The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, October 20, 1908 FOXTON SCHOOL CLASSIFICATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 439, 20 October 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, October 20, 1908 FOXTON SCHOOL CLASSIFICATION.

When the present headmaster was appointed to the local Stale School, the whole of the classes were reclassified. The re-classification was done with the sanction of the Chief Inspector, A large number of parents expressed dissatisfaction with the result, because their children had been reduced to lower standards, which it would take many of them over a year to regain, and, it was argued, such disrating put the children in poor heart, in view of the fact that the inspectors had sanctioned the passes. We approved of the headmaster’s action at that lime, believing that the scholars would soon make up the lost ground, and advance more rapidly, but we have yet to learn that such has been the case. That being so, we are faced with three causes: (i) That the children attending the Foxton State Scd^yl, are below the average stance intelligence ; (2) That ing staff is inefficient; Sjjj

That the standard of work set for each class is too high, in comparison with other Board schools throughout the Dominion. Of the three causes for the, backwardness (which is the only term we can use) of the Foxton Stale scholars, we incline to the last-named. If

we are correct, then parents are justified in approaching the Hoard with a view to having the standard lowered, otherwise children will never be able to compete for free places in tbe higher schools of learning, because they will be above the age limit—in fact, if some of them progress at the present rate, they may reach the sixth standard at any time between r 8 and 20 years of age. We have belorc ns the periodical examination card of the writer’s child. The lad is eight years and seven months old, and of average intelligence. He first went to school three years and seven months ago, has attended regularly since, and now occupies a position in Standard I. If it has taken this scholar three years and seven months to reach the first standard, how long, in the name of common sense, will it take him to reach the sixth ? His card shows that he obtained 405 marks out of a possible 650. Yet this boy is one of the youngest in the standard mentioned. While commending the headmaster for his high standard, we say, on the other hand, it is disheartening to pupils and parents, and further, it unfairly handicaps local children from competing for free places. We should like to see at least six local scholars competing for free places at the forthcoming scholarship examinations. This is, however, more than we dare-hope for. An “Honour’s Board” at the local State School will be looked for in vain, unless some change in the present method is adopted.