The Church of England School was located on Crystal Street, Petersham. A church school had been part of the parish since 1860, and between 1870 and 1880 the current church building, All Saints, Petersham, was completed. At around this time, the education system began to change. Free, secular primary education began to replace parish schools as the main form of education for Sydney's children and education became a government, rather than a church responsibility.