POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION PROBLEMS IN CHRISTCHURCH

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28261, 26 April 1957, Page 18

POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION PROBLEMS IN CHRISTCHURCH

“Where new schools are placed, and what kind they are, is going to determine to a large extent the kind of post-primary education there will be in Christchurch in future years,” said Mr J. Leggat headmaster of the Christchurch Boys’ High School, speaking on Wednesday evening in the series of lectures on modern education arranged by the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Educational. Institute.

Among the developments Mr Leggat suggested were:—Wider jurisdiction for the Post-primary Schools’ Council so that it could plan for the urban and semi-rural pupils centred on Christchurch; establishment of a branch of the Education Department to foster decentralisation and avoid any possibility that the council might be thought an extension of the department; bringing the “technical high school” roll of the Christchurch Technical College into the high school organisation to enable the college to concentrate on the increasing demands for wider technical and technological education; and some official indication of whether recent curriculum changes indicated a change in post-primary educational philosophy.

Mr Leggat said he had taught through most of the alterations in the characteristic post-primary pattern in New Zealand. About 30 years ago most centres had one high school and one technical college. Where numbers grew there was often a split into a boys* and girls’ high schools. About 1930, there began a combination of high and technical schools equipped to teach all the subjects of both. So evolution continued to “the multl-course coeducational school which is accepted today as the characteristic type of New Zealand post-primary school,” because they had shown that they were workable, cheaper to establish than a series of singlesex, specialised schools, and suited to. the larger numbers of entrants now coming forward in newlydeveloped areas. But just because a multi-course co-educational school suited one community it did not mean it would suit others.

“Expediency Development” “It can be seen that the type of school being developed in New Zealand is not a matter of principle,” said Mr Leggat. “Expediency and economy seem to be the governing factors ” Mr Leggat mentioned incidentally that the headmaster of a new comprehensive school could not be expected to know the tools and language of his complex machine and might benefit by a little prior experience in one “to establish some Standards and put at least a veneer on their primal ignorance.”

Multi-course schools could vary courses to intellectual requirements and, where co-educational, capitalise on the social desirability of bringing ud boys and girls to-

gether. But today the number of schools had increased faster than the number of possible candidates for higher education with the result that the bright pupils became dispersed and diluted with those of lesser calibre.

The significance here, said Mr Leggat, was in the staffing ratio of one teacher to about 25 pupils. A recent survey of six schools in one centre show’ed the following average upper sixth form classes: mathematics, 6.7; Latin, 6.5; French, 7.1; physics, 8.7; biology, 4.3. This meant that either a teacher was taking very few pupils in the upper form and that to comply with the staffing ratio lower forms were bigger than they should be. or that sixth forms were not getting as much teaching’ as they would with about 25 pupils. “My argument is that comprehensive schools, sited to serve a district and limited in numbers, must fail to give the equal educational opportunity (of which we speak so freely) because of the impossibility under present staffing regulations of giving classes in a wide range of pre-university subjects,” said Mr Leggat. Christchurch Planning

Later Mr Leggat classed the Christchurch Post - primary Schools’ Council and its constituent boards of governors as “a valuable attempt to get the benefits of economy of central administration without destroying the wide participation of local interest. ... I am sure the idea is sound.” But there was a danger .that in dealing with one body instead of several the Education Department might tend to regard the council as an extension of itself. Perhaps the time had come for further consideration of a branch of the department in Christchurch.

“Under present conditions I do not think the council has any real chance of planning as it would if. for this purpose, it controlled all post-primary schooling from, say. Kaiapoi to Lincoln.” Mr Leggat said. “The duty laid on it of planning for the future is so important that it should be given the environment in which it can live and plan.” Divided Control At present there were the federalised high schools under the council; the Technical College managed independently, and with the biggest high school roll in Christchurch; the New Brighton and Lincoln District High Schools, drawing some pupils from areas where the council was planning new schools, yet controlled by the Education Board; and now there was talk of an independent high school at Kaiapoi.

Given unified control, the council could “take a new look” at provisions for the high-ability groups, for those going on the land, and for those wanting work preliminary to technical and tech-

’ nological training. “There will be recommendations from the professional expert but the council is ! the body that should have the , power and freedom to put what : it likes into operation whore it , likes,” said Mr Leggat. Curriculum Pendulum Mr Leggat dealt with curri--1 culum changes, stemming from addresses of Dr. Cyril Norwood 1 (one-time headmaster of Harrow) to the New Education Fellowship ■ in 1937, incorporated in the • Thomas report in 1943, and introduced by regulation in 1945. Teachers back from the war found 1 things transformed with these in--1 novations, a higher leaving age, accrediting, and the school certificate. Now the whole school certificate examination was under review and already some prescriptions had been revised without much publicity. . _ln Latin the “Norwoodian” emphasis on reading a foreign language was shifting back on to grammar and the “smattering” of general science was again divided into chemistry, physics, and biology. “If these changes represent a change in feeling they are important for they would represent a change in prescription to meet the needs of subsequent examinations, a change in philosophy, and a swing back of the pendulum.” Mr Leggat said. “Someone should say where we are going.”