APPENDIX A.

Report of the Inspector of Schools for the Year ended September 30th, 1861.

SIR,—I have the honour to report that, in compliance with the instructions of the Education Board, I have visited and examined all the Public Schools in the suburban and rural districts, with the exception of the Schools at Portobello, North-east Harbour, and Warepa, which were vacant at the time when my other engagements would have enabled me to visit those localities. As my visits to the majority of the Schools were made at the end of the winter quarter, the attendance was in many cases at the lowest point, and nearly all the children on the roll for the quarter had been somewhat irregular in their attendance, owing to the prevalence of measles and the wet state of the roads. The Teachers in this Province labour under a great disadvantage from the general irregularity of their pupils’ attendance at School, arising mainly from the demands upon the children’s services at home or on the farm, and from the impassable state of many of the roads during the greater part of the winter season.

It is impossible, therefore, to judge from the number present at School on any particular day as to the usual attendance. The state of the weather or of the roads, or the special occupations of the season in any district, may so affect the attendance at any given time, that a casual visitor would be led to form erroneous conclusions as to the real attendance and the efficiency of the School. With a view to obtain in future a fuller and more satisfactory account of the real state of attendance at the different Schools, it is my intention to submit to the consideration of the Board, on an early occasion, forms of returns to be furnished quarterly, or otherwise, by the Teachers. From these the annual Statistical Summary required by the Education Ordinance would in a great measure be compiled, and they would prove valuable helps to the School Committees, and the School Inspector, in the discharge of their respective duties. These returns should exhibit each pupil’s age, class, attendance, and the progress made in each branch of education; and, as duplicates would be retained by the Teacher, a reference to these would enable the Inspector, or other visitor, to arrive at a tolerably correct judgment of the state of the School. A comparison of the register of attendance, with the actual proficiency of the pupils, would show whether the want of satisfactory progress on the part of any of the children had arisen from irregularity of attendance or from other causes; whether from the master’s want of care or of “aptness to teach,” or from the child’s inattention or want of capacity. I may remark that several of the Teachers have been very careful in registering the attendance of their pupils, but no uniform system of registration has as yet been adopted.

It has been my practice in every case, to send to the School Committee and the Teacher notice of my intention to visit the School, and to invite the members of the School Committee to meet me on the occasion; but, except at Green Island, North-east Valley, Wakari, West Taieri, and Goodwood, no response was given to my invitation, and at the places mentioned the attendance of members was very small indeed. It is right, however, to state, that at Waikouaiti, East Taieri, West Taieri, Tokomairiro, and South Clutha, the clergyman resident in the district was present at the examination of the School, and manifested much interest in the progress of the pupils, and the state of education in the locality.

As a natural consequence of the irregularity of attendance, and the short period during which the children generally have been at school, comparatively few of the pupils are advanced beyond the mere elements of education. But the professional attainments of nearly all the teachers, and the progress already made by the pupils in many of the schools, warrant the confident expectation that in the course of a few years the state of matters in this respect will be much more satisfactory.

I will venture, on a future occasion, to offer a few observations on the branches of education which I believe ought more particularly to be attended to by the masters of our public schools, and the mode by which these may be most successfully taught.

It will not be expected that I should at present express publicly any opinion respecting the comparative efficiency of the different schools, although my notes will enable me to answer any inquiries that may be made on this subject by the members of the Board. With three exceptions, the state of the schools, in so far as the masters’ ability and faithful performance of duty were concerned, appeared to be, on the whole, in a satisfactory condition, while the appearance presented by the pupils in several of the schools was highly creditable to both masters and scholars.

What pleased me most was the highly efficient state of the organization and discipline in nearly all the schools. The subject of discipline is one of the utmost interest and importance; and it augurs well for the future good government and the prosperity of this Province, that so many of its youthful inhabitants are now being trained and exercised in the habits of obedience and subordination which will tend not only to promote their own happiness “in the days of their youth,” but to form in them a spirit of prompt and willing submission to the authority of the law, and prepare them for higher spheres of usefulness and happiness when the cares and duties and responsibilities of manhood shall be assumed.

I have much pleasure in reporting that the children generally appear to be carefully instructed by their teachers in the principles of religion. They are in general well acquainted with the Gospel History and the duties they owe to God and man.