xliv.

attendance. The premises are much improved by a better approach to the school,
gravelled walks, and new fencing. The apparatus satisfactory; books deficient.
The register has been very neatly kept, but was not posted up on the day of
inspection. The discipline is weak, and the order loose; continual talking, and
other irregularity interrupted the earlier part of the examination; the daily
newspaper in the schoolroom was an unfavourable index. The examination was
very elementary; the Arithmetical examples very simple; but the results were
most unsatisfactory, displaying great ignorance of the most simple truths of Sacred
History; and in other subjects also, gross neglect of the junior classes. Several
children seem to have been scarcely taught at all during more than twelve months
in the school. Several others, tolerably regular during four, three, or two years,
are very backward; under teachers having an ordinary interest in their work,
some of these boys would have been promising candidates for scholarships. Most
of the Writing below the first class is a most careless scribble, uncorrected by any
attempt to improve it. One boy of 14, formerly at the High School, is wasting
his time here among boys considerably his inferiors in age and ability.

Christchurch Wesleyan School ... February 21 ... Present 110 ... This is
perhaps the worst ventilated building in Christchurch. Several attempts have
been made to improve the ventilation by small apertures in the inner roof, but
they do little except letting in the hot air accumulated there. If, even, only one
of the larger windows would open, greater relief would be afforded than by all the
holes in the roof. The small proportion of girls attending this school is worthy
of the attention of the Local Committee; it may be caused by either or both the
want of a separate playground, and that of a mistress to teach sewing. The
attainments were satisfactory.

Avonside ... February 22 ... Present 78 ... The improvement is partial; it relates to the Bible knowledge, Spelling, and Writing; the
Reading is unusually deficient, the classes are very backward in it; it seems
difficult to awaken the master to a sense of how much more time and attention to
the subject are necessary; the Arithmetic is also very backward and imperfect.
The state of the room is improvable; it is encumbered by chairs and benches out
of place; books, slates, and other litter strew the table and desks.

The preliminary examination of the Candidates for Scholarships was conducted as
follows:—

Five boys were examined at Kaiapoi, on the 9th instant.
Six at my own house, on the 11th instant.
Nineteen at Mr. Gee’s school, the Christchurch Academy, on Saturday, the
12th instant.
And one, who had not obtained his notice from the Post Office, on the 18th
instant.

The original number of candidates who had applied in the terms of the advertisement
was thirty-three; but one candidate, Herbert Cooke, having left this province, and another,
William Haine, having removed from Kaiapoi, and not attending the examination there,
the number was reduced to thirty-one.

Their names, arranged in the order of merit in which they have passed the preliminary
examination, will be found in the Scheduled Report annexed.

Several boys who come low in the list are very young; their failure to pass the
preliminary examination this time should afford them no discouragement; their attainments
indicate very praiseworthy diligence, and reflect credit upon their teachers and themselves.
Among these are W. B. D. Wilson, W. Bannister, F. Wake, R. Wake, J. M. Beechey, and
John Veysey.