the "public instruction act" 1880 (new south wales) began a period described as the "great reforms". in 1883 the first six state high schools were opened: for boys and for girls at sydney, bathurst and goulburn. the following year, in 1884, maitland boys high and girls high were opened. the four schools at sydney and maitland succeeded but the other high schools failed to compete with established local private schools and the superior public schools (which did not prepare students for matriculation); at the end of 1886, the two goulburn schools and bathurst boys' high school closed. by 1885, the minister of public instruction could report that maitland boys’ high school had an average quarterly enrolment of 48 boys and in 1890, 45 (by comparison, sydney boys' high had 183 (1885) and 250 (1890); maitland girls' high had 15 (1885) and 36 (1890)). since the high schools were to prepare students for matriculation, "the university manual of public examinations provided the basis of instruction."