GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18239, 25 November 1924, Page 5

GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT. ABOLITION DECIDED UPON.' For many years there has been a good deal of discussion about the preparatory department at tho Girls' High School, and yesterday the matter of its abolition was again discussed at the meeting of the Canterbury College Board of Governors.

Tho subject was introduced by Mr C. T. Aschman, who, in moving the adoption of the report of the High Schools and Hostel Committee, referred to the following recommendation by the committee contained therein: "That tho preparatory department of the Girls' High School be discontinued as from tho end of the present year." Mr Aschman stated that with regard to this particular clause he had nothing to sav. He considered it was not worth while" going into the argument again, the question having been before the Board on a good &any occasions. Mr J. J. Dougall enquired why the committee had made tho recommendation. The chairman (Mr H. D. Acland) said that in view of discussion on various occasions he did not propose to support the recommendation. Mr J. E. Cuningham said tho Board had been supplied with a report that the school was in no way overcrowded, and they had been labouring under a misapprehension. Mr Aschman remarked that he did not know that tho statement was quite correct. The school was at a disadvantage over the number of rooms. One of the arguments was that this proposal would make room. There were primary schools available, if the pupils wanted to go to preparatory schools. Miss E. A. Chaplin said that her own feeling was that there should not be a preparatory school. She had always understood'that thero had been an overcrowding at the school. Mr L. B. "Wood stated that for the past twelve years the matter had been discussed, and during that time the opinion of tho Board had been very much divided. The Board had passed resolutions for tho abolition of the preparatory department, and at its next meeting had rescinded them. A determining factor iu the retention of tho department had been sentiment. Tho headmistress of the school had wanted the department, and ho had heard members of the Board state that this was their reason for supporting an effort for its retention. A person who stated that the loss of the extra room, in which the preparatory department was taught, did not hamper the working of the school was an ignoramus. The school was greatly overcrowded, and the children were being taught in every hole and corner and even in the passageways. This course was sure to do a great deal of harm to the school. If the preparatory department were abolished it would set free another room for the pupils who were most in need of it. They should have at least fourteen rooms at tho institution at

Cranmcr square, and at present the accommodation was limited to eleven, one of these being used for tho preparatory department'. The Government had sent down an order that the preparatory department should be abolished, but the Board had not done so, and the Government now used this argument to the end that the school was not overcrowded.. Mr W. Brock said ho was in favour of having tho preparatory department done away with. Anyone who knew anything about schools knew that a preparatory school in connexion with a secondary school was an excrescence. The primary schools were doing tho work much better, and in tho case of the High School ono teacher was trying to teach several different grados of preparatory work, whereas at the primary school each grade had its separate teacher. Practically every year tho teacher of the preparatory department sent in her resignation, and he thought that this was because her duties covered such a great scope of work. Tho Board was carrying on the department in an underhand fashion. If people did not wish to send their children to tho ordinary primary school there were plenty of private schools available.

The motion in favour of carrying the committee's recommendation was carried by 10 votes to 4. The following was the division list:—

For: Miss Chaplin, Drs. A. J. Orchard, J. Hight, and C. Chilton, Messrs L. B. Wood, A. E. Flower, J. Deans, C. D. Hardie, C. T. Aschman, and TV. Brock. Against: Messrs H. D. Acland, J. R. Cuningham, J. J. Dougall. and G. T. Weston.