To help ensure consistency and economy, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings. From the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber-framed, an easy and cost-effective approach that also enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Standard designs were continually refined in response to changing needs and educational philosophy and Queensland school buildings were particularly innovative in climate control, lighting, and ventilation. Standardisation produced distinctly similar schools across Queensland with complexes of typical components. During the 1880s Marburg grew as a commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural area and as an administrative centre for Walloon Division (1879-1903). In 1888 the school was renamed Marburg State School to reflect the town's change of name, and it continued to grow - with additions in 1888, reroofing in 1904, and repairs and improvements in 1908. Growth of the town continued in the new century. Marburg gained rail connection to Ipswich and Brisbane when the Marburg branch railway was extended from Rosewood on the Main Line railway in 1911, but the siting of the Marburg railway station reduced the grounds of the school. Additional land on the western side of the school reserve was added but was steep and unsuitable for a playground. The idea of rural schools, to educate country children in practical subjects, arose in the early 20th century following the establishment in 1897 of the Queensland Agricultural College at Lawes near Gatton to train young men in agriculture and related sciences. The college, administered by the Department of Agriculture and Stock, was part of a wider scheme of introducing "scientific agriculture" to the colony, which included experimental farms and travelling model dairies. Within the school system, a limited form of rural instruction was introduced in syllabus changes made in 1905 and 1915. John Douglas Story, Under-Secretary of Public Instruction from 1905, believed like many others, that Queensland's future depended on agricultural development. Between 1914 and 1916 he finalised a plan for three tiers of agricultural education - rural schools, state high schools, and University Agricultural Department. In 1910, to provide expert guidance from within the Department of Public Instruction, Story appointed James Clement Stubbin as Queensland's Teacher of Agriculture. Stubbin promoted the notion of a scientific approach to agriculture by writing a textbook on the school garden, agricultural bulletins, and constantly touring schools to give lessons on topics such as milk and cream