Schools with the same name
The following principles have been adopted in distinguishing between schools of the same name, and in determining the separate identity of schools of the same name in the same locality.
Numbering of schools
Schools of the same name are distinguished by numbers. They are numbered according to the date at which the school first used the name, not according to the school's opening date. Thus Yowaka (1) was opened in 1892 while Yowaka (2), although opened in 1869, was known as Greigs Flat until 1942. In some cases no number has been added because the name was used only during the first calendar year of the school's operation, and the name has therefore been given no cross reference entry. Thus the database contains entries for Currajong (1) and Currajong (2); a third school called Currajong, which opened in 1881 and changed its name to Trelowarren before the end of that year, is left unnumbered and is referred to only at the end of the entry for Trelowarren.
Schools in different areas
Schools of the same name in different areas can be distinguished not only by number, but also by county; the name of a nearby town is also sometimes indicated. There are a few schools of the same name serving different areas of the same county, for example, the three separate schools named Crown Street.
Schools in the same area
Several criteria have been used in determining the separate identity of schools of the same name in the same area. In most cases there can be no doubt of the separateness of the schools in question, but some decisions are open to debate, especially in the light of local knowledge or detailed examination of a school's history. The following list covers most categories of geographically related schools:
- A new school frequently wins the name of an older school still operating; for example, Junee (1) became Old Junee in 1893, when the younger school until then known as Junee Junction became Junee (2).
- A new school often operates concurrently with an older school, gaining the older school's name only after the closure of the first school; for example, Terranora (2) opened with the name Bungalora before Terranora (1) was closed.
- An old school may be replaced by another school or schools, and a new school of the same name can only be regarded as separate; for example, Newcastle High School (1) was officially replaced by Newcastle Boys and Girls High Schools, while Newcastle High School (2) was formed by the merging of two other schools.
- Two schools of the same name not operating concurrently are generally considered separate when either the first school changes to a different name before its closure, or the second school opens under a different name before changing; for example, Bangaroo North (1) changed its name to Townsville before closing, and Bangaroo North (2) opened later; Cal Lal (1) closed, and Cal Lal (2) opened later but first operated with the name Warrakoo.
- Two schools have been considered separate when there is a gap between them of around fifty years or more; for example, Widwiega (1) closed in 1896 and Widwiega (2) opened in 1955. Similarly, schools have been considered separate when the first operated very briefly and there is a long gap before the opening of the second; for example, Terrigal (1) operated only from 1873 to 1875 while Terrigal (2) opened in 1910. The same general rule has been applied where the first school has a special character, for example, Como (1) served only a railway camp and operated only in 1884 and 1885, while Como (2) opened in 1921. The Board of National Education operated a number of ex-Presbyterian schools, for example, Dapto (1), for a few months in 1852 before closing them, and these have not been considered continuous with later schools, for example, Dapto (2) which opened in 1875.
