NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. 105

St Mary's, Boys.—Mr Richards, master; Mr Severne assistant—(74).—No fault can reasonably be found either with the attainments or the discipline of this deservedly popular school. The best points are, perhaps, the arithmetic, the handwriting, and the geography. An addition that has been recently made to the buildings has lightened the work of the masters, who were previously hampered for want of class-room.

St Mary's, Girls.—Taught by Sisters of Charity, assisted by pupil teachers—(118).—Reading, writing, arithmetic and good manners are equally well taught here. The spelling of the upper classes is very good, while they are unusually well grounded both in geography and grammar. The girls in the first class are very apt at giving the meaning and derivation of the more difficult words in their lesson, and can reproduce readily the substance of what they have been reading.

COUNTRY SCHOOLS.

Clifton Terrace.—Mr Cowles, master—(25).—The children here read distinctly and with good intonation. Their hand-writing is neat, and the dictation of the first class is tolerably free from mistakes. The arithmetic, though still slow and rather elementary, is less inaccurate than it was. I find, however, that even the first class know next to nothing of history, grammar, or geography. The present master had been at work only a month when I last examined, and was evidently doing his best to remedy the defects that I have pointed out.

Hillside.—(Half-time school.)—Mr H. Collins, master—(17).—The arithmetic here is of more than average merit, the dictation being very free from mistakes. The writing of the first class is also very fair, but the copy-books of the younger scholars show a want of such careful supervision as may be reasonably required where the writers are few. The children throughout read in a dismal monotone that was certainly not observable in the school several years ago, and that must not be allowed to become incurable.

Happy Valley.—(Half-time school.)—Mr Collins, master—(17).—I must confess that this school, of whose future I at one time augured favorably, has disappointed me. It has now been open more than two years, yet not one of the scholars can read an easy bit of narrative without constant prompting, the drawing being more observable even than at Hillside. The spelling is worse than the reading. In arithmetic the first class have not yet beyond addition of money, and know the multiplication table very imperfectly. The hand-writing is slovenly and misshapen, the copy-books being disfigured by blots. It is only fair to state that the register showed that the children had latterly become very irregular in attendance, while I myself noticed that they were unpunctual, my examination being interrupted for a full hour by scholars dropping in.

Stoke.—Mr Barnett, master; Miss Walker, pupil teacher—(52).—The reading here, though correct enough as far as mere words go, is singularly destitute of expression. Few of the scholars can give a good account of what they have been reading. These are the weak points of the school. In other respects the teaching is successful. The writing is neat, the arithmetic fairly ready and accurate, and the geography and grammar of at least average merit. Since a pupil teacher has been appointed, the master has been enabled to keep excellent order.

Richmond, Boys.—Mr Willis, master; Mrs Harrington, assistant—(43).—The high position that this school has won and still keeps is due to two causes. It has been fortunate enough to obtain the services of a succession of exceptionally able masters, whose teachings have been so valued by the parents that they have allowed their sons, often at a considerable sacrifice, to remain at school much longer than is usual elsewhere. The result is that most of the boys, on leaving, carry away with them such a sound elementary education as will be of real service to them in after life. The method pursued here is especially worthy of imitation in one respect. The teaching is singularly equal, no branch receiving a disproportionate amount of attention, to the injury of the rest.

Richmond, Girls.—Miss Spencer, mistress; assisted by two pupil teachers—(52).—The careful grading of the classes, and the unusual pains bestowed upon the youngest scholars are perhaps the most striking features in this school. The

handwriting is very good throughout, the copy-books of even the beginners showing signs of a minute supervision that is not too common in our schools. This thoroughness is observable in every branch. The reading and spelling are, for instance, relatively as creditable in the lowest as in the highest class. The girls seem to be rather closely packed, insomuch that when all the school is set to work at arithmetic, a certain amount of copying is unavoidable.

Ranzau.—Mr Combes, master—(31).—A lamentable falling off has taken place here during the past year, in both the numbers and the age of the children attending. Of the 72 scholars on the roll for the year, one only was left when I last examined the school who had attained his twelfth year, while six only were present who were over nine years. In justice to a painstaking teacher, who has lately left this school for Upper Wakefield, I should explain that the skeleton of a first class left to him did very fairly in every branch, and that the other classes showed signs of careful teaching. Some of the neighbors, I was informed, had left the district lately, but no less than ten of the former scholars had deserted Ranzau for Hope. As a similar exodus took place from the latter to the former school several years ago, I feel the less hesitation in suggesting that steps should be taken to put a stop to an abuse of our educational system that shows itself wherever schools are so close together as to admit of children going from one to the other at pleasure. Such a state of things is fair neither to the teacher, who is kept in a constant state of disquietude—to the scholar who cannot be properly taught or disciplined—nor to the public, which does not get anything like full value for its money. If the Board were to signify its intention to close one of these schools unless the evil were remedied, the Local Committee and the parents interested would speedily devise means for retaining at each school the children in its immediate neighborhood.

Hope.—Mr R. T. Brown master—(40).—It is not easy to estimate fairly the progress that has been made here during the past year, the disturbing element being a large accession of scholars from Ranzau, amounting to nearly a fourth of the whole number on the books. The number of good readers, writers, and arithmeticians, has, however, clearly increased since last year, and it is apparent that the school is well taught and kept in good order by the present master.

River Terrace.—Mrs Bryant, mistress; Miss Bryant, assistant—(47).—One of the most pleasing features in this well-conducted school is the alacrity with which the teachers set about amending any defects that it has been my duty to point out from time to time. The writing, spelling, and arithmetic have been successfully found fault with. Yet so much pains have been subsequently taken to remove all ground of complaint in these respects that the school now stands above the average in both writing and arithmetic, while the spelling is such as to satisfy every reasonable requirement. The number of good readers, always relatively large, has been considerably added to during the year.

Spring Grove.—Mr Edmunds, master; Mrs Edmunds, assistant—(70).—It is a disadvantage to many of our schools that the most important examination, the results of which are published, should be unavoidably made in autumn, or at the beginning of winter, when schools are usually at their worst, and not at the close of the December quarter, when they are probably at their best. I was struck with the difference between the Spring Grove school in November, just before many of the best scholars left finally, and the same school in April. Taking the results of the two examinations together, however, I have no hesitation in reporting that this school is thoroughly well taught in every branch. I was particularly impressed with the ability of the scholars to give a clear account of what they had been reading. No better test of the soundness of teaching can be devised.

Lower Wakefield.—Mr Chattock, master; Mrs Chattock, assistant—(71).—Both divisions of this school are in a very satisfactory state. Excellent discipline is maintained, and writing and arithmetic continue to be remarkably well taught. The upper classes also write correctly from dictation. Their reading is, however, by no means as equal in merit to their penmanship and knowledge of figures.

Eighty-eight Valley.—Mr Roby, master—(20).—It speaks favorably for the energy of the master of this little school that, though there is only one child on the roll for the past