EAST OXFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Oxford Observer, Volume I, Issue 1, 17 August 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

EAST OXFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Thr usual monthly mooting of tho East Oxford School Committee was held m the Schoolroom on Tuesday evening, August 6th. Present — Messrs Ingram (chairman), Parish, Wilson Fishor, Aldridge, Corayns, and Mitchell. Tho minutes of tho previous meeting wore read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence road and approved. Tho schoolmaster's monthly report was read, showing that tho attendance is still very unsatisfactory, though there has been a slight improvement lately, and pointing out tho means to be taken to ensure a more regular attendance. It was decided to carry out the suggestion mado by the master, and to take steps to insist on the compulsory clause of tlio Act being carried out. The Chairman then read the following roport : — " I rogrot that I had not an opportunity of examining the books prior to the last meeting, so as to lay before you our financial position, which would have enabled you to discuss more fully our ways and means. I have looked through the books, and I find the position to be as follows : — Our income for incidental expenditure, according to the present attendance, is £40 per annum, of which we have to pay Mrs Barleft, £17 ; James Pegg. £11 j firewood, say £8 ; ink, stationery, and sundries, say £4 ; which absorbs the #hole of our present receipts, so that we have nothing left for repairs or other necessaries. The following accounts are owing by tlie Committee —Mr Ingram, £l ; Mr Parish, about £1 ; Fountain Barber, 10s ; W. Neithe, £3 ; Mr Thompson, about £1 ; Mr George Smith, about £2. Our last quarter's money, which was paid

a month ago, is all spent. The £l re- • ferred to as owing to myself is for money paid into the Bank to* meet one of the dishonored cheques ; the Committee are no doubt aware that two of their cheques were dishonored, one for £3, and the other for £8 6s Bd, both of which were allowed to be dishonored for the want of paying m a few shillings, the late Sec--retary having more than sufficientmoney m his hands belonging to the Committee to make up the difference. He handed me £1 7s Bd, balance of petty cash, which has since been nearly all absorbed m paying sundry small accounts. The Committee authorised, me to have the necessary repairs made to the school, which were as follows : — The woodhouse door hung from the outside, and a padlock put on ; a padlock and chain to the entrance gate; the fence round the closets repaired; the parallel and horizoutal bars fixed ; the ladder taken down and re-fixed ; a towel-roller fixed above the lavatory, and supplied with towels ; soap-box made, and supplied with soap ;: pannikins fixed to the pump and tankr with chains ; broken hat-pegs replaced ; the lock on the corridor door fixed; the swings supplied with ropes ; and the tank cleaned out. The timber required for the above repairs is a gift from myself, owing to the funds being so low. Ono set of rings for the swing were nearly worn through, so that new ones had to be ordered. I consider that the school floor should be washed once a month instead of once a quarter, and swept every .Monday morning before the school opens. This will entail extra expense, which might be borne out of the 2s 6d that is paid for the hire of the school on Sundays. Should the Superintendent of tlie a^nUy School not accept our offer, and discontinue the use of the school, the extra cleaning will not be required. I very much regret to find that the school has a bad tone, many of the children being ill-mannered, and a few attend who are not quite so clean as they ought to be. I think it is the duty of the Committee to remedy these defects. lam sure that the roughness and want of control of the children m the school on Sundays, while the buildingbeing used as a Sunday school, is a very bad example to the day scholars. It is m such a school, and on such a day, that one would expect order, and that the teaching would have a softening and civilising influence on tho children. On a Monday morning, when all should be cleanliness for the work of the week the children find a dirty floor, and occasionally their desks, forms, slates, &c, are besmattered with ink ; I therefore fear that the dirtiness of the school is a bad example to the children, and makes them careless as to cleanliness. Psrsonally lam of opinion that it would be greatly to the advantage of the Sunday school if it were held m the Church, Children, as a rule, are taught to have g eat respect for that building, and while m the Church they would be more easily controlled, and the Christian influence that the teachers wish to impress on the young minds would be more easily inculcated. One .of the teachers informed me that while the Bohool was held m the Church last spring the ohildren were muoh easier to contxol. One of my Masons for endeavoring to get the school used solely for State sohool purposes was that the unfortunate influence I speak of may be removed, giving the new maste , with the assistance of the Committee, an opportunity of improving the tone of the sohool m manners, cleanliness, and regular attendance. With this view, I intend to give £2 to be awarded as prizes. Should the 2s 6d per week be paid by the Sunday school, the difference, if any, after paying for the extra . cleaning, might be used for a like object. The Visiting Committee met on August 5, and they have to report thatanew map of Africa should be obtained,. the present one being obselete; also, that the map of The World at present m use is very 'much torn, and should be replaced by a new one. They would also suggest that the drain between the school and the Church grounds should be cleared out, as there is a Dad smell arising from it, and that the Road Board should be

(See Supplement.)