A Successful Year.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1, 22 April 1914, Page 5

A Successful Year.

AT STRATFORD SCHOOL.

COMMITTEE'S ANNUAL REPORT

Last night the Stratford School Committee held its last meeting, the elections for new committees taking place on Monday next. As is usual, the committee prepared an annual report, which will be submitted to the householders at Monday's meeting. ANNUAL REPORT. Following is the text of the report : Your Committee is able to congniJolate you on the continued welfare and progress of the school. The Committee as elected consisted of Messrs Clark, Fookes. Hancock, Jackson, Jones, McMillan, Skoglund, Smart and Staples. Mr Chrl has left the district, and Mr Fookes is away on a trip to the Old Country. Among the matters brought forward at last annual meeting, peihaps the extension of the playground v*s the most important, and your Committee regrets that no tangible p r °- gress has been made in this direction, although several representations have been made to the Department b-th directly and through the Education Board. Your Committee was recently able to secure the Minister for Education for a few minutes 1-6 he was passing through Stratford, a..J having shown him the g-ound hope to have made an impression that will bear fruit in the cear fntve The new stoves th«t were eomp!»med of, and justly, last winter have boenaltered, and it is hoped that the temperature of the raotns w>U be irr.h more comfortable darwg the run us cold weather. One of the principal events of the past year was the vuifc of th«. scfccoj children to H.M.S. New Zealand, lying off New Plymouth. The action ofi the Government in granting free railway passes was much appreciated. Your Commit lee took action through the member for the district to obtain the withdrawal of an obnoxious proposal to interfere with the present methods of electing committees and to curtail subsidies on voluntary donations to school funds. The proposals were withdrawn, a large number of protests having been received by the Minister in charge of the Bill. During the year the swimming baths have been further improved, a donation of £5 from the Swimming Club materially assisting.

This year the school sports' meeting was revived with complete success. and we hope that it will not again be allowed to drop. The annual concert before the Christmas vacation was, as always, very well put on and heartily appreciated by a full house. The seaside excursion attarcted about the same numbers as in previous years, and passed off in the usual enjoyable manner, the East End Bathing Reserve Committee again do,ing everything possible for the children's enjoyment. During the year the horse paddock has heen thoroughly well fenced and a water-trough provided, the Board helping with the grant of the materials. A high wire-netting fence has been erected around the tennis-ground,,the Committee finding the material and the High School boys under Mr Sandford doing the work. Your Committee recommend the meeting to pass a resolution urging the enlargement of the Education district, as requested by the North Taranaki School Committees' Association. The Committee has had under consideration the formation of a drum and fife band in connection with the school, and recommends the idea' to the in-coming committee. The average attendance at the school for 1913 was:—Primary department 517, secondary department 121, total 638. The average number on the rolls for both departments was 725. On March 31st, 1914, there were on the school registers the names of 728 chcildren, and the average attendance up to that date was fiGS.

At the end of 1913, Misses Clemovr, Dewhirst, Cameron and Gernhoefer, who had finished their course of training, left the school, and their places woro taken by Misses James, Palmer, Comey and Kelleher, and Master Cress well. The school was visited during the year by the Education Board Inspectors and also by Inspectors Gill and Isaac of the Education Department. All these gentlemen reported in flattering terms on the working of the school. Once again every pupil who had been two years in the secondary department sat at the end of 1913 for some public examination and the very high percentage of passes gained shows clearly the general high efficiency of the school.

The following is a brief summary of tho successes gained by pupils of the school during tho year: One Taranaki University Scholarship, one Junior National Scholarship, one Bayly Memorial Scholarship, nine Board's Senior Scholarships (in this examination Stratford pupils came first, second, third, and fourth), three Board's Junior Scholarships, seven pupils passed matriculation, solicitor's general {knowledge and medical preliminary, two medical preliminary, two pupils passed matriculation and solicitor's general knowledge, seventeen passed Civil Service junior examination, four being on the credit list, and 48 passed examinations for Senior Free Places. In the teachers' examinations two

of the juniors gained special mention and three of the probationers gained University certificates of proficiency in mathematics. The general position of the, school can be well judged by the work of its pupils at public examinations, where the children of the province and of the colony enter into competition, and the results quoted above show that our school is worthily maintaining is reputation as being one of the best in the district and in the Dominion. THE BALANCE-SHEET. Details of the balance-sheet for the year ended March 31st are as follow : Receipts. Balance on April Ist, 1913, £73 lis 7s; grants from Education Board for ordinary purposes, £ll2 ss; Departmental subsidy, £6l 10s 2d; voluntary contributions for general purposes, £47 3s 8d; do. for prizes, £l3 19s 6d; do. for baths, £5; do. for sports, £1 Is 6d ; refunds school stationery, £3l 10s 7d; refunds of deposits with Education Board, £33 12* 7s; baths, £lO lis 9d; hire of shed, £ls ss; sundries. £2 13s 3d. Total, £-111 10s 7d. Expenditure. Cleaning school and outbuildings, I £B-1 9s 9d; fuel, £27 18s lOd; repairs to buildings, etc, £l9 4s lOd; special ! grants from Board, £l6 os; salary secretary, £10; expenses of committee, £3 lis 4d; advertising, £3 6s; stationery, 6s; school stationery, £3l 17s 9d; baths, £45 0s 2d; grounds, £lB 10s 7d; prizes, £33 os 2d: sports, 10s; library, £7 8s od; sundries, £7 17s 2d; deposits, £53 Els Sd; credit balance, £4i* 5s lid. Totak £4ll 10s 7d.