REPORT ON PATEA SCHOOLS

Patea Mail, 30 April 1881, Page 3

REPORT ON PATEA SCHOOLS

Bv Mk Inspector Fouljs. The annual report of the Education Board for the District of Wanganui for the year ending 31st December, 1880, has been printed for circulation throughout the district. The following is a detail statement by the Inspector of the result of examinations at schools in the Patea district. WAVERLEY. Under a master and three pupil teachers. Date of examination, 7th and Bth December. This school has improved every year since the appointment of the present master. The ascertained results in the upper standards were perfectly satisfactory; but I was not satisfied with those in the lower ones, nor with the discipline. The master attributes the unsatisfactory state of things in these standards to the recent illness of one of his pupil teachers, who was absent for several weeks on the eve of the examination ; to the overcrowded state of his school, and to his inadequate staff. It is, of course, difficult to conduct so large a school, in two rooms, with inadequate teaching power. An additional pupil teacher has been sanctioned, whose services will enable Mr Scott to give the necessary attention to that part of the work of bis school with which, just now I am dissatisfied. The zeal and efficiency of the master, and the attention of the scholars to the subjects embraced in the u pper standards, are sufficiently vouched

for by 1 1 10 results. There were no failures in standards NT. and V, and seven passed success Cnl! y nut of ten presented in standards IN’. Thu moral tune, too, of the scholars in liie.so standards, as shown by each pupil doing his own work, is good, and is much to the credit of the master. Rut in the lower standards loose teaching was frequently betrayed. If the classes in the hands of the pupil-teachers are really to be a preparation for those higher than the_y, there must be more of good method and discipline. It appears to me that they should receive more attention from the master. I would draw his attention to arithmetic, geography, and reading as subjects in which deficiency was very apparent. Specimens of drawing and mapping were submitted. They were of average merit. Map-making is practised on Saturday, both as a “ punishment and a pleasure.” The writing of this school excels that of every other in the district. Notwithstanding the unsatisfactory results in the lower standards, I have, judging from its general efficiency, great faith in the future prosperity of this school. The school committee was represented at the examination. KOHI. Under a mistress. Date of examination, 9th December. The state of this school is creditable to Miss Hall, both as regards the tone and the attainments of the children. The style of reading, which is the leading feature in the school, is good, fluent, and correct. The children appeared to be well grounded in the elements, and those presented in standards I. and 11. all passed off very well. Four were presented in standard IV., and two succeeded in passing. A good deal of needlework is done in a satisfactory manner. Altogether, the school is in a hotter condition than I have ever found it. The school committee was represented at the examination. WAITOTABA. Under a mistress. Date of examination 6th December. This is a neat, quiet school. The mistress has considerable influence of a quiet kind. However, the standard instruction is not high. One or two children managed to pull through the first and second standards, but the rest of the school was below what it should be. The parents of the children do not seem to have a due sense of the importance of regular attendance. The needlework was creditable. Th« school committee was not represented at the examination. NORMANBY. Under a master and a pupil-teacher. Date of examination, 21st December. Twenty-three were examined below Standard I. A few could read a little. The rest were learning the letters. Standards.—The examinees in the first passed creditably ; in the 2nd the reading was but moderately good ; in other subjects they were weak ; and in the 3rd and 4th the results were favourable. Considering all the circumstances, and the short time the master has been in charge, the school in some respects made a very good appearance. This is an important school, and I hope the master (Mr W. A. McCutchan) will succeed in getting a certificate in January next. The school committee was represented at the examination. HAWERA. Under a master, an assistant, and a pupil-teacher. Date of examination, 17th and 18th December. This school, in all respects, continues to be conducted with great ability and success. The moral influence of the master (Mr A. Mair) appears to be excellent, and

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so does the discipline. The only point that requires more attention is the reading. It needs improvement both in the style and in accuracy. The fifth and iouith standard examinees did their work well. Their written papers bore evidence of careful teaching, and the revising of them afforded me much pleasure ; they were quite model papers. The drawing and mapping shown by the children in the third, fourth, and fifth standards were promising. Three failed out of fifteen presented in Standard 111. The written arithmetic was very good, but the mental was between fair and good. The second standard examinees acquitted themselves admirably. Two only failed out of thirtyone presented. Twenty-four passed in all subjects. The geography was excellent, and so generally speaking was the recitation. Thirty were presented and passed ; twenty passed in all subjects. The needlework under the different standards was very creditable. Infant Department.—There were 60 infants present on the day of examination. They were working at all stages of the rudiments, and many of the more advanced were well informed and intelligent. The order was perfect. Miss Cornfoot (assistant), who has charge of this department, is an intelligent teacher, of kind and cheerful manner, and possessing very specially the talents needed for such work as she is engaged in. She has a decided talent for teaching infants, and keeps the routine of infant instruction with spirit and assiduity. If we except the Wanganui school, this is the best conducted infant school in my district. Additional accommodation is urgently needed. A gallery or platform for infants in indispensable. Since this report was written additional floor space has, I have been told, been provided. The erection of a gallery or platform should not be delayed. The school committee was represented at the examination. MANUTAHI. Under a mistress. Date of examination, 16th December. The children were cheerful and wellbehaved, and the school bore marks of diligent and thoughtful work, as far as it went. The infants were well grounded in the elements, and all those presented for standard work passed fairly well. The reading, spelling, writing, and geography were all good. I can speak favourably, also, of the meaning of words in the second standard. The sewing seemed to be well done. Altogether, and as regards both the tone of the school and the intelligence of the children, the state of the school is creditable to Miss Hay. Members of the school committee and others were present during the examination. WHAKAMARA. Under a mistress. Date of examination, 20th December. This school has been open for three months, and is held in the room of a farm house, which is small, and only partially fitted up. This fact alone greatly hinders the thorough discipline and efficiency of the school. On the day of my visit there was a thin attendance, owing to a heavy rainfall. Those that were present, however, afforded a favorable specimen of what the schoolmistress (Mrs Biemer) can do. Out of 20 on the school roll, 10 were present, and 2 passed Standard I. very creditably. The school committee was represented at the examination. KAKARAMEA. Under a master. Date of examination, 15th December. Afterraaking every allowance for special causes, which are said to have operated against the prosperity of it, I am bound to state my disappointment with the attainments of the children in this school. There has been little or no progress made since last year. The reading throughout was slovenly, the dictation—on slates of the third standard, and on paper of the 4th and sth—was altogether unsatisfactory, and the arithmetic and grammar were equally so. The copy-books were clean, and comparatively free from blots and scrawls, and the written papers of the 4th and sth standard were more favorable than last year. I ascribe the fact that the results are so unsatisfactory, partly to the lack of self-reliance on the part of the children, partly to the prejudicial practice of skipping a standard, and partly to the master not having fully employed the ability which he has at his command. With greater attention to discipline and classification, and to the working of the elements, this school, under its present master, ought to succeed better in standard work than it has yet done. The school committee was represented at the examination.

CARLYLE DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL. Under a master, an assistant master, and one assistant mistress. Date of examination, 14th and 15th December. This school, in many respects, made a highly satisfactory appearance, notwithstanding its insufficient accommodation for the present attendance. I am happy to report that, in the order, discipline, and oiganisation of it, perceptible improvement has been effected ; while the advancement in the standard results has been com-. mensnrate with the exertions put forth to furnish the examinees, especially in the upper standards, with an intellectual outfit. In these standards there was only one failure. In almost every subject the examinees did wel', especially those in the fifth and sixth standards. Their leaves were orderly and neatty written. Drawing and mapping too were generally satisfactory, and the home exercise books were creditable to all concerned. Those who worked the science paper manifested accurate knowledge, and well exercised powers of thinking. Agnes Paterson’s paper was remarkably good. With the exception of drawing, the instruction in the higher standards is given by the head master. The efficiency of his teaching doos not appear from his manner, but is to be found in the results bo produces, which are highly satisfactory. Standard lll.—The children in this standard acquitted themselves, in the main, very creditably. A tenth only failed to pass. The reading lacks accuracy and articulateness. The writing in copybooks was not so neatly executed as It should have been. Arithmetic very good ; mental arithmetic fair; dictation and spelling very good ; geography and history good ; recitation of verse good. Standard II. —In this standard the reading was slovenly ; spelling very fair ; writing fair, hut copy books occasionally smeared with ink ; geography weak ; repetition of verse fair. A sixth of those presented failed to pass. Standard I. —There were very few good readers amongst the children in this standard ; arithmetic very good ; mental arithmetic fair ; poetry fairly repeated. About ono-sixth of those presented failed. Mr Flood (assistant) has had the charge of these standards, and since his appointment lias laboured assiduously. He also takes charge of the drawing and the drill. In both a promising start has been made, and the fair proficiency displayed in them reflected credit on his assiduity. His classes, on the whole, have been conducted with order and propriety up to the present time. Miss Gowland, who, besides taking charge of the needlework, has the infants under her care, is exercising good influence among these. But as she has been but a very short time in the school, the fair appearance made by those under her charge is to be credited rather to her predecessor than to herself. I am happy to report that the school is conducted with success ; that the improvement since last year is remarkable, and reflects great credit on Mr Dyer and his subordinates. The school committee was represented at the examination. WHENUAKURA. Under a master. Date of examination, 10th December. This school has suffered from the prevalence of sickness in the neighborhood. It appears that the master has up-hill work, owing to the desultory attendance of the children, and their late hours in the morning. Until some improvement can be made in these respects the school cannot bo very efficient. Standard 111. —Two were presented, but only one passed. She read intelligently, knew her grammar well, and cleaved her arithmetic paper. Writing of both candidates very good. Standard II. —Attention is required to accuracy in reading, and to details in other subjects. Writing in copy-books good, but few of the books were free from blots ; arithmetic good; spelling weak; geography fair ; recitation but indifferent ; two recited well. For a second standard two shewed fair specimens of drawing. Standard I.—Neither the reading nor the spelling was so good as last year. Attention is required to numeration ; arithmetic not good ; mental arithmetic fair ; two repeated poetry fairly. Those below Standard 1 were fairly grounded in the elements. After making every allowance for the special causes stated as operating against the school, the results of the examination are not so good as they should have been, considering the known ability of the master. He purposes attending the forthcoming examination of teachers in January next. The school committee was represented at the examination.

FSUIT TREE PLANTING. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance of planting orchards of choice dessert and culinary fruit more extensively than has hitherto been practised. The growing demand and the immense quantity imported into this Colony are a sufficient guarantee, that it would pay. Standard trees of apples, nears, plums, cherries, qnincies, walnuts, hazel nuts, &c., may be grown in hedge rows twenty feet apart. They beautify the landscape, afford, shelter, and. give an annual profit not to be dexlvcd from ordinary hedge grown trees. We cannot recommend fruit trees for fences as cattle proof, but we advise them to be used in gardens where dividing hedges and shelter are required. They may be planted four feet apart, and the branches trained flat and tied to stakes six feet high ; as the branches gain strength the stakes may be dispensed with. Another interesting mode of planting garden hedges is to procure maiden one year old trees of npples ? pears, plums, cherries, &c., and plant two feet apart; at eighteen high bend to an angle of 45deg, or as near as possible without breaking; the adjoining tree should be bent and inarched or grafted at the angle of the preceding, and the remainder treated in the same way. This would form an impenetrable fence, and quite a novelty, as the whole would be united and form one tree. It is hardly necessary to explain that the above-mentioned trees cannot he mixed, viz., apples mnst be planted together, pears together, &c., but as many varieties of each may be used as the planter has at command.—Canterbury Times.