E.—4

12

The manual groups are four in number —senior, intermediate, junior, and infant. The classification is based on the child's muscular co-ordination and temperamental development, irrespective of physique, intelligence quotient, or scholastic attainment: e.g., a child whose scholastic classification is PI or P2, but whose muscular co-ordination is particularly good, or whose temperament is such that infant-room occupations, methods, and control are too childish for him, will receive training in either the intermediate or senior manual class. The occupations of the manual classes are as follows :— Infant Class : (1) Plasticine-modelling ; (2) drawing (chalk and crayon) ; (3) bead-threading ; (4) block-building ; (5) sand-tray work ; (6) gardening (flower) ; (7) paper and raffia weaving ; (8) paper-folding ; (9) card-sewing ; (10) sewing ; (11) canvas work ; (12) knitting. Junior Class: (1) Plasticine-modelling; (2) knitting slippers and garments; (3) darning; (4) card-sewing; (5) sewing ; (6) canvas work ; (7) matmaking ; (8) raffia work ; (9) drawing (crayon) ; (10) gardening (flower). Intermediate Class: (1) Drawing; (2) brushwork ; (3) stencilling; (4) darning; (5) raffia work ; (6) gardening (flower). Senior Class : (1) Raffia and pine-needle work ; (2) traymaking ; (3) darning ; (4) drawing and design ; (5) leatherwork ; (6) gardening (vegetable). When -boys have attained the age of fourteen to sixteen years, and have advanced in school-work as far as their mental capacity will allow, if custodial cases they are transferred to the industrial division of the institution, but if of higher grade of mentality they are transferred to a full-time manual-training class. The aim of this full-time manual class is to train the boys to be self-reliant and generally useful, so that later they will be able to take their place in the world. Besides learning gardening, raffia, tray, and leather work, these boys learn to use common tools —hammer, saw, plane, &c. —and do odd rough carpentry work about the school—making tables, &c. They also learn domestic work, act as message-boys, have charge of the school furnace, &c. On these boys is thrown much of the responsibility of school government. They are encouraged to be self-governing in every way, and expected to be of direct assistance to those in charge. Before these boys leave the institution to become farm-workers under the supervision of a Child Welfare Officer they, after school hours, are taught milking in the industrial division of the institution. 3. Musical. Music lends brightness and interest to the life of the subnormal child to whom intellectual pleasures are denied. Every effort, therefore, is made to develop in the child an appreciation of music. Singing is a special feature of the school-work. For this training the children are graded into three groups —senior, junior, and infant. The infant class is composed of young children and children of low grade of intelligence who enjoy singing-games, nursery-rhymes, &c. ; the junior class is composed of the boys who will benefit from simple vocal exercises and simple songs ; the senior class is composed of the boys capable of benefiting from more advanced musical training —more difficult voice-training exercises, and songs, standard, national, and sacred. These formal singing-lessons, however, by no means exhaust the musical work. During the handwork period constant use is made of the gramophone, and when not listening to this music the children sing at their work folk-songs, choruses, &c. 4. Mental. To ascertain the scholastic attainment of each child on admission he is given a thorough school test. As soon as he has settled down and the school environment is no longer strange to him the following mental tests are given : (1) Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon test, to discover, as accurately as possible, the child's intellectual capacity ; (2) Porteous maze ; and (3) Pintner-Patterson performance tests, to ascertain his industrial or mechanical ability. These mental tests are again administered whenever it is deemed desirable. The result of these tests (scholastic and mental) determines tentatively the scholastic classification of the child. In the education of the subnormal child temperament is an important factor. Careful observation of the child, therefore, shows if his tentative classification is satisfactory. If it be unsatisfactory a change of classification and control is made. The present number of classes is nine, ranging from elementary infant-work on individual lines to Grade 4 (simplified Standard IV work). Morning school is devoted to physical and mental work. The following subjects hold chief place of importance in the curriculum : English (including reading, recitation, speech-training, spelling, sentence-construction, and letter-writing), writing, and arithmetic (concrete and practical). A general-knowledge class for the older, higher-grade boys has been formed. Poster-work stimulates the interest of the pupils in this class-work. Free occupation classes for the intermediate and senior manual classes are held after school hours. Free choice of tools and material is given, and the boys make whatever their inclination dictates — the only restriction placed on the child being economy of material, care of tools, and the completion of any work commenced. During the year the general health of the inmates has been excellent. The Director of Education. W. Meikleham, Manager.