Appendix C]

E.—2

TARANAKI. Sib,— Education Office, New Plymouth, 31st Marob, 1911. We have the honour to submit our annual report for the year ending the 31st December, 1910. At the beginning of the war ninety-three schools (including four half-time schools) were in operation, and during the year new schools were established at Oeo, Kotare, and Taurakawa. The following table contains a summary of the examination results: —

Compared with the return for 1908, the roll-number shows an increase of 261, while the increase in the number present at the Inspector's annual visit was 2!)(). There has been an increase in the roll-number of every standard except Standard 111 and Standard IV. In 1909 there was a slight decrease in Standard VII, but we are pleased*to record an increase for this year of nineteen. Of the 125 pupils in Standard VII, 101 belong to the secondary classes of the Stratford District Sigh School. Catholic Schools — The Catholic schools in New Plymouth, [nglewood, Stratford, and Opunake still continue to do satisfactory work. The following is a summary of examination-results for each of the Catholic schools examined and inspected by us (table not reprinted], THE I'kimkk Classes. SiGHT-nBADiNG.—The practice of reading and rereading the school primers beyond the limit which separates necessary from wasteful repetition still prevails in many schools. In every school three or four sets of supplementary Headers should be kept, and a definite time set aside on the time-table for sight-reading, when these special reading-books might be used. It must be manifest that a considerable benefit would be derived from this use of supplementary Readers in the direction of giving a greater facility in the mechanical part of reading and also in stimulating the child's love for interesting books. Another gain will be that this additional reading will considerably enlarge the child's vocabulary, which will tend not only to create within the child the power to express itselt with confidence on certain topics, but to so widen and enrich his experience that he will feel that he must speak. In this way one of the great difficulties of oral composition in the lower classes will lie partly overcome. ixiiivnifAi. Wobk.—There is a tendency in the infant department to minimize individual work. The answering U t ften simultaneous. Not infrequently does it happen that teachers not only of the preparatory classes but also of the standards (being misled by the deceptive nature of the collective answering common in their classes) overestimate the general proficiency of their pupils' work. Each child as far as possible should feel that during any lesson he may be called upon at any moment to do some individual work. Then, again, the answers should! be clearly and definitely given, and pupils should not be allowed to answer out of turn and give unasked the answer SOtto voce. Kill-time Wouk.—There is one phase of work done in the infant department that calls for strong condemnation. Not an inconsiderable amount of the slate work done by IM and even P2, while the teacher' is engaged with another class, is so indifferently supervised, so perfunctorily corrected, and so unsuitable to the stage of progress that the pupils are at what has been aptly termed "kill-time work." Physical Tbaining. —This branch of instruction continues to receive a satisfactory amount of attention, and at least two of its objects—namely, the raising of the general standard of health and the making of the children alert and responsive-—are kept fairly well in view. In a few schools, however, the exercises seem to be somewhat aimless in character and execution. Careful attention should be given to the physiological effect of each exercise. It is very easy to slip into :\ perfunotory manner of going through a number of exercises; this is particularly the case with those exercises which are framed with the object of increasing the breathing-capacity. Unfortunately, one of the aims of physical instruction is almost entirely overlooked. Rarely do we see exercises specially given with tire object of improving the carriage of the body and of imparting grace and ease to the pupils' general deportment.

ii —E. 2 (App. C).

IX

Classes. Number on Roll. Present at the Average Agn of Annual Pupils in each Examination. I Class. itandardVII ... VI ... V ... IV ... Ill ... II ... I ... 'reparatory 125 336 491 629 670 706 752 2,358 Yrs. mos. 120 15 3 319 14 0 475 13 4 609 12 5 654 11 6 694 10 1 722 9 4 2,192 7 1 Totals 6,067 5,785 11 8* 5,785 11 8* * Mean of average age.