EFFICIENT TEACHING IN SCHOOL WITH 2400 ROLL

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 14

EFFICIENT TEACHING IN SCHOOL WITH 2400 ROLL

Christchurch post-primary education authorities believe 700 is a desirable optimum roll and some people have been alarmed at annual totals of more than 1000. Mr W. H. Bowen, senior lecturer in electrical engineering at the University of Canterbury, has recently seen two of the London County Council’s new “comprehensive*’ schools with rolls, of 2400 and 1500, respectively. They were most efficient, mainly because an average class had fewer than 35 pupils, he said on his return to Christchurch. This breakdown of classes would give some’idea* of the vast number.of classrooms and laboratories required. Mr Bowen said. This impression was heightened because one of the schools had five full-sized gymnasiums and the other had three and a fullsized indoor swimming pool. The school of 2400 was coeducational, and the one • of 1500 was for girls only. Both were under the direction of women heads. Hot Meals Both schools had kitchens to give all pupils hot meals at midday. Their assembly halls were large enough to accommodate the whole school at one sitting. “These enormous schools are superbly equipped. The largest caters for numbers equivalent-to recent rolls of the University of Canterbury,” said Mr Bowen. “Earlier I would have doubted whether they could be efficient; but they are.” Mr Bowen also made a casual inquiry into the controversy about the examination at “11 plus” to separate pupils destined for the grammar schools. In universities, business firms, and in the schools he found general agreement that the examination was a fairly good yardstick of ability. Elaborate Provisions But New Zealanders should always appreciate the elaborate provisions made in Britain for the training of apprentices gnd others during their early employnTent, Mr Bowen said. There were courses for apprentices at the school, trade, and university level. Some firms provided lectures at the post-graduate level to prepare recruits for masters’ degrees and even- doctorates. All this arose from the grave shortage of technologists. Some firms provided courses for secondary school teachers and

financed small research projects in the schools. At the other end of the system, some big firms provided courses for 300 university graduate apprentices in addition to their 2000 ordinary apprentices.

Mr Bowen spent the whole of his five months’ refresher' leave in England making obseivations in the design and research departments of the major electrical firms and in the engineering schools of universities such as London, Bristol, Manchester, and Loughborough, the new college of advanced technology.