THE ASHBURTON SCHOOL.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5883, 22 July 1884, Page 3

THE ASHBURTON SCHOOL.

Proceedings, which have attracted considerable local interest, in connection with the Ashbnrton School, have just been brought to an end by a report from a Commission appointed by the Board oi Education. The report, which is nnder date July 17th cnrrent, and is signed by H. W. Peryman and J. V. Colborne Veel, is too lcng for onr columns, but the following quotations give its principal points:— The facts of the case unfier enquiry are as follows.—Miss Harband was appointed mistress of the AshbnrMß School in May, 18S3, aad for eighteen _£_ perfor_ed her duties without, so far as appears, any expression of dissatisfaction. In November, ISSS, after the annual examination by the Inspectors, the Head Master teported to the Committee that tha results in Miss Harband's class had been very unsatisfactory ; also, that she was careless and inaccurate in her work, and showed no-mbition to do tetter. He therefore recommended that sho should bo removed from the main to the infant school. The Committee did not act on this report, the Chairman considering that it was not borne out by the report of the Inspectors. Towards the end of January, 18-4, a new Committee came into office. In March, Miss Harband obtained leave of absence, on the recommendation of the Committee, to attend Canterbury College, her sister beinjc accepted ss a scbatitnte, but the arrangement fen through in conseqnence of her bister's illness, and in the course of the next month Miss Harbaad ret-.niedto_erpoßt. While she was absent the Committee received another report from; the Master reflecting upon her ia strong terms, and they then wrote to the Board that she was incompetent for her pos—ion. They urged this view on the Board in subsequent letters On June 11th they called on her to resign, and on he: r declining to do so, they resolved to dispense with her services at three months from date. Ultimately, on J_y 2nd, they forwarded to t • Boara a recommendation that she should bo transferred to some other school, and that the Board should institute an inquiry into the circumstances. The reasons assigned by the Committee are—_ The want of discipline i» Miss Harba_d*s" class. 2. That the Head Master has reported unfavorably other. 3. That written co—plaints have been reenved from the paxes— of children attending .the school about the sewing. The charge made against her to the Board of inability to keep her c—ss in order is included in tho first reason. It should be stated that the Master's reports and the complaints abont the sewing were not rommuni—ted - t - ui - JT " I A Trx -~ "—._.—.-.»- Tn-B

no particulars were given till June 27th, after she had appealed to the iJoard against the 'Jomimttee'e attempt to force her to resign. The complaints as to sowing have been witliheld from her altogether. The Committee referred hur to the Master, and the Master, on her applying to him, answered that he did not think it ne.-essary to produce them. After detailing evidence and statements, ■which were to some extent recriminatoryj made by Mr Dempsey (the Head Master) and Miss Harband, th.c Commissioners go on to say— Throngtont the inquiry we were favorably impressed with Miss Harband'e manner of giving evidence. She was clear, straightforward, and explicit, which epithets, we regret to add, cannot by any means be applied te the evidence given by the master. Keviewing the whole case, we have to state onr I opinion, founded on a careful examination of all the papers and on onr personal ioqniry, that the I charge against Miss Harband with respect to the sewing has altogether broken dowa; that tho charges of inaccurate work and careless teaching have not been substantiated; and that, though the charge of want of discipline is true—and indeed is not disputed—the blame rests to a very great extent with the head master himself. Hiss Harband is justified in her complaint that she has sot received thetaupport which she had a right to expect from him, and which, it was his duty to give. We have no doubt that, if he had done his duty, all this trouble in connection with her doss would not have arisen. We cannot close our report without calling the attention of the Board to the extreme i o j ostice with woich Miss Harband has been treated by the present Committee. They appear to have come into office with a foregone conclusion that she should be got rid of—for Mr Andrew Orr states that atthe first meeting held for the despatch of business, a motion for her dismissal was brought forward, and was withdrawn only on account of his opposition— and they have acted in the same spirit ever si ace. They have adopted, without enquiry, everj report to her prejudice. They have made vehement representations to the Board, and have done everything in their power to get her out of the school—all this without giving her the slightest intimation that charges were being preferred against her, and withost asking her for any explanation or allowing her any chance of being heard in her own defence. It is hard to understand how any men could— especially when dealing with a woman—so thoroughly disregard the commonest principles of fair Play.