The present site of the Vasse Primary School has been in use since 1884 when a stone building was erected as a classroom. However, ‘Commonwealth based’ schooling began in the area in 1845, at Elijah Dawson’s Westbrook property.
In the 1850’s and 60’s, Elijah was aided in this task by American sailors’ wives who were based on shore for a year or so at a time, as he was often called away to his duties as a police constable. Research has indicated that we can claim that our school became a public school in 1869. The federation red weatherboard room (Heritage Room) was built in 1895 and a stone building, now demolished, became the teacher’s quarters.
In 1904, the school was renamed, Newtown. With numbers in decline, the school was closed from August 1930 until June 1932 and was re-named Vasse in 1938. The cream weatherboard building adjacent to the Heritage Room was transported from Treeton in 1961. After the Junior block was built in 1981, the Education Department wished to demolish the 1895 Heritage Room.
However, a concerted effort by the community restored the building and saved it for us to admire and use, thus preserving a unique piece of southwest rural history in our school. The traditional rural setting and modern facilities of this progressive campus promote education in a collaborative community environment, which will provide learning programs that will meet the needs of students in the 21st century and respond to a changing society. This will be achieved through the development of a responsive, inclusive and innovative curriculum, one which consciously seeks to provide for the educational needs of all. Vasse Primary School became an Independent Public School (IPS) in 2013.
In November 2019, Vasse Primary School celebrated 150 years of Excellence in Education.
