announced that due to local demand, the Guildford School would be reopening as a campus of Campbell's Creek Primary School. The Guildford Campus of Campbell's Creek Primary School was officially opened in 2022.