SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 104, 26 January 1933, Page 7

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Wellington’s Proud Record FIGURES FOR LAST YEAR “It is very pleasing to be able to report that the figures for the year 1932 show a still further improvement in the regularity of attendance, the record figure now attained being 93.47 per cent, of the average roll number,” said Mr. E. S. Hylton, secretary of the Welling ton Education Board, in reporting to the monthly meeting yesterday upon school attendance last year. Except for the fact that isolated outbreaks of whooping cough and chicken pox were prevalent during the second and third terms, the year 1932 was practically free from sickness of an epidemic nature, he reported. The figures indicated that the raising of the minimum entrance age to six years had had a far less serious effect than was anticipated, and, as a result of the improvement in regularity of attendance, particularly in the last term, nearly all of the schools are able to retain their full teaching staffs. /■ Child Welfare Branch Helps. “I desire to place on record the fad that: the board has received very helpful co-operation from the Child Welfare Branch of the Education Dcpartment'in many cases where parents were not complying with the compulsory attendance provisions of the Education Act,” he continued. “Most parents and guardians are now aware of the fact that children must be sent to school every half-day that the schools are open.” Particulars of school attendance for 1932 were given as follow First term: Average weekly roll, 27.752; average daily attendance, 26,061: regularity of attendance, 93.90 per cent. Second term: Average weekly roll. 27,801; average daily attendance, 25,513; regularity of attendance, 91.77 per cent. Third term: Average weekly roll. 27,555; average daily attendance, 26.107; regularity of attendance, 94.75 per cent. Mean for 1932: Average weekly roll, 27,703; average daily attendance, 25,894; regularity of attendance, 93.47 per cent. Mean for 1931: Average weekly roll, 28,388; average daily attendance, 26,349; regularity of attendance, 92.82 per cent. Increase in Regularity. Though there had been a decrease of 685 in the average weekly roll, and a decrease of 455 in the average daily attendance, there had been an increase of 0.65 per cent, in the regularity of attendance. , Satisfaction was expressed at the position disclosed. Mr. W. H. Jackson said that the term compulsory education could now be discarded. The parents and children were only too keen on education. Mr. C. H. Nicholls said he would like to see the Child Welfare Department kept right out of the schools. The secretary said that this was beyond the board’s power. The chairman, Mr. T. Forsyth, said the excellent attendance during 1932 was all the more satisfactory as the board did not now employ a truant officer.