JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 24 November 1925, Page 5

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

SYSTEM FAVOURED IN HAWERA.. HEADMASTERS’ OPINIONS. Following on the recent move of the establishement of a junior high 'School in Hawera, a Star reporter approached several Hawera educationalists. Mr A. Gray, principal of the Hawera Technical High School, said he thought that the system, of junior high schools was going to Wcome general in New] Zealand, and the .reasons' given by Mr. Caughley whilst in Hawera the other day seemed to be quite cogent. Mja Gray considered that- a child, when ft came to the junior high school age, benefited by being in touch with older scholars. Then the point that the junior high school curriculum enabled a child to start Its secondary training earlier wa s undoubtedly right. The impression *'that a boy had had suffhcient education to enable him to go out into, the world when he had passed the sixth standard was an entirely wrong one, and had arisen, simply because he had passed the highest standard of a primary-school. “Seeing that it does not mean any reduction in the salaries of teachers, and seeing that the scheme is going to be brought into operation,’’ sai®. Mr Gray, “Hawera may just as well get- in first.” Continuing, Mr Gray said he was pleased to note that Mr Caughley stressed the point that junior an'd' senior high schools should as much as possible be joined together in one school solas to obviate any break in the progress of the work. Mr Gray said that the system adopted in the Hawera Technical High School by Mr Thomas, which! invoVed an understanding of reasons and reasoning as its basic principle, was undoubtedly the right one. It was impossib’e, however, to utilise the system fully when the children did not .start algebra and geometry and other such subjects until they were 14 or 15 years of age. Sport would also benefit by a close relationship between junior and senior high schools. Mr. F. A. Bates, headmaster of the Hawera School, said he liked the idea, and gave the opinion that it was a step in the right direction. The difficulty in the past, however, had been that the primary course had not been given its fair share of the available money, and that was why they had not been able to do anything in the direction of specialisation of work. They had had to put their fifth and six standards into large c’a.sses of 60 and 70 children, whereas in the high schools the classes did not- exceed 30. Mr. Bate s said the difficulty was to obviate the break in the progress lof the work when the child passed from one school to another. At the present time in the primary, school, a subject, such as geography, was linked up as regards it s teaching in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth standards. However, with a little management, corelation of work could be arranged in connection with the new system. Mr. Bates pointed out that - the taking away from the primary schools of the fifth and sixth standards would, mean the losing to those schools of the higher grade teachers. There should be some arrangement for leaving at least one assistant of a higher grade. Mr. 11. W. Jackson, headmaster of the Tawhiti School, said he would not like to express a definite opinion, but h© thought the scheme seemed to be a good one. After a time, a change of school and a slight change of subjects often added new interest to the work.

Mr R. S. Sage, chairman of the Hawera Technical High School Board, remarked that he had been in favour of the junior high school system ever since he had had a conversation with a director of. the Kowhai school at Auckland some two or three years ago. Mr J. W. Harding, chairman of the Hawera School Committee, said that, looking at the matter broadly, he was convinced that the system was a good one, and was really essential. He had wondered whether the introduction of the system would affect the payments of capitation to urimary schools, hut Mr Caughley had assured him that it would not. As far as the actual operav; on of the .system was concerned, he saw difficulties in the way in eohnecifoii with the transport of pupils from country schools adjacent. However, the matter of transport would not hold up the operation of the scheme in ‘ Hawera, as sufficient numbers to form a junior high school could he got in the ■'wn itself. As far as the - present Standard V. and YT. teachers were concerned it would mean that they would he brought into a grade that' would enable them to be transferred from a primary to a secondary school and would so operate in the teachers* interests,