A Brief History of Hughes Primary School     

Hughes Primary School is situated within extensive grounds in the inner Canberra suburb of Hughes, which was the first suburb to be established in the Woden Valley. The school was opened in 1964 by the Hon. J. D. (Douglas) Anthony, whose children attended the school. The first principal was Mr. Ken Wilson.

Both the suburb and the school were named after William (Billy) Hughes, a former Prime Minister of Australia. The briefcase that Prime Minister Hughes used while in office is on permanent display in the school’s front foyer.

The school has approximately 340 students from Preschool to Year 6. It hosts the Southside Primary Introductory English Centre in which children from non-English speaking backgrounds learn to speak, read and write in English.

The school focuses on differentiated learning to cater for the explicit needs of all students with at least 40% of the population coming from backgrounds other than English. The school celebrates the rich cultural diversity of its population, currently host to 42 nationalities speaking 32 different languages.

The school promotes excellence in all endeavours with students achieving their personal best.

The School Logo

In 1964 children were invited to submit suggestions for a design for the school emblem. The successful entry was submitted by sisters Colleen and Eileen Johnston.

The final design, drafted by their father, was in the form of a triangle (the Hall) in the colours of black (representing the hills) white (representing the snow) and turquoise (representing the sky).

The two main buildings were named Franklin and Bimberi after prominent mountains in the area. School sports houses were then named after other mountains in the area - Mugga, Stromlo, Taylor and Forster.

Prime Minister William Hughes

William Hughes was born 25th September, 1862 in London. He became the 7th Prime Minister, after Andrew Fisher leader of the Labor Government resigned from office due to ill health. Hughes led the country during World War I. He died in 1952 at age 90, while still serving in Parliament. He is one of the most controversial figures in Australian political history.