The remaining three are aided by means of a special grant of £2 for every scholar in average attendance under clause 43 of the Ordinance.

In addition to these, a Roman Catholic School at Kaiapoi, and a School at East Selwyn have likewise been in receipt of a special grant. The certificated Master who was in office when the latter School first obtained assistance having retired, and the School authorities having failed to obtain another Teacher with the requisite qualifications, the grant was necessarily withdrawn after being in operation for two quarters. The Kaiapoi Roman Catholic School has been closed since the occurrence of the heavy floods in February.

The total amounts spent on the erection of the respective School Buildings in the districts of Cust and Leeston have been as follows :-

Cust ... ... ... ... £272 16 0
Leeston ... ... ... 250 0 0

In the case of the Cust School, the inhabitants of the district contributed £68 15s 0d, besides the £20 for apparatus. The remainder of the sum, £204 1s, was supplemented by the Board.

With regard to the Leeston School, the residents in the district subscribed the sum of £62 10s for the erection of the buildings, the balance being contributed by the Board.

Public Meetings have been held at Mount Grey Downs, Loburn, Flaxton, and Governor’s Bay North, with the view of forming those localities into Educational Districts, and School Buildings are in course of construction in the two latter places.

A memorial, having the same object in view, has been received from the inhabitants of Southbridge. The means, however, at the disposal of the Board were not sufficient to allow of any assistance being granted during the present financial year.

Memorials have also been received from the residents in the districts of Springston, Malvern Hills, and Ashburton.

Thus it is evident that an increasing demand exists for means of Education in remote districts, and it will be necessary to expend a sum in excess of that usually allowed for the establishment of new Schools, if the children of Settlers in outlying districts are to be placed on any footing of equality with those whose parents reside in more settled localities.

The rapid increase in the numbers attending the Tai-Tapu School since aid was first granted by the Board is most satisfactory; during the quarter ending March 31st, 1867, there was an average attendance of 18 Scholars; in the December quarter the average was 32.

The buildings of the Riccarton School having been repaired and improved at a cost, as stated by the School authorities of £170, the Board granted assistance to the amount of £20.

The average number of Scholars at the Avonside School having increased to 58, the Board has, in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance, made an additional annual grant in favour of this School of £2 per head for every child in average attendance beyond 40 in number, with the view of providing a portion of the salary for an Assistant Teacher.

With regard to the following statistics, it must be borne in mind that they are drawn up for the year 1867, in order to facilitate a comparison between that year and the year 1866. They do not, therefore, apply, like the remainder of this Report, to the year commencing 1st April, 1867, and ending 31st March, 1868.

The total number of Schools which received aid from the Board during 1867, was 52. Of these, three were Superior Schools. Two of the Ordinary Schools have ceased to receive Government assistance, as previously mentioned.

The whole number of children on the books of the different Ordinary Schools during that year was 4039, being an increase of 518 on the year 1866. The average attendance was 1728; that of 1866, being 1549.

The total number of attendants during the December quarter, 1867, was 2815, being an increase of 443 on the December quarter of 1866.

The average attendance during the same quarter was 1950; that of the December quarter in the previous year being 1632.