WEST END SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1921, Page 6

WEST END SCHOOL.

MEETING GF COMMITTEE. 1 The West End School Committee met on Friday night, Mr. J. S. S. Medley presiding. j The headmaster reported, inter alia, I that the attendance at the end of last ' year was 543. Sixty had been admit- j ted and eighty withdrawn, leaving 523 i on the roll, as compared with 502 for the first week of 1920. Misses Dive- j hall, Rich and Barnes had left, havingcompleted their terms as probationers as pupil teachers. Misses Thomas and Hodge "and Mr. Hancock had been appointed to succeed them, otherwise the staffing was the same as last year. Miss Thomas had not yet taken up her duties. In accordance -with departmental regulations, the organisation of the school had been altered, one of the assistants having been transferred to the infant department. This left one of the classes without an assistant in charge, and at present the headmaster was in charge of Standard 111., leaving little time for supervision. It should •not be expected that pupil teachers should be placed in charge of a large class of, say 70 pupils; neither was it ( advisable to require tlu infant mistress ' to take control of all the infant classes with the assistance of probationers or pupil teachers. A school of this size could not be considered as adequately staffed without another assistant. It was difficult to do satisfactory work under the overcrowded conditions existing in the lower infant room, where, in a room 23 x 30, are crowded 90 pupils with desk accommodation for 86, leaving a floor space of 7 2-3 square feet per pttpil. During the summer months the room was unbearably hot. Moreover it was practically impossible to secure the attention of infants where two classes were being taught in the same room. He suggested that the Education Board should be asked to provide a moveable partition in the gymnasium, which would somewhat ameliorate the working conditions. The committee resolved to ask the board to provide a moveable partition as suggested. As soon as the date of the Minister of Education’s visit to New Plymouth is definitely known, a meeting of the committee will be held, with the object of taking steps to bring before the Minister’s notice the urgent necessity for procuring a new site for the school. The secretary was voted a bonus of £5 ss.