Waterfall Public School, near the Royal National Park, is Sydney’s smallest

Nestled among the gum trees on the edge of the Royal National Park is Waterfall Public School, the smallest school in Sydney.

On the edges of Sydney’s Royal National Park, in the town of Waterfall, lies proof that good things come in small packages.

You will hear it before you see it. Chimes of children’s laughter echoing against a backdrop of kookaburra calls and the distant trickle of waterfalls.

Follow that laughter and it will lead you to Waterfall Public School, the smallest school in Sydney.

Nestled among groves of towering gum trees whose branches bear the marks of generations of playful children, time moves at a slower pace at Waterfall Public School.

There’s no risk of after-school drop-off traffic, no crowded classrooms and no need to stagger lunch between grades because, in this little school, there are only 19 children.

Year 5 student Flynn Pateras, kindy students Violet Potocki and Callie Shea, and year 5 student Sophia Rudens. Picture: Tim Hunter

Just 19 beaming, happy kids, still covered in a little bit of dirt from lunchtime exploring.

Perhaps 10-year-old Sophia said it best, the smiling Year 5 student wise beyond her years: “We are a family.”

Principal Yvette Hopper agreed. “They all love each other. They all know everything about each other. And we know everything that goes on in their lives.

At lunchtime, kids aged from four to 11 play together, no matter the age difference or gender.

“They don’t have a choice,” laughed Ms Hopper.

Leafy Waterfall Public School, on the edge of the Royal National Park. Picture: Tim Hunter

“They know how to play together. We often have Year 2s playing with Year 6s in soccer. And the kids are so good. Like they know when to kick the ball and then go: ‘Oh it’s a Year 2 kid, I better back off a little’.”

Inside a classroom surrounded by trees, a kindergarten student runs up to Ms Hopper:

“Can I play with Rocco please?”

Principal Yvette Hopper with the students from kindergarten to year 5 at Waterfall Public School, which has only 19 students. Picture: Tim Hunter

Ms Hopper explained her best friend is 11-year-old Rocco, a Year 6 student, who treats the young student like his little sister.

“They are a different breed here. They look after each other. They actively go and support each other,” she said.

No matter age or sex, these kids want to help each other.

“They someone struggling with a friendship group or they don’t have anyone to play with, they will go straight over there. They grew up. Differently, they are really community-focused.”

Waterfall Public School, which has only 19 students. Picture: Tim Hunter

During cross country, the children run through the fire trail behind their school, snaking through waterfalls, wattle trees and Aussie flora and fauna.

They trade sticks at lunchtime (on the condition that they check to make sure they aren’t snakes first), and count gum nuts during maths lessons.

There’s a playground here, often neglected in favour of the natural jungle gym, kids opting for the thick twisted limbs of a gum tree over purple monkey bars.

“We love the bush. We can build cubbies and bases. We also climb trees!,” said Year 2 students Mikayla and Lenny.

Sydney's Smallest School, Waterfall Public School. Picture: Tim Hunter

They proudly tell us about their favourite climbing tree: “One time I climbed a huge tree, and I felt like I was gonna die! But we usually just jump down, and its safe.”

Lenny, 7, chimed in: “One day in 2022, we even saw an echidna!”

Other adopted school wildlife include Anna the Goanna, Noodle the Snake and Jeremiah the Kookaburra.

These are kids whose iPads sit unused (for the most part.) These kids prefer to be outdoors. It’s what happens when your school is in a national park.

The school has 19 students from kindergarten to Year 5. Picture: Tim Hunter

Between the 19 students, there are two full-time teachers (including Ms Hopper), three university students on practical placement and two student support learning officers.

It means each child is known well by their teachers.

At times, all children from years K-6 will be in the same class together, with teachers catering the lesson to each level. Other times, they split into stage groups, with K-2 and Years 3-6 learning separately.

To prepare senior students for the move to high school, and a much bigger student population, students will complete transition classes at the local high school.

School captains — and the school’s only year 6 students — Rocco and Isabella. Picture Emily Kowal

It might be Sydney’s smallest school but, for many, this is the appeal. Situated between Sydney and Wollongong, the school attracts students from Miranda to Wollongong.

However, principal Ms Hopper is desperate for the school to grow.

She hopes that out-of-area commuting parents travelling by train to Wollongong to Sydney will send their kids to the school, located just a few hundred metres from the train station.

“We have a lot of parents who don’t want mainstream schools, they don’t want to send their kid to a school with 300 kids,” she said.

“They want the small alternate. We do so much outdoor learning that the kids are outdoors all the time. So for the for the parents who don’t want their kids in that traditional learning environment.

“We tick a lot of boxes for a lot of families, it’s just they don’t know about us.

“It’s a middle school, but it’s a big impact. We have a massive impact.”

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