NEW SCHOOL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 4

NEW SCHOOL

INTERMEDIATE PUPILS

GISBORNE UNANIMOUS

men hopes raised

KAHUTI.A STREET URGED

Prospects seem favourable for the establishment of an intermediate school in Gisborne next year.

Immediate application will bo made by the Director of Education, Mr. N. T. Lambourne, to the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, whose decision is expected within, six weeks. The Minister is reported to he favourably disposed towards the proposal. A unanimous agreement that a separate school should he established in Gisborne for intermediate pupils was reached at a meeting of school committee representatives with the- Director _of Education last night, and the meeting strongly recommended the purchase of a site at the western end of Ivahutia street, with access also from Cobden street.

The director suggested that, the school should be located on the site of the present girls’ hostel in Stanley road, but this received no support, objections including those of the High School Board of Governors, who were present, and also the chairman of 'the Hawke s\ Bay Education Board, Air. G. A. Maddison, who occupied the chair. THIRD AND LAST On previous occasions when members of school committees and the High School Board have discussed the matter, proposals differed from the decision last night. Mr. Maddison said that this was the third, and, he hoped, the last time on which they had assembled in Gisborne on file subject, and was the result of a deputation which waited on the Minister on the opening of an intermediate school in Dannovirke last month. The Minister had replied that Mr. Lambourne might have ideas on the subject since his trip abroad, and suggested that he might visit Gisborne. The Minister undertook to give his decision within six weeks, if a unanimous decision could be arrived at. Mr. Maddison believed that such a decision could be reached. They had already a site in a central position, should it ho decided to erect such a school.

It was proposed previously, Air. Aladdison said, that the old infant school should he. demolished and a new one built, although standards up to Std. 4 lie believed might bo housed in the present brick building on the central sile.

Regarding the proposal to erect a new building, lie said that it must be remembered that the residential areas were constantly changing, and a new building, if erected, might not be permanently useful. EXPERIENCE, ABROAD Air. Lambourne did not anticipate having to discuss at length the desirability of terminating the primary school education at 10 or 11 years of age. Abroad there was a growing feeling in this direction. As far back as 1910, the London County Council's education committee decided to terminate the elementary school age at 11 years, and to draft the children into another type of school. That move had spread to ol her parts of England. From 1926 onwards there was great activity in this direction, and throughout the whole of the English-speaking world that had been going on in the past few years, including Canada, the United States and Australia, all educationists coming to the conclusion that it was desirable in the interests of the child to terminate the primary school education at about Std. 4. In reaching such a decision in Gisborne, tTie committees here would be coming into line with England and also other European countries.

In regard to the establishment ot separate boys and girls’ schools, Mr. Eambourne said that while there were many good reasons for separating the sexes, there were also many good reasons against it. The easiest way, when numbers grew too large, was to separate the boys and girls. There were about 500 pupils at the Gisborne High School, and this was a very convenient size. Within limits, the larger the school was the easier it was to organise under specialists in their subjects. Also, the upper classes were generally small, and whether there were six or 16 pupils in Form 6 there must be a separate teacher.

If an intermediate school were divided into boys and girls, he went on, there would be about 300 boys and about 200 girls, and the possibility of specialist teachers would be reduced, while the difficulty of small upper classes would be intensified.

There were at present about 540 pupils available for an intermediate school, the director added. This formed a very suitable size for an intermediate school, which would have 13 or 14 classes. This would enable them to have six or seven divisions in each form and to classify their pupils much better than with smaller numbers of divisions in eaclJ form.

SPECIALIST TE A (Jill XC One of the objects of an intermediate school, explained Air. Lamhourne, was to make it exploratory, providing as many different courses in order to try out the individual pupil’s capacities and inclinations with tne further object of ascertaining' which courses they would go on to at the secondary school. He would like to see an intermediate school sell-con-tained so far as staff was concerned : t hey should be teachers and not. instructors, co-operating with other teachers,, the learner of woodwork with the teacher of arithmetic, for instance. In the two years it snouhl he possible for a pupil and parents to know in what direction tin; pupil s bent, lay. to enable him when lie- went to the next school to choose Ids most suitable course.

There would tie a choice id staff and opportunity for specialist teaching in Gisborne, tie continued, that would not be possible elsewhere, and a total ol 285 hoys would lie given eight teachers. The pupils would be classified on entering the intermediate school according to their known inclinations.

It would be better not to divide the school. Mr. Lamhourne said, and to establish a separate intermediate school. As a department to another school, it would he attached to a. school with a headmaster who already had a full-lime job. while as a separate school the headmaster would he one who would have his full time devoted to the intermediate school. lie suggested Hint such a school might he established on the girls' hostel site, and making the live town schools eonIrilmtai y schools to ihe interincdialc one. These live schools would retain Iheir pupils up to ami including Std. I. and the intermediate school also would lake older pupils of. say. 15 years, who had not reached Sid. 4.

It also might he possible to demolish the present infant building at the Gisborne Central School, he added, and make use of the present brick building by using the four rooms below for the primers and the six rooms above for Skis. 1 to 4. demolishing the old technical school buildings, transfer the dental clinic to a new site, and to dispose ol the property on which the dental clinic now stood. HIGH SCHOOL VIEWS Air. F. W. Nolan, a member of the High School Board ol Governors, apologised for the chairman. Air. L. 'I. Gurnard, and said that the resolution carried at the last meeting in Gisborne was not, in its present, form, in the best interests uf education. A division ot the sexes would result In such a pronounced loss in educational facilities and a shortage of leaching staff, that it. would he in the interests of the cl ildreu that the intermediate school should he a mixed one.

On the question of site, Mr. Nolan said that the hostel site was not ideal for an intermediate school. That site was purchased after a visit of the then Minister of Education as a. site for what would eventually he a girls’ high school. It was conveniently situated to the other High School buildings, immediately opposite the playiiur fields ol the school, and was the, ideal site for a girls’ school. If the intermediate school were started, and if Gisborne increased in population in the way (hey hoped and expected and the school leaving age were increased to 15 years, there would be a larger number of new pupils in both the intermediate school and high school. With the normal increase in population, the High School would grow to such a size that it could not conveniently carry on as a mixed school, and a. girls high school must he started. It would he a thousand pities for the momentary use of that piece of land lu lie finally of no use. Other sites, ho added, had boon inspected. one in Kahuiia street being well adapted to the purpose ; it was more central. the additional distance from any pupils, such as at To TTapara, being very small. No better site could he secured in Gisborne ; it was dry. sandy soil, and it was in a, situation in which all pupils could conveniently reach it-. CRNTR AI„ A R.R, AXGEXI EX TS

Mia .T. 11. Sunderland, chairman of the Gisborne Central School, said that the Knliutia street, site was more, central. The. Kaili pupils would have much further to travel to the hostel site. He was sure that, the meeting would lie unanimous that a separate intermediate school should lie erected, and the director's, remark’s have killed 1 lie proposal 1,0 attach it to the High School. The only disappointment he had was the proposal lo reorganise i.li'e present. Gisborne Central building for intants. owing to the risk of earthquake shocks, lie would not like that, point ol view to upset the plan of proceeding with the intermediate school, but he proposed that the latest type of open air school should' he built on tho present infant:, school site, and that the present brick building should he used for Standards 1 to A.

Mr. ,7. E. Shimmin, headmaster of (lie. Gisborne. Gentral .School, replying to a. question, said that there were 240 children in Slds. 1 to 4 in his school at present. Mr. Sunderland said that being so, there would not he much room wasted if those standards were housed in the brick building.

Replying to Air. T. Todd. Mr. Lambourno said that to use the hostel ground, it would he most likely necessary to lake all the ground occupied by the present, hostel. Mr. Todd: Then we would have to find other premises for the hostel. Mr. Muddison agreed with the objection against the hostel site, and said that the time must, come eventually when the boys and girls in the High School must he separated'. If the girls’ hostel site were taken for an intermediate school, where could land he procured for a girls’ high school in a central site? 10 ACRES PROPOSED 'MY. T. A. Coleman, a member of tho Haiti School Committee, and of tho 1 lawkc’s Pay Education Board, said that, when the High School was established, it was built in the -first place on too small a section and lie predicted that in another 15 years the High School would require all the land at present at its disposal, lie believed that an area of 10 acres ai the end of Kahn (.in street was the best- that could he obtained.

MY. Williamson, chairman of the ICaiti School Committee, said that the Kniti commit lee endorsed the establishment of an intermediate school in Kn India street.

Mr. d. S. Wane!,op. a member of the Hawke’s Pay Education Board, said that, now was the time to make up their minds on a, broad basis. What wore the requirements of education in all schools in Hie. district? But for the earfhciuake. Gisborne would have had its infant school. The. Education Board and also the department realised that Hie school should lie built. The present building was totally inadequate and unsuitable. It was a’ short-sighted policy to “make shift” with something a little worse than what was obtained elsewhere.- Gisborne bad paid lor years for railways which the district, could not use and for buildings in other places which were not. nearly so necessary as similar buildings m Gisborne. 11 o' urged that a- substantial area, should ho acquired in Kabul in street for educational purposes. A £2009 MAKESHIFT Mr. Shimmin said there was no'doubt, that the present buildings at the Gcntial

School had passed their usefulness ns a primary school, not only for an infant school. It. was regrettable 1 hat. .£2OOO was spent, in reinforcing the present In id; building; that, was a. makeshift, to tide over a time of difficulty. Had thought been given to a new site for the Gisborne School? he asked. lie considered that, Knhutia street, was the ideal site, and had not that been suggest, :'d for an intermediate, school be would have advocated the removal of the Gisborne Central School to that site. It would, he difficult to reconstruct the present, brick building into a suitable infants’ school.

Mr. /Sunderland moved that a separate intermediate, school should be established in Gisborne, and that a strong recommendation should be, made that the site -bo that adjoining Kahutia street, with access from Kahutia. street on the east and Carnarvon street on the west. Tho resolution was seconded by Air. Nolan, and carried unanimously.

Air. Sunderland said that numbers of country school committees had suggested that the nearer country school pupils should be provided with transport to the intermediate school.

Mr. Lambourne replied that the Minister had promised to give each individual application consideration on ils merits.

Mr. F. Nelson, Mangapnpa, urged that the department should not build for merely 400 to 500 pupils, but should look ahead and prepare for CGO or 900.

Mr. Maddison said that Air. Lamhnurne would make immediate application to the Minister, and lie thought that, Gisborne would have an intermediate school next year. PROPOSAL FOR, CONTROL Air. Nolan suggesttdl that the control of tho intermediate school might be vested in tho High School Board. It was desirable that Hie High School Board should have control, for most of tho pupilsi from ail intermediate school would go forward to the High School. By having the one control, the aptitudes of the pupils would become known and more quickly picked up. He did not suggest that the intermediate school should he under tho vector of Ihe High School, hut, the administration should he under the High School Board.

Air. Lambourne-said that the Art provided that at the discretion of the Minister the school should lie under the Education Board, or tinder the governing body of a secondary school, while there could ho a committee of nine. Air. Coleman asked that Air. Nolan should not press that- point, because. Hie good work done already might, he destroyed. The matter had been considered informally by the primary school committees, and he knew (hat. Mr. Nolan did not. wish to jeopardise, the unanimous decision already reached.

Mr. Sunderland suggested that, the whole question of control should be left In ihe department.

Mr. T). Af. Grade, Kaili. said that; hie committee was content to leave the control of the intermediate school to the Hawke’s Bay Education Board on similar lines as at Napier. Air. \Vauehop said it did not, matter who would -control Iho school. They should concentrate on securing the establishment of tho school. Air. Nolan disclaimed any desire to provoke an explosion, and added that, if the proposal was contrary to (lie opinion of flic primary school committees, tho High School Board would drop it. 1