E.—l.

25 ENDOWED SCHOOLS AND REGISTERED PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. The following table summarizes the returns furnished by endowed schools and registered private secondary schools with respect to the years 1931 and 1932 .

Table T.

26. CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL. During the year the progress of the Correspondence School has been marked by continued steady growth and development. At the end of December there were 1,186 pupils on the roll in the primary department and 325 in the secondary department a total of 1,511. The corresponding numbers at the end of 1931 were: Primary, 973 ; secondary, 286 : total, 1,259. Of the 1,186 pupils m the primary department, over four hundred were in the infant classes. In addition to the 325 pupils in the secondary department, 136 pupils m Form 111 (Standard VII) of eighty-six country schools were being taught from papers supplied fortnightly from the Correspondence School, making a total of 422 pupils receiving post-primary education through the agency of the Correspondence School. The staff consisted of the headmaster, 21 primary assistants, 11 secondary assistants, and 11 office-assistants. In the primary department a course of study has been provided, and pupils are prepared for the Proficiency Examination m accordance with the syllabus 111 operation in the public schools. The successful introduction of nature-study and needlecraft into the curriculum has been much appreciated by parents and pupils. Of 54 pupils who sat for the examination in Form II at the end of the year, 50 gained certificates of proficiency and 3 certificates of competency. The secondary department completed in 1932 its fourth year in operation. The four years' cycle of assignments covering the University Entrance Examination has consequently been completed in all subjects. Thirteen candidates were presented for the examination, of whom 6 passed. Of the total number presented, 6 had never attended a secondary school, and of these 5 passed. It is of interest to record that of 5 candidates presented in Agriculture, 3 passed, including 1 girl, who secured 74 per cent, of marks and was second highest in the Dominion in this subject. The efficiency of the correspondence system of education, as evidenced by the results obtained in both primary and secondary departments at the public examinations, would appear now to be definitely established. 27. KINDERGARTEN SCHOOLS. The number of'schools, pupils on the roll, and average attendance at schools conducted in 1932 by recognized kindergarten associations were as follow : —

The school at Blenheim was closed at the end of 1931, while in Dunedin there was one less, and in Christchurch one more, than the number of schools in the previous year.

27

j 1931. J 1932. Number of schools .. • • • • • • 51* 55 Roll at 1st July .. •• •• 4,414 1'iik Average attendance .. •• •• •• 4,162 4,115 Teachers (inclusive of Principals) — Men .. • • • • • • 135 123 Women 155 154 Total 290 277 * One of these schools was temporarily closed during 1931 as a result of the Hawke's Bay earthquake.

, . „ , , Pupils on Roll at Average Attendance, Association. Number of Schools. End of 1932 1932 , Auckland 8 *62 345 tt i • 1 56 ob HSwi,y 1 « « Hutt Valley .. ? 378 328 cwSurch :::::: ■> ™ gj» E2W :: :: :: ' 5S Totals, 1932 .. •• 32 1,804 1,400 Totals, 1931 .. • • ' 33 1,976 1;527 Difference.. .. •• ~ 1 - ~ 172 ~ 127