To the Editor of the 'Evening Mail.'

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 182, 24 July 1876, Page 2

To the Editor of the 'Evening Mail.'

Sm,—Jnst now special interest is taken in our schools aud the result of the year's work aa intimated in the annual report. A matter worthy of special notice and congratulation appears to be that in one of the schools, the arithmetic w*b done by erery child in the cla-s. All honor to the school which has attained puch an unusual distinction in Nelson. Perhaps it would not be uninteresting to your re-iders to learn what is done elsewhere in the matter of examination. I therefore beg to be allowed to give you the result of the examination of three Victorian schools which I have had sent me Int'.ly. These are the Clunea, Durham Lead, and Buoinvong Schools. The Clunes and Durham Lead Sciioola have a perioaal iotere<t for me—that I bave conducted them both. The former for many years, tho latter for nearly three years. Tbe Durham Lead School has this history; for many years it was one of the low schools of the Colony as far as result, went. Prior to my taking charge of it, they had .carcely ever ]>ad 50 per cent, of their passes. My first examination, a few months after 1 had been in charge, gave us 58 per cent.; the next ytarwe reached 75 per cent. Resigning it about the middle of the third year, my successor gees in and obtains 94 per cent. No disorganization or falling away of the school arising from change of master, although an interval of about a month elapsed before the new master was appointed, the school bring in charge of my daughter, tbe female assiß'ant. It always takes two or three years to raife a school. The Clunes school, which I unhapply resigned in 1868, ia now one of the large scho >ls of the colony, and worth about £mo a year to the mister. At the last examination there were about 870 children present; the result wag 88 per cent. Inspector's percentage. I have been favored with the details of the Buninyong echcol by my friend the head teacher, and I think it will be of interest to the teachers ot the pr .vince and possibly to the public I gire the result in hia own words :--•■ 472 examined, Inspector's percentage 98; only lost 53 marks altogether, aid these were mostly first class, over 7 years (loss from overage not failure to pass)." 2nd and 3rd classes, over 99 per cent.; 4th c!as_ neary 99 per cent; sth, 47 examined, 44 pa> sed in everything. Three others lost one each. The 6th lost 3in reading; the upper 6th got 100 per cent." Ueie it will be seen that the classes pass as a whole in every subject. We never felt that a class was to be complimented unless every child m the class passed in every subject, I am, &c, Wm. Pbicb