GREAT SUCCESS

Evening Post, Issue 88, 12 April 1924, Page 13

GREAT SUCCESS

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

EXPERIMENT IN KING COUNTRY

MOTOR TRANSPORT "FOR " CHILDREN.

(EX TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL TO THE POSTi) AUCKLAND, This Day. The consolidation of four schools in one at Piopio,' sixteen miles from Te Kuiti, has been a fact since Ist April., Although it is too early to^appraise results from an educational point'of-view, the actual working of the school has proved, a success from the outset. ' The essence of the scheme has been to niobil-, ise all'the children of the' district at one convenient centre, Piopio, thus creating one largo instead of several-small units. .'Motor transport has made this possible. Pupils of outlying districts, instead of attending their own small schools, are brought in motor buses to Piopio, and again motored homo " at night! ■■ Before' the, consolidation there were 100 pupils at Piopio; seven miles away Te Mapara and Paemako each had schools of 26 and 38 scholars respec-; tively, and ten'miles'away there was .Rap'ae School with 32 scholars. When these were all consolidated into one central school . the result was 'a- .roll number of 200, and -many advantages should follow from better staffing and closer supervision ■of class work: ■ < The buses used are three converted one-ton trucks. The headmaster, Mr. R. S. Webster, and his male teaching staff, are the drivers. The buses are covered . with . grgeir canvas stretched over hardwood frames. Apparently they.should.be snug enough for children in any weather. Besides controlling the conveyance of children. Mr/ Webster, issues, benzine lubricants and spare parts, and is responsible for the oconomic administration of the service. The caretaker keeps the buses in good running order. Advantage from a; gen-eral-health point of view was-demon-strated during the storm and flood' conditions last Friday. AH the children arrived at the school ..dry and in timfe! for the classes. .- In the case of those, from Paemako, 36 out of 38 were pres-; ent, whereas, under similar., weather, conditions probably less than half could" have trudged, to- the local school.-The first bus starts out at 7 a.m., running to it's -terminus -at. Arapae. ■ It starts tho return/journey at 8, and the children are at school at 9.15. One child has to; come three miles to ■ meet the bus, but to attend his local school the distance was six. miles. ' Other buses leave later, according to the distance, to -be traversed, all being : back with the children at 9.15. The school closes at -i.-?'i antJ fifteeu minutes ' later all • the °W™n.are on the road home, the last child being deposited at the terminus at £.oi clock. -Along the routes where by-Toads intersect, shelters and small holding paddocks have, or are being provided.for .the.pupils - and the steeds that brought them. -In wet weather the children remain under-shelter until the bus arrives. " Moreaver, 'they- can-leave-wet"overcoats and saddles to.dry m the shelters during the six hoursthey, are away'at school. On their re-' turn the .final stage of- the journey is undertaken, under the best 'conditions, me;shelter sheds have.been provided by removal' from' school, "grounds ' and reerechon at suitable points.' Only a small minority have' any riding to do i-he happy ' majority.. -jom, "the. buses at' their own gates. , • !' :'"'.- ---; Many new and unexpected.gains are accruing from the consolidation system, three chxldren of one family, all aced under seven, lived too far I'ora sclfool to attend. The bus has made primer education possible /or tiny, tots^, a fact appreciated by parents. _. Moreover utd s ™ Jonger ardve at scho°i -^^y%ri^ e cs alTi^ ne: 'i, °^, J iUle "Packing the ht f 1"11^ at.the bwk and ard;soa6tok^th9 The inauguration of the scheme has J. s. ettlors. Avfarmer whose pronertv ' I f l'^,™ 1^ off .the miin roa^ and the humble cow "cockie,"' are £' "