✨ School furniture specifications
5
Only two alleys are required in a school with three sets of desks; because the end sets go against the walls at each end of the room.
The desks back towards the widows and face the dead wall.
The desks should be made strong and solid, of good, or the best furniture wood, well seasoned, and so as to last for years without breaking, warping, or getting out of shape; they should be very firm, not easily shaken or upset; there should be no projecting sleepers to catch the children\'s foot; the sleepers, if any, should be let into the floor, level with it; if the forms are tied by sleepers to the desk, there should be three inches clear space between each desk and its form.
Each desk should be well tied from end to end, and if of more than six feet in length should have an additional support midway between the ends. The upper part, for the surface, should be smooth well-planed boards of one inch thick when finished; the desk one foot in level width, should have a level front of two and a-half inches for the pens, inkwells, &c., and the remainder should have a fall or slope of half-an-inch, not more; and there should be no beading or ridge to interfere with the surface and with the free action of the child\'s arm; inkholes for inkwells should be towards the right hand of each child; there should be a groove of above ten inches to each space of eighteen inches, to leave the pen in when not used; and a slit of twelve inches wide enough to insert the slate, and a book-board below for it to rest on. The book-board the whole length will help to tie the desk; but it should not be the only tie; the book-board should be only nine inches deep, and so as not to inconvenience the knees of the children.
DIMENSIONS OF DESKS.
Dimensions of desks and forms.—Lengths: 6 feet, 7½ feet, 9 feet, 10½ feet, and 12 feet, so as to suit the length of the room and leave alleys of 18 inches between every two sets.
Height of desks.—Front desks, 2 feet 2 inches.
Middle ", 2 feet 3 inches.
Back ", 2 feet 5 inches.
Width of desk, 1 foot.
Fall or slope of desk, half-an-inch, not more.
Forms.—Length to suit desks.
Height of Forms.—Front-desk form, 1 foot 2 inches.
Middle ", 1 foot 3 inches.
Back ", 1 foot 4 inches.
Width of form, 7 inches.
Arrangement.—Along the room facing the dead wall, with alleys of 18 inches between each set. Fourteen inches space for passage along the back row. Seven inches behind each other row. Three inches knee space between each desk and form.
J. P. RESTELL,
Inspector of Schools.
December 15, 1873.
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Canterbury Provincial Gazette 1874, No 2
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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Regulations regarding dimensions of school furniture
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🎓 Education, Culture & Science15 December 1873
School furniture, Education, Regulations, School desks, School forms
- J. P. Restell, Inspector of Schools