Victorian schools taught the 'Three R's' - reading, writing and arithmetic. The children were divided into six Standards, and to move from one standard to the next the child had to pass a test, meaning that some children would be held back in a lower standard if they failed. The entry in the log book for January 7th 1895 shows how some children were judged rather harshly:
School has been scrubbed and cleaned and maps and pictures cleaned during holidays. Gravel has been laid in the playgrounds also. All teachers present this morning. Moved 4 children from Standard IV to Standard III as they are backward and a drag for the higher classes.
