Why Did Those Students Leave Before The End Of Fifth Year?

When the school started in 1955, it was designated as a "High" school.
That meant that it only had three years (1st. 2nd and 3rd year), as compared to a"Senior High"
school which catered for students over five years (1st. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th year).

As a consequence, all students (who started 1st year in 1955 or 1956) left before the end of 5th year.
Those students who wanted to continue into 4th or 5th year had to go to another school such as
Governor Stirling SHS, Perth Boys High School, or Perth Modern School.

The School Secretary (Mrs Alma Porter) recorded some of the other "reasons for withdrawal", including:

• Over Age
  (Note: In the years 1955-60, school leaving age was any time after 14th birthday.)
  • Apprenticeship
  • App. Printer Wiggs
  • Employment
  • Looking for employment
  • Office Boy G&R Wills
• Transfer (change to another school, including...) to:
  • Bindoon
  • Business College
  • Bus. College
  • City Commercial
  • Collie
  • Correspondence
  • EGHS
  • Hale
  • Kent Street
  • Medina High
  • Midland High
    (Note: In October 1959, this was renamed as Governor Stirling Senior High School)
  • Modern School
  • Narrogin High
  • Perth College
  • St Thomas of Aquinas
  • Tech
• to (1961)
  • employment
  • father's farm

• Admission Register data is only available for the first ten years (1955-7, 1959-65)
  For some unknown reason, the Admission Register was not filled in 1958,
  but I have seen a list of 1958 admissions that was created retrospectively.
  I don’t know where that is now located. *sigh*
  Admission Register. This records very little detail, only ten fields, including:
  • Admission Number
  • Date of Admission
  • Family Name
  • Given Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Date of Leaving
  • Reason for Withdrawal
    • Note: The Admission Register for 1955 (that is, this list for the Class of 1959)
      was handwritten by the School Secretary (Mrs Alma Porter), rather than printed.
      As students left, they were crossed off, with a horizontal line through their names.
      This has added to the difficulty of copying names accurately for a few individuals.
  • There is no academic record or attendance record or any other record in the Admission Register.
• There were no year books or school magazines (Lawley) until 1960.
• Thanks to many students have helped provide information:
  • Ruth Hickmott
  • Gane E. Doyle
  • I. June Shrigley
  • Ron I. Gunzburg
  • Jennifer Ryle
  • Bill Edwards
  • Jenny Mills
    • Old 55
      • and many others.