JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

Evening Star, Issue 20167, 6 May 1929, Page 8

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

Thi: I fun. Mr At mo re’s problem in connection with junior high schools does not promise to he easily solved. The ad vice- lie has received from Sir James Pan - a:, to present tendencies in England makes a contribution to consideration of flic subject, but it does not go all, the way. The information, for one tiling, is too vague. The present High. Commissioner, who, when ho -was responsible for the portfolio of Education, was one of the keenest advocates of junior high schools as a separate series of establishments meant to hold a, new intermediate place in our system, cables that the- recommendation;; of the Endow report arc accepted in every educational district in Great Britain as sound. That might have been taken for granted. The Hadow report recommended that primary education should be regarded as ending at about the age of 11 +. That principle- has been accepted in New Zealand. It is embodied in Hie new syllabus for primary schools, which makes new studies for Standards V. and VI. and a resuscitated Standard VII. The Hadow report also recommended the advantage of a change of environment for pupils at tile ago of lf + . But that obviously could be provided by sending them on at once to high schools. The report did not make it a princiulo that there should bo two changes of environment in a pupil’s career before he arrives at the university, if he goes there. Sir James Parr’s cable gees on to state that “in nearly every educational area throughout England plans for the commencement or reorganisation of schools on similar lines to the junior high schools arc being pronmb/ated.” “On similar lines to” is an indefinite phrase. The Hadow report did propose that tome children at the age of eleven should go on to a class of “ modern schools, directly answering to our proposed junior high schools. But it was quite satisfied to find room for others in tho higher standards of primary schools (“ senior classes ”) and elsewhere. A more detailed report from Sir James Parr, showing the precise directions which ‘'reorganisation” is now taking, would be much to the poi nt.

The majority report of the New Zea- i land. Syllabus Ucvision Committee placed much reliance on the Hadow report. But the problem was not the same in England as in New Zealand. That was pointed out in the New Zealand minority report. In the Manchester elementary schools, for example, there were at any fixed time approximately 22,000 children between the ages of eleven and thirteen years, whoso further education had to be considered, Bat there were only 1.400 vacancies to bo filled in the municipal secondary schools and in the central schools of the city. The problem, therefore, included the providing for many thousands of children who were educationally stranded because of the lack of any sort of provision for their further education. In New Zealand our secondary schools already provide for tho free education of almost as largo a proportion of children proceeding from tho primary schools as can cvci be arrived at, though not all of them stay there as long as could bo desired. Tho majority recommendations of the New Zealand Committee, based as they were on the Hadow report, did’ not advise that all children at the ago of eleven should go on to now junior high schools. They ad\ ised that in tho smaller towns, where a higher school exists, the post-primary pupils should go to that school. Only in the larger cities would it be necessary to establish additional secondary schools to take pupils up to the ago of fifteen only. In isolated districts “tops” should be added, where possible, to certain existing primary schools. The minority' report was confident that all the work required could be done in adapted “tops” of the primary schools. Mr Caughley himsell. a former Director of Education, who was most assiduous in pushing Sir James Parr’s idea—to which -Mr Atmore now Jeans —of separate junior high schools, clearly has changed his mind on that point after some experience. His evidence the committee was given as follows: I have discarded in my mind what is known as the central school, of which Kowhni School at present may bo regarded as a type. It is providing thico schools in the pupils’ school life- iu-

stead of two.” And again: “There is no need for this separate mtity.” Mr Atmoro is still waiting for opinions from the educational conferences before ho decides on his system. There is already evidence that those experts who arc interested in the primary ■schools, and do not wish to see them decapitated at Standard IV., will need much conversion before they can bo reconciled to any new order ol schools. Such schools, where they have been tried hitherto in New Zealand, hare been very extensive. 3lr Atmorc thinks they can he worked with less expense. The problem is complicated by the factor of congestion, making need for new building, affecting all classes of schools. J3nt it need not be solved in a year or in the same way for all localities. The natural thing will bo to build junior high schools, where secondary or primary schools or botii have reached their limits, and with the growth of population lot them develop into high schools or retain their intermedia to position according ns experience makes advisable.