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AUCKLAND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL. 1. Boaed's Eepoet Office of Education Board, Auckland, 28th March, 1884. The Board presents the following report of the school for the twelve months ending 31st December, 1883 :— The number of pupils has increased from 193 to 225. The school year was divided into three terms of equal length, as follows 30th January to 27th April, 21st May to 17th August, 17th September to 14th December An examination of the school was held at the end of the second term, in August. The examination of the three highest forms was undertaken, at the request of the Board, by Professors Brown, Tucker, and Thomas, of the Auckland University. The remainder of the school was examined by the Board's Inspectors. Copies of the examiners' reports are appended. The certificates of merit awarded, as the result of the examination, were presented by the Chairman of the Board, on the 13th December, in the presence of a large number of parents and friends, assembled (for want of a better building) in the Choral Hall. Copies of the Headmaster's terminal reports are appended. The school has been officially visited from time to time by the Board's Chief Inspector of Schools, Mr O , Sullivan. The course of instruction has been carefully revised. Special attention has been given to cahsthenic exercises, and a circular was issued to parents, calling attention to the danger of allowing girls to dress in a manner calculated to hinder the proper development of the body Ten district scholars and one holder of a certificate of proficiency received free tuition during the year The reports of their conduct, attendance, and progress in study were satisfactory Four scholarships, of the value of £15 a year each, were offered for competition to pupils of the school not exceeding fifteen years of age. The examination for these scholarships was held in December, and was based on the work of the Fourth Form. Only two candidates entered, and a scholarship was awarded to each of them. A copy of the conditions of scholarship is appended. The boarding department is still discontinued, for want of the necessary accommodation. The school accommodation is inadequate. Every available room in the brick building is called into use, and an addition will shortly have to be made to the detached wooden building for school purposes. A statement of accounts for the year is appended. The income from fees amounted to £1,665 15s. 4d. The expenditure on salaries was £2,023 Os. lid. , on rent, £200 , and on other objects, £465 10s. 7d. making a total of £2,688 11s. 6d. The usual grant of £1,000 was received from the annual vote of Parliament, in lieu of endowment. But for this grant the school could not be maintained. The Board is, however, forced to record its opinion that this large and important school ought not to be dependent upon an annual vote for its maintenance. Other secondary schools are richly endowed, some to the extent of £2,000 or £3,000 a year Their endowments are yearly increasing in value, and they are provided with handsome and capacious buildings fitted up with all necessary appliances. On the other hand, the Auckland Girls' High School —having (with a single exception) the largest attendance of any secondary school within the colony—is both unhoused and unendowed. Representations have been made from time to time of the need of a building suited to the requirements of the school, and the Government have at length promised to recommend the reservation of the Howe Street Industrial School property of three acres, formerly occupied for grammar-school purposes, as a site. In the meantime, until proper accommodation is supplied, the Board has been obliged to take a new lease of the premises in Upper Queen Street for three years from the Ist January, 1884, at an increased rental. Eichaed Hobbs, The Hon. the Minister of Education. Chairman.

2. Repoet of Giels' High School Examination held in August, 1883. The annual examination of the Girls' High School was held in August, 1883,- at the end of the. second term. The number of pupils examined was as fallows Form VI. 3 Form V., 16; Form IV.a, 44, Form IV.b, 32, Form IV.c, 29, Form 111., 29 Form 11., 26, Form 1., 21 total, 200. The examination of Forms IV.A, V., and VI., the three highest classes containing sixty-three pupils), was undertaken, at the request of the Board, by the Professors of the Auckland University, whose reports are appended. The work of the other forms (containing 137 pupils) was examined by the Inspectors, who report as follows : — Girls' High School Examinations, 1883. — Forms IV.b, IV.c, 111, 11, 1., consisting of 137 Pupils English. —The work of the three lower forms was not very good, many marks were lost in parsing and through bad spelling. There were many good papers from IV.c and those of IV.B were satisfactory In the last-mentioned form most of the composition papers were excellent, but t!i3 papers of the forms below it were spoiled by the bad spelling. The literature of IV.B was satisfactory , but that of IV.c showed an ignorance of the meanings of the passages which had been learned by heart. The writing was not so good as might be expected, much of it being crowded and scratchy The reading—and this refers to the whole school—was for the most part good, except in the two lowest forms , some of it excellent. Laws of Health. —The papers on this subject of Forms 111., IV.c, and IV.b were excellent. Those of Form 11. were not very good.

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