14

TARANAKI GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

Sub-district No. 1—The Tataraimaka School conducted by Mrs. Holmes.—This school I found assembled in a small building by the roadside, which is not the property of the Board. Inside I found the limited space rendered smaller by a useless partition, which, for the health and comfort of the school, the teacher desired might be removed. Eleven children were present and one absent. The reading and writing I found to be tolerably good. The spelling was not commendable. The children were not very far advanced in arithmetic, but they possessed a good knowledge of the tables. They knew nothing of history or geography, and had but a slight acquaintance with the elements of grammar. The children are exercised in transcription but not in dictation. The teacher being a Breton, is not perfect in her pronunciation of English, but she appears to have had the advantage of considerable training in her profession. The school is very orderly conducted, and considering the short period that some of the children have been under her care, it has attained to commendable proficiency. The hours of this school are from 10 till half-past 1. The school has no maps or black-board.

Sub-district No. 2—The Oakura School conducted by Mr. Moore.—I found thirteen children present at this school—five girls and eight boys. The eldest was fourteen years of age and the youngest five. There were twenty children on the books. Six of the entire number are reported to attend school regularly, and the rest very irregularly. The writing of the elder children was tolerably good. The reading and spelling were but mediocre. The school had no knowledge of geography or history, and but little of the elements of grammar. There was a commendable knowledge of the arithmetical tables, and a proficiency in arithmetic so far as the compound rules. One little girl wrote fairly from dictation. The discipline of the school appears to be very good. Without the teacher having recourse to anything like harshness, the children conducted themselves with propriety. There are no maps or black-board in this school. The residence of the teacher is a dilapidated hovel ready to fall down. The school hours are from 9 to 11 and from half-past 11 to half-past one.

Sub-district No. 2—The Omata School conducted by Mr. Crawford.—There were nine children present at this school—seven boys and two girls. The eldest child was eleven years of age and the youngest five. Five children were reported to be absent. The writing I found to be tolerably good, but the reading feeble and the spelling imperfect. Three children who had been but a short time at school were unable to read. There was a tolerable knowledge of elementary arithmetic, but the tables had been very imperfectly learned. The school possessed no knowledge of history, geography, or grammar. It has a dilapidated map of the world, but no black-board, and but few books. The walls of the school-house require re-papering, many of the windows are broken, and the new forms in use are mostly borrowed. The school hours are from 9 till 1.

Sub-district No. 3—The Town School, West, conducted by Mr. McKee.—I found twenty-two boys present at this school. The eldest, a cripple lad, was nineteen years of age, and the youngest four. I found the reading, writing, and spelling in this school to be commendable, and the knowledge of arithmetic, so far as the rule of three, extensive. One boy had a superficial knowledge of fractions. A few of the elder boys could write fairly from dictation. The eldest lad possessed a knowledge of the names of most of the English kings since the Conquest, but, excepting this, the school had no knowledge of history or geography, and but a trifling acquaintance with the elements of grammar. The teacher appeared to be industrious, kind, and firm, and maintained tolerable order, notwithstanding the presence of some troublesome children of a tender age. The hours of this school are from 9 till 12, and from 1 till 8.

The Kawau Pa School, conducted by Miss Shaw.—Seventeen children were present at this school. The eldest was eleven years of age, and the youngest five. I found the writing to be generally commendable, and in one case very good. The reading, spelling, and dictation were tolerably good. The children were not very far advanced in arithmetic, and were deficient in their knowledge of the tables. One little girl was able to answer many questions in English History. The school is not taught grammar or geography. The girls are taught plain and fancy needle work. There are too many young children in this