OPEN-AIR SCHOOLS

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19970, 3 July 1930, Page 5

OPEN-AIR SCHOOLS

ANNUAL MEETING OF LEAGUE. The annual meeting of the Open-Air Schools' League was held at Canterbury College last evening, Dr. J. Hight presiding. Dr. Hight stated that the open-air school movement was a proof that New Zealand was still able to contribute something to the sphere of ideas in the world. The movement was a reply to the criticism levelled against New Zealanders for the manner in which thev tended to lag intellectually, turning away from experiment to satisfaction with things as they are. He was pleased to announce that the first openair school of the Fendalton type had been opened in Australia, for at the Footscray School in Melbourne there was now an open-air room for the infants. This was largely due to the efforts of Dr. Vera Scantlebury, who had visited New Zealand some years ago, and had become an ardent advocate of the movement. A lantern lecture illustrating various aspects of open-air education was given Dr. It. B. Phillipps, school medical officer at Christchurcli, who said that not only in the towns but also in the country there were very many schools which were unhygienic and injurious to the children's health. This was self-evi-dent to anyone who visited one of these old schools, and that these schools were unhealthy was borne out by' statistics. There could be no doubt that the better the school building the better the health of the pupils. The average attendance for the three quarters ending June 30th, 1928, at the Fendalton open-air school was 92.5 per cent.; at the old East Christchurch scnool it was 89.1 per cent., • a difference of 8.4 per cent. During the scarlet fever epidemic the incidence of scarlet fever per thousand pupils (health statistics worked out per 1000 of the population) was, for the i'endalton school 13.65, and for the East Christchurch school 39.78.

The problem was how to get rid of these old unhygienic schools as quickly as possible. The answer had been given by Dr. Baker-McLaglan, school medical officer, something like sixteen , years ago. She "said: "Build open-air classrooms, and build them cheaply." The Fendalton type of open-air classrooms complete with shelter-shed cost about £4OO each, the new wooden school at I'apanui cost about £7BO per room, and the new Richmond school, in brick, cost about £I2OO per room. These figures were approximately correct, and referred to rooms of roughly the same size. The Fendalton type of class-room was based upon scientific principles, and had been specially designed for the New Zealand climate. In the past-six years it had never been improved upon. | The modifications of this classroom that had been made had no scientific basis behind them, and they all tended to be more expensive. It was well to be acquainted with school buildings in all parts of the world, but it was a very dangerous thing for an architect to adopt points from buildings in another country, Especially if he waa not personally acquainted with tho climate and other conditions in that country. Many of our old schools, especially wooden schools in the country, • eonld be made more or less habitable by throwing open their northern sides by means of folding doors, and this could be done at a very small cost. By doing this, and by building new schools on the model of the Fendalton school, a great improvement in school buildings could be made in a comparatively short space of time. The amount of money allocated each year for school buildings was limited, and it was the clear duty of all con cerned to make this money.go as far as possible. It is a quarter of a century since the first open-air school was started in Europe, and In that period the advantages to the health and mentality of the children of schooling in the open air and sunlight had been definitely proved, and the Fendalton type of classroom had proved itself ideal for New Zealand. There was no longer any question of experimentation, all that was needed was to go ahead altering or rebuilding our schools on the lines indicated. The following motion was moved by Dr. F. V. Bevan-Brown, and seconded by Dr. J. Restell Thomas, both of whom spoke from the point of view of the medical man in relation to education: "That this meeting of the members, friends, and supporters of the Open Air Schools' League calls the attention of the Government to the large number of unhealthy schools throughout the Dominion which children are com pelled by law to attend; to the large sums of money which are being ex pended on increasingly elaborate build ings for a few schools, while the urgent problem of rebuilding these unhealthy schools remains unsolved; and to the belief of the League that inexpensive openair classrooms, such as have been erected at the Fendalton school, Christchurch, and elsewhere, offer the real solution of the problem, benefit the health of children, and . advance the cause of true education." At the conclusion of the meeting a vote of thanks was passed to the speakers and to all who had assisted the League in its work..