HISTORY OF OUR SCHOOL

On January 23rd, 1839, Alexander and Maxwell Christie decided to sail to South Australia on a ship called Sir Charles Forbes. The ship was named after an English surgeon who worked in the army. When the Christie brothers purchased this section of land, they decided to name it after the ship and the area became known as Forbes.     

Forbes Primary School first opened on Tuesday 12th of February 1952. Allan Holland, the first head teacher, greeted the 710 eager students at 9am in the front of the newly built Forbes Primary School. Some children had to be sent to Ascot Park because there was not enough room. The Infant School (Junior Primary buildings), although established in 1953, was opened in 1958 on the 23rd of February. During these years Forbes was the largest school in Australia with over 1800 students.   

The Primary School and Junior Primary school were two separate schools sharing a campus until 1990 when a "Facilities Redevelopment Program" began. In January 1995, the schools amalgamated, and a new Principal and Deputy were appointed for 5 years. The current Principal, Maureen Davidson, was appointed in 2019 and is tenured until the end of 2024. We now have approximately 220 students.