PRIMARY SCHOOL COURSE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20094, 25 November 1930, Page 12

PRIMARY SCHOOL COURSE.

earlier completion, i DIBECTOB'S PPINIO.V I <»»•' tuoavnox ( primary .cho.l """"J ° lUd l d haß passed 0 Standard IV., has W .ha Dlr«.or - ««; tion Air T. B. Strong, wno has returned •to Kington after a tour of ~ery oduc.«o» district i» SEX'S Strong undertook the tou, possibi 1 iof J °^ t^ / , 'comm i*irecommendations of th # . a . tee on Education, and, he_ to up a report on his ijndmgs for 1 Mtion to > One of the questions receiving immediate attention relates to the introduction of the "11-plus" unae, which the primary school will pass into the secondary school a., tnc age of 11, or after passing Standard I\. This means that the present or " ls • and 11., formerly known as Standard. I v. and VI., -would no longer be part ot I the primary school. They would be inj corporated in the secondary school. Ihe • advantage claimed for this system is 1 ihat ■ there would not occur .1 break m i instruction which is liable to hinder ! real progress. In recent years such subjects as French, Latin, and Algebra : have been taught by some primary | schools in classes which would, in fortn--1 or times, not have been undertaken untn the pupil had readied secondary school I status. The objection to this method I has been that Forma I. and 11. in the 1 primary school are not sufficiently linked j with the secondary school so as to proI vide continuity of instruction and teach- ' ing interest, and it is claimed that the j introduction of the "11-plus" syßtein •would give this continuity in a far greater measure. the subject to-day, Strong said he was of the opinion that the system could be introduced in some districts he visited, where it would involve little or ao. extra cost.

Consolidation. Ad enquiry is also being made intr» the question of consolidating schools is* country, districts,' and Mr Strong' «nicl he had found that many districts visited ■were keen to bring about the form or consolidation 03 outlined in the Committee's report,' Under the jirescnt system one teacher in a country school might be controlling and teaching eight classes from primer, to Standard VI. If, as under the consolidatitto surrounding schools were done away with, and the availablo teaching power marshalled, the one school remaining to E6rve the district would bo conducted along the lines of a city institution with resultant benefit to the pupils arising from the ability ot" the teachers td give more time to particular classes.