Our school vision
Ebenezer Public School is a strong, proud, inclusive school community with a focus on learning. We are committed to ensuring students reach their potential. We produce resilient, knowledgeable and respectful people who can look back with pride and nostalgia at their time here.
The focus of the school is true to our values: our motto ‘Ever Onward' requires that we will strive to be better at what we do every day. We hold high expectations to ensure students become aspirational, self-directed and collaborative learners who have the capacity to succeed in a dynamic 21st century society.
Our commitments:
- providing a safe, ordered and caring environment which is conducive to learning and which encourages students, staff and parents to contribute to the life of the school and its community
- providing a well rounded education with an emphasis on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy
- initiating flexible educational programs that are relevant, stimulating and challenging to all students
- promoting the welfare and individual development of all students so that they reach their full potential and attain responsible self-direction; promoting staff development.
Our history as the first Ebenezer school
When Ebenezer Church was built in 1809 one half of the building was designated as a schoolroom. With the appointment of John Youl as teacher in 1810, classes commenced for local children. This denominational school continued until 1874 when control of the school moved from church to state with the establishment of a provisional school.
It was known as Portland Head Provisional School. Classes were still held in the church until the new school, Ebenezer Public School, was built in Coromandel Road in 1887.
Ebenezer Church is recognized by the NSW Department of Education and Communities as the oldest existing school building in Australia. This photograph was taken in 1879. It shows the teacher, Mr Walter McFetridge (second from the left), sitting with his pupils outside the classroom.
