Mistress.—A daily attendance of more than
50 girls has for some time entailed more labor
on the mistress of this school than ought
fairly to be exacted from any teacher. The
recent appointment of an assistant will, how-
ever, now enable the mistress to devote more
time than could formerly be spared to the
advanced classes, who, as it is, are fairly
taught in every respect. The reading, writing,
and arithmetic throughout the school are of
than average merit.

Lower Wakefield: Mr. MALCOLM, Master.
—Much has been done by the present teacher
towards bringing this very backward school
nearer the level of neighboring schools. All
the classes read more audibly than formerly,
the handwriting is improving, and geography
appears to have been very successfully taught.
Excellent order is also kept. Until, however,
the older scholars attend more regularly, the
standard of attainment will continue to be
comparatively low.

Upper Moutere: Mr. PHILLIPS, Master.
—In every respect but one this ranks among
the foremost of our Provincial schools. The
reading is very good throughout, that of the
first class especially leaving little to be desired
in point of tone and emphasis. Grammar is
well taught, and the penmanship is uniformly
excellent. But in arithmetic Wakefield must
still take an unmistakably low place, none
of the pupils having yet advanced beyond
the rudiments.

Foxhill: Mrs. HOLDER.
—The attendance
at this school, which for a time improved
greatly under the management of the present
teacher, has been on the decline lately, and
has fallen during the last quarter to 6 daily.
I am the more surprised at this, as the
teacher, (who has just resigned,) seemed to
me in every respect well qualified to under-
take the charge of a more advanced school
than Foxhill.

Eighty-eight Valley.
—The daily attendance
here having dwindled down to 3, the Com-
mittee have very properly closed a school
that was doing but little good, at a great cost
to the province.

Waimea West, North Division: Mr. THOR-
BURN.
—Very good progress has been made
in this school during the last two years.
The proportion of scholars who have a know-
ledge of fractions is far above the average,
while the handwriting is unusually good.
The reading, however, though fluent enough,
struck me as being too loud (by no means a
common fault in our schools).

87

Waimea West, Village: Mr. W. HIGGIN,
Master.
—This is a rather numerous mixed
school, in which the younger classes are very
carefully taught by Mrs. Eban, the assistant
mistress. The whole of the master's time can,
therefore, be devoted to the elder scholars,
who, however, though improving, do not yet
come up to the standard of our best schools
in anything but arithmetic, which is very
successfully taught. The reading is generally
indifferent, and the handwriting slovenly. I
confess that I am somewhat at a loss to
account for this backwardness, as the present
master is exceedingly painstaking, and the
average attendance of the children has been
very high, amounting to as much as 88 per
cent. during the last quarter. The frequent
change of masters, and consequently of
system, may partly explain the matter.

Upper Moutere: Mr. COOK, Master.
—I see
no reason for altering the opinion that I have
formerly expressed as to the general excel-
lence of this school. The numbers are, how-
ever, evidently outgrowing the teaching power
of a single master, no less than 58 scholars
being present at my last examination. With
such numbers it is hardly to be wondered at
that a high standard of attainment is not
attempted, or that the first class is begin-
ning to show some tokens of their progress
being stunted, more noticeably in arithmetic.

Lower Moutere: Mr. ROBSON, Master.
—
Though the attendance here is less than it
was two years ago, and the higher classes are
evidently composed of much younger children
than formerly, the teacher does not appear
to me in any degree responsible for this falling
off, as the scholars who do attend are through-
out remarkably well taught and well behaved.
Mr. Robson is, in truth, worthy of a field
where there would be more scope for his
abilities, both as an organiser and a teacher,
than can be afforded by so small a school as
his present one.

Motueka, 1st Division: Mr. WILSON,
Master.
—In this school, as at Lower Moutere,
far less good is being effected than would be
the case were the scholars allowed to re-
main at school even as long as they were
formerly. The contrast between the mere
children who now make up the 1st class,
with the well-trained boys and girls of 14
and upwards whom I used to meet there
some three years ago, is very striking, and
cannot but be disheartening to a teacher who
understands his work so thoroughly as Mr.
Wilson does. I am not without hopes, how-
ever, that the substitution of the present
handsome and well arranged buildings for