Tal-Handaq were some disused, emergency, wartime Army Barracks. These consisted of flat-roofed single-storey buildings. They were deliberately laid out in a scattered pattern to give camouflage from the air by appearing as a typical Maltese hamlet. This peculiar feature makes Tal-Handaq a unique school and according to Captain M.F. Law (sometime Head of Maths and later Headmaster) "proved difficult to shake off". The site may have been "promising and remote" but it had "room for lots of children and so work began on it to fit it out as a school". The Dockyard school moved to Tal-Handaq in January 1947 and as the numbers of pupils increased there was a "continual race between the Civil Engineering Department of the Dockyard in preparing new rooms and children coming along to occupy them". The name of the school was officially changed to Naval Children's School.
By 1948 there were already problems of space at Tal-Handaq and some children were taken to the old school at Verdala which was repaired after severe war bombing. More than a decade later numbers had reached 1050 at Tal-Handaq and 1200 at Verdala. The capacity of the former had been expanded from a potential capacity of 600 in 1958 to 800 in 1960.
A new hall was completed in 1950 and the school was renamed the Royal Naval School in 1952. The new title was "a more dignified and inspiring title for an organisation which is unique among schools".
In its early days Tal-Handaq was similar to a comprehensive school except that it provided "all-age" and "all-in" education. It was separated into grammar and modern sections though transition across the sectors was quite easy.
In 1964 the school was organised on comprehensive lines, all divisions being removed, though some streaming was retained. From the fourth form upwards pupils had independent timetables with a wide range of optional subjects taken at a combination of different levels.
After Malta's Independence in 1964, numbers began to decline but Tal-Handaq still housed 900 pupils late in 1966. In 1969 a single organisation called Services Children's Education Authority was set up. Although this had little effect on Tal-Handaq the name was changed to Service Children's School. The Headmaster's post was amended from Instructor Captain to Instructor Commander.
Tal-Handaq closed down at short notice in 1972 as a result of the dispute between the Maltese and British Governments on the re-negotiation of the terms of the 1964 Defence Agreement. The school re-opened in September 1972 after the signing of the new Military Facilities Agreement.
Student numbers rose to 600 within a year and remained constant until 1977. Thereafter the numbers declined to 300 until the school finally close down in July 1978 coinciding with the termination of family support facilities at Malta. Services' children remaining in Malta after September 1978 were asked to make their own arrangements for schooling with local institutions. The school devolved to the Malta Government on the expiry of the Military Facilities Agreement on March 31, 1979.
In 1981 the school was revamped as a Junior Lyceum and was renamed Mikiel Anton Vassalli Junior Lyceum. The new school welcomed its first students in the month of September 1981. The school was under the direction of Mr. John Michael Testa.
(Source: Cassar, M. H.M. Dockyard Children's School, Malta G.C. - Forebear to Liceo Vassalli, School Magazine 1995.)
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