PATUMAHOE

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 220, 24 October 1916, Page 2

PATUMAHOE

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING. The usual quarterly meeting of the Patumahoe School Committee was held last Tuesday evening the following members being presAut'.C Messrs Goldsworthy (chairman), J. Henry, W. Pleydell and E. C. Cull (secretary).

MAUIfU SCHOOL CASK. At the request of the Committee the headmaster, Mr J. Graham, was also in attendance to explain matters in connection with a r«c&bt school court case wherein School had been mentioned and a possible reflection cast on the staff. Mr Graham said the statement made in Court as published in the " Times " did not give ijuite a fair version of the boy's attendance and the progress ho made at the Patumahoe School and he wished to makn facta perfectly clear. Tho boy, Goold Wright, was admitted to the Patumahoe School on August Ist, 1910, aged eight years eleven

and he was put on admission in Primer 1 upper. He was placed in Primer 2 on Ist January I 9 11-and was promoted to Standard 4NL on Ist January, 1912, and further protested to Standard II on Ist January, 1913. He left the Patumahoe School after being seven months in Standard 11. on 7th August, 1913. His attendances were as follows : —l9lO, 136 attendances out of 186 ; 1911,264 outof 417 ; 1912, 371 out of 414 ; 1913, 132 out of 238. Mr Graham quoted instances showing the progress children had made at the Patumahoe School and i maintained that the average ages in the Standards at Patumahoe was younger than in other schools. There were no cases on record, said Mr Graham, of a ohild that had left the Patumahoe School being admitted to any other Standard than the one they had been taught in at Patumahoe. Instances were quoted of children who had entered the Patumahoe School as primers having gained the proficiency certificate at the ages of twelve years four months and twelve years six months. Mr Graham stated that owing to the continual shifting of the assistants he had been frequently left with the whole school on his hands and once he had 85 children in all standards for a month at a time. —After hearing Mr Graham's statement the following resolution was proposed by Mr J. Henry and seconded by Mr Pleydell and carried unanimously, viz. That in connection with Mr Graham's attendance at the Patumahoe School Committee meeting to explain incident? in connection with a recent Court case affecting an adjoining School, wherein remarks were made regarding the Patumahoe School, such remarks being considered by Mr Graham as being liable to be construed to the detriment of the Patumahoe School and staff, the Committee wish to express the opinion that after hearing Mr Graham's statement they consider that any evidence given in such case should be no reflection on the present teachers of the Patumahoe School."

SCHOOL OVERCROWDING—MEDICAL REPORT. In connection with a resolution passed at the last meeting wherein the Committee resolved to personally pay for the expenses incurred in getting a medical report on the overcrowded state of the School the following report was received from Dr. Wake, of Pukekohe. " Pukekohe, September 12th, 1916.—T0- 1 day I visited Patumahoe School at your request and found according to the roll call a fairly average attendance of pupils which allowed me to judge of the normal condition under which the School is carried on. The room in which the School is carried on is 757 square feet and as 20 feet of this is occupied by cupboards or other structures the total available space is only 737 square feet. As the attendance was 79 this means a space of 9ft 32in for each pupil This is quite inadequate as there should be 10 square feet to each pupil. When the attendance exceeds 79—as it has frequently done, occasionally reaching 92 —the space is still further reduced until it barely reaches eight square feet. These conditions, whilst not being hygenic, are not conducive to the maintenance of good health in either pupils or teachers and it is not difficult to understand that either of them have suffered from sore throats. The inability—on account of crowding-to use-the iireplace, should it be required, is a great disadvantage both from point of ventilation and comfort. The proximity of the nearest desk to the fire would »t the present time make its use an impossibility. The nearness of the front row of desks to the blackboard must give rise to considerable discomfort. The lobby is quite inadequate to hold the children's bags, in many cases holding their food, but this is not so much a. matter of health as convenient The boys' w.c. is in quite a good state of repair and sanitation, but the girls' is draughty and badly in need of repair. In conclusion I would say that although I have visited many schools at different times I have never seen one so crowded. I have no hesitation in saying that neither teachers or pupils are working under conditions which permit tnem to do justice to themselves."

MI SC'ELLANEO 1' S. The secretary read a letter from tho Education Board explaining that owing to the increased cost ef stationery it had been decided to increase the school allowance by 20 per cent. Several small accounts were passed for payment.