Spensley Street Primary School

Area 2 want to share some messages with our community about racism. After engaging with some videos and texts about the value of diversity, and the impacts of racism, each class discussed their thoughts with one another to come up with a main message (or 3) that they wanted to share with our whole SSPS community.

💚2MG say: At SSPS racism is NOT ok.

🤎2SK say: Be proud of who you are.

💜2ET say: One little thing you say can have a big impact on someone. Racism isn’t just rude to one person, it can be rude to a lot of people in that culture, which is why you shouldn’t even be racist in private. It can make you feel bad when you realise what you’ve done. The only way to talk about racism is against it!

We hope you enjoy reading about our amazing students’ thoughtful and emerging understandings on this important issue.

🔥 The Fire That Destroyed Spensley Street School!

Part 2 - Rising From The Ashes

After the devastating 1970 fire destroyed Spensley Street State School, the students and staff faced years of upheaval, uncertainty and displacement.

Children were temporarily bused to schools and halls across Clifton Hill, Collingwood and Fitzroy — including Gold Street, St Patrick’s in Young Street and the Methodist Hall in Spensley Street — before portable classrooms were eventually brought onto the school grounds.

And yet somehow… the spirit of the school never disappeared. 💛

At the time, the school community was supporting one of the largest migrant populations in the area’s history. In 1971, 353 of the school’s 453 students did not speak English at home, with families from Greek, Italian, Polish, Lebanese, Turkish and Yugoslavian backgrounds all part of the SSPS community.

Conditions were incredibly challenging. There still weren’t enough portable classrooms and some classes had more than 50 students. But despite everything, inspectors praised the extraordinary resilience of the school community.

✨ “There is everywhere a sense of purpose and goodwill,” one report stated.
✨ “That such tone is attainable in a collection of portable classrooms is a tribute to the spirit prevailing.”

The Mothers Club (our fundraising Queens strike again! 👑✨) and School Committee raised money for a Fire Relief Fund, no school activities were cancelled and the community immediately began advocating for something better.

They wrote directly to the Minister outlining their vision for a new kind of school — one with a library, flexible learning spaces, better facilities and improved safety features.

It would take more than three years before students finally moved into the new school building in 1973.

And next week… we’ll share how the newly named Spensley Street Primary School quite literally rose from the ashes. 🔥✨

We are celebrating our 135th anniversary! Please join our Facebook Anniversary Reunion Group via the link in bio.

Our next Prep Tours are on this Friday!

This Friday from 9:15am, we will warmly welcome prospective families to discover what makes Spensley Street so special.

For over 50 years, our school has been grounded in a progressive approach to education — one that places the child at the centre of learning. Through our multi-age classrooms and open-plan environments, we foster collaboration, curiosity and deep, meaningful engagement. These practices, once considered innovative, are now widely recognised as essential 21st century skills that prepare children for an ever-changing world — and they remain a defining part of who we are.

At Spensley Street Primary School, we are committed to developing confident, capable and thoughtful learners. Our programs are designed to be diverse and challenging, while supporting the whole child. Our approach is grounded in contemporary research that recognises that academic growth is only possible with social, emotional and physical development.

At the heart of our school is a vibrant, deeply connected community. We value student voice and agency, empowering our learners to lead, think critically, act with purpose and develop a strong sense of social justice and belonging.

Choosing a school is an important and exciting step. We would love to share our learning spaces, philosophy and community with you.

You can book a tour via the link in our bio or on our school website. Additional tours are also available in June and July.

👉 Book via the link in our bio

We look forward to welcoming you. 💛

✨ SSPS Looking Back Through Time — Part 3 ✨

🏊 The Infamous Spensley Street Swimming Pool!!

Yes… Spensley Street once had its VERY own swimming pool. 😮

Built in 1936 after a huge fundraising effort led by the Mother’s Club, the pool became one of the most memorable parts of school life for generations of students.

Headmaster Mr Hobbs was passionate about teaching children to swim and believed younger students needed a safer place to learn before graduating to the Yarra River and later Northcote Baths. (Different times. 😅)

The pool itself was an above-ground structure made from reinforced concrete and brick, measuring 25 feet long and 4 feet deep. Former students remembered senior boys helping dig foundations and carry bricks during construction.

Fundraising for the project included jellybean guessing competitions, bazaars and endless community events. The Education Department approved the pool… although inspectors later became slightly concerned about things like “scum overflow pipes” and the lack of showers. 🚿😬

The pool was used throughout the 1930s and 40s, although it regularly closed during water restrictions and polio outbreaks. Eek. 😳

By the 1960s, however, the once-loved pool had sadly fallen into disrepair and eventually became part of the long list of complaints about conditions at the aging school — alongside leaking roofs, broken toilets and overcrowded classrooms.

Still, for many former students, memories of the pool — alongside Zoo picnics and watery cocoa — remained one of the defining memories of life at old Spensley Street. 💛

And next week… we’ll be sharing the dramatic story of the infamous fire that destroyed the original school building in 1970 — and how the SSPS community rose from the ashes. 🔥✨

A huge thank you to Anne Nelson for providing all the information and archival images. Were you a part of the SSPS story? Please join our SSPS Reunion FaceBook Group via the link in bio

melbourneprimaryschool

✨ SSPS Looking Back In Time — Part 1 ✨

🏫 The First School Building

Before we do the big reveal of the exciting new upgrade to Area 2, we thought we’d step back in time and look at the history of the very first SSPS school building… 👀✨

When Spensley Street Primary School opened in 1891, the brand new two-storey building was described as “architecturally attractive” and built in an elegant Queen Anne style with elaborate Anglo-Flemish details. It cost £3200 to build and welcomed 250 students on its very first day.

The school featured innovative roof ventilation (which unfortunately also caused decades of leaks 😅), seven classrooms, a large lecture room and even a caretaker’s cottage tucked behind the building.

But despite its grand appearance, conditions were fairly basic by today’s standards. There were no sewers, no gas lighting, no staffroom and no office for the head teacher. An inventory from 1893 listed just 89 desks, 89 slates and 42 readers for the entire school.

As enrolments grew, so did the pressure on the building. By the 1920s, major upgrades were needed and students were temporarily relocated across Clifton Hill, Fitzroy and Northcote while new classrooms, a staffroom and an office were added.

Over the decades, generations of parents and School Committees fought tirelessly to improve conditions — lobbying for repairs, raising funds for resources and advocating for better spaces for students and teachers. Something that continues today!

And while the old building became increasingly overcrowded and run down by the 1960s, it remained deeply loved by the community right up until it was destroyed by fire in 1970….more on that next week!

Next up in Part 2… what learning looked like inside those classrooms over the years. ✏️

A huge thank you to Anne Nelson for providing all the information and archival images. Were you a part of the SSPS story? Please join our SSPS Reunion FaceBook Group via the link in bio

melbourneprimaryschool

Happy holidays! ✨

Nothing says end of year at SSPS like our traditional throwing of hats in the air! 🎓👒

Wishing all our Spensley St families and friends a joyful festive season and a beautiful summer break 💫☀️💛

LET’S GO SIXES, LET’S GO 👏👏👏
Well done to our Year 6s who defeated the teachers today with style, joy and good humour in our annual Grade 6s vs Teachers rounders game on the last day of school!

🌱 Big Ideas for Little (and Big!) Changemakers 🌏♻️

This semester, our whole-school inquiry has focused on sustainability, bringing students of all ages together to explore big questions that really matter.

Through our inquiry-based, multi-age learning, students have been wondering, questioning, researching, and learning from one another — authentically building holistic understanding through collaborative real-world connections.

We were lucky to welcome parents from our school community to share how sustainability connects to their work. Recently, Chris and Sian spoke with our Year 4–6 students about the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, helping them explore renewable and non-renewable energy sources and how these choices impact our environment. ⚡🌿

We’ve also loved seeing students from across all year levels share their learning at assemblies. From posters and persuasive writing to creative ways of reusing waste, our students have inspired us all to think more sustainably in everyday life. 🎨📝♻️

Inquiry, community, and multi-age learning in action, it’s the Spensley Street way! We’re so proud of our change makers! 💚

The Friendly Moving Men have been supporting and loads of other government school fetes for over a decade! Thank you so very much for your ongoing support, we couldn’t do it without you. If you are planning a move you won’t find a more reliable or cheerful bunch than them! Join us 25 October for what’s sure to be another fabulous Tempting Fete 🎉😍🤩
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