WEST CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL STATUS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21470, 11 May 1935, Page 21

WEST CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL STATUS

To ike i;nmiE or rn?, mck. Sir,—lt is quite refreshing to know tiiut our new Minister for Education can see through the hole in the fence, contvrning affair-;, as they now e % :ir,t, a! the W'e.-t Chrisichurch District lfigii School. liis statement that the interests of the children are not, being considered, is, in every respect, true. It is also apparent that Messrs Evison and Sheppard are unable to distinguish between a gratuitous insult, and a statement of l'act. Anyone wiio knows the position is aware thai the children arc only pawns in the ;amc that is going on. in order to raise tlie <ehool status. What consideration lias there been shown to the primary children, who have been forced to journey to Addington or some other school, and to those compelled to attend the "intermediate" school from the Addington-Spreydon district? Tiie consideration due to them has never existed, and the Minister knows it. This so-called intermediate school is a farce, and we, who have children attending there, are well aware of it, after comparing the tuition received at Addington. Allow nie to say, as one who natural ly is interested in his children's attainments, definitely and frankly, that the instruct ion received at the intermediate school does not compare with that received at Addmgton school. That is of no moment, so long as the regulation dress is worn, which by the way was foisted on to us as parents who foot the bill. It is to be hoped that the Minister remains lirni in the stand lie has taken and does not allow himself to be stampeded into a decision that is not wholly and solely in the interests of the children, fn the meantime, we await the holding of the householder:;' meeting.—Yours, etc., F.G.T. May H, 1935. [The Minister did not state that the interests of the children were not being considered. What he did say was that after reading through the written presentation of the loinmitlco's ease, he could not find "one single concrete argument as to what is in the best interests of the children.'' —Ed., "The Press." 1 (When this letter was shown to Mr F. L. de Berry, the headmaster, he said that the matter was at present under discussion by the Minister. Other than that, he had no comment to make. I rn inh r.ijiiou o? 'jy» ntt.i.t. Sir, —f have never before written a letter to a newspaper, but, as a mother, I feel Ihat the Minister for Education is quite right when ho says we are not considering the children enough, and 1 should like to ask a few question.-;. First of all, what benefits can our children obtain from an intermediate school: arc the parents whose children have been there satisfied that there are beneiits? Ido not remembei hearing any complaints from the Shirley Intermediate School or from Oamaru. If the intermediate system is a good one, why is it that the teachers and committees in South Christchurch persistently discourage children from attending at West Christchurch? Not long ago I heard the conversation of three mothers, whose children had been promoted to Standard G "on trial.'' All were worried lest their children should be "put down" to Standard 5 again, and all were expecting that to happen. If the intermediate school can make things brighter for children like that (and for their mothers), why are the children not encouraged to go there? Ca. it be that teachers and committeemen think their dignity would be lowered if their schools were decapitated? When the intermediate school was opened at West Christchurch, if the children of South Christchurch had flocked there to get all the benefits promised by the new system. West Christchurch could not have held them, and we should have had long ago a fine school like that at Shirley on the Milne street site.

As for (lie primary department at West Chrislchurch. I feel sure that there would soon be a new school if we could prove real cases oi hardship. However, our children do not walk enough as it is; they pass from prams to tricycles, then to bicycles and largely miss the healthy exercise oi! walking. For many .years the Sydenham School served the whole of Christchurch South and the Hills, and children had no bicycles then. When we think of the question of making West Chrislchurch a high school, it is with anger against those people who persist in intruding other matters into the question. The children there would be very much better on. and that is the chief thing, surely. All the newspapers have favoured the change, and yet some of the gentlemen we are trusting to improve things for our children definitely hinder them every time the question comes up. — Yours, etc., MOTHER. May 10, 1935.