AUCKLAND CITY DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 91, 19 April 1893, Page 2

AUCKLAND CITY DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

ANNUAL REPORT,

Your Committee beg to submib an account of their work for tho past year.

Ab tbo annual meeting ot householders i held on tho 25th day of April, 1892, Meters j R. Farrell, J. Blades, P. Crowe, J. A. ! Adams, J. B. Fair., T. Tudehope, W, Duncau, A. Burns, and W. Shereon were elected a Committeo for tho then ensuing year, Tho Committee have held _8 meetings during the year. The attendance of each member is shown on the table attached ; hereto. Tha Committee rogreb having during tho year lost the services of two headmasters, viz., Mr Harrison and Burlinson. The Committee have reason to be satisfied wibh the work done in the 6 city schools during j tho past 12 months, though at a disadvan-1 tage through the large number of changes < that have taken place in the staffs. No! less thau three schools have had new headmasters appointed to them, viz. : Mr Harb to Beresford-street, Mr Carter to Napierstreet, and Mr. Thwaites to Chapel-street; and three first assistants, viz., to Beresfordstreet, Napier-street and Nelson-street. The Committee are of opinion that the Board of Education mighb make other arrangements, wibh very beneficial effect, in regard to the staff of pupils teachers in your school.. At the present time matters are unsatisfactory. Pupil teachers who have become serviceable and efficient are removed by the Board to supply other schools, and teachers on probation, with very little experience whatever, are indentured, put in the places of those removed and reckoned as a porbion of the staff of tho school. These removals may be very beneficial for those schools that obtain their services, bub it isnobso foryour schools. It musb be remembered that ib is from bhe larger districts thab the bulk of the funds come. The cosb per head is less in your districb than in any other, and ib is unfair to expect thab your schools should have to submit to inefficient pupil teachers in order bhab obher schools may be kept! supplied. The Committee desire it to be distinctly understood that they do nob for an instance contend that other schools should nob be supplied with efficient teachers—on the contrary, bub objecb to it being done at the cosb of and to the detriment of your schools. The Committee are pleased to observe that a motion has been tabled at the Board in reference to this question, which the Committee trust will lead to a scheme by which this matter may be rectified in tho interests of all concerned. For the lasb twelve months the Committee have been watching the working of your schools upon tho " strict working average1' system in lieu of tho "working average," and as a resulb thereof asked tho Board of Education to urge the Government to return to the working averayo, as the present system was moat unsatisfactory bo the working of the schools in your district. The Board has forwarded a copy of the Committee's letter to the Government without comment. The result of such action must bo obvious to householders. The Committee would be sorry to charge tho Board with not having grasped the quesbioD at isl'.. nor of having given it thab consider.:'.'.. >■'. ib deserved, but its action would tend in the direction of such inferences being made. There is no denying the fact that the present system attacks the staffs of your ! school-. It is upon the average attendance thab tha allotment of tho stall id "made. Under the strict working average no allowance whatever is made'for tho attendance falling through sickness, wot days, etc., whereas under the working' average such allowance? would be made. An injustice is also done to our teachers under the existing system. It must be clear lo householders "hat the effect of this must ba upon your schools. It leads to dissatisfaction and unrost, and causes an unsatisfactory working of tha wholo system. Tho Committee must again ume parents to sco that their children attend regularly, for they musb perceive how necessary it is where the schools arc maintained and kept going upon such a system. A preac improvement has been effected for the*bonetis of the pupils of the Vv elleslcystreet School by levelling a portion of the playground ab tho back. A further expenditure is necessary to place the upper portion of the ground in order, and plant shelter trees. This work should bo undertaken th isetisuingseason if funds will permit. All you.' schools are in very fair order. A vory necessary work was done during the Christmas holidays at tho Nelson-street school, viz., the laying of new drains which were greatly needod. Your schools have i not been so fortunate this year as in tho pasb >vitll regard t0 scholarships. One only waa obtained, and thab was by Florence Patterson, a pupil of the Nelson-street school. Certificates granted by tho Auckland Society of Arts for freehand and model drawing were distributed as follows: - -Beresford-street school, 16; Napier--1 street, 9•. Well, .ley-street, 4 ; Chapel--1 street, 1 ; total, 50. Inspectors' reports on I the Standard examinations show as follows : ! —Wellesley-streeb school : Percentage of ! passes, 547; failures, 15'_. Boreeford- ! street: Passes, 479 ; failures, 19"-. Napier- ! street • Passes, 466 ; failures, 11U I Nelson-sbreob : Passes, 421 ; failures, i2l 2 Chapel-street : Passes, 33 •_ ; i failures, 11 "4. The roll number of I pupils for the year ending March 3lßb. war I 3 ()__, and tho average attendance, 2,5_8, as I a.ainst 2,994 and 2,530, respectively, lor I the previous 12 months, showing an increase lin the roll number of 44, but a slight deI creaso in the attendance of 2. Statement ! of accounts attached -hows the Committee s I receipts to have been £870 12s Id; ex-pen--1 dituro. £683 16s 6d, leaving a balance of | £186 15s 7d, on the 31st March last.— I Joseph Blades, Chairman.