E.—IB

14

Here is a satisfactory increase of 681 in the number of children who have passed standards, representing a rise of 2 per cent, on the whole—from 81 per cent, in 1885 to 83 per cent, in 1886. It will be seen that the average age remains fairly constant. The number of children absent from examination —207 —together with those classed as excepted for bad attendance—294—is altogether 501, or about an eighth part of the number passed. Considering the difficulties of many districts, the vicissitudes of health, and other drawbacks, this cannot be looked upon as an unsatisfactory result. The falling off in the passes in Standard VI. is partly accounted for by the increased difficulty in the pass, now that serious weakness in any one subject is made fatal. It is noticeable that the whole number of children classed above Standard IV. is under eight hundred, or about 1 in 11 of all on the roll. A considerable number of the children leave school before or as soon as they have passed Standard IV. Turning now to Summary No. 2 of the Appendix, I have to point out that the average percentage of failures for the whole district this year is seventeen, and, therefore, schools showing a higher average in column 3 are not doing such good work as the others. It will be seen that the large schools in Class A have all clone well this year, and three of them exceedingly well. I look upon 10 per cent, of failures, if sustained year by year, as almost the lowest practically attainable under ordinary difficulties of exacting test-work. As already stated, the percentage of passes in column 4 depends much on the number of infants included; hence the low figures of the Newtown School, to which no separate infant school is attached, and which is largely crowded with them. This applies in a less degree to the Terrace and Masterton Schools, and in some degree to all schools. lam sorry to still find large classes, especially in the city schools (not meaning the infant schools), of children of nine, ten, and even eleven years of age, who cannot be presented for Standard I. These, with those who are not attending school at all, form a large part of the neglected children of the district. It is an evil which calls for a remedy hard to find. The schools in Class B vary considerably in educational value. Two of them produce excellent work —Clareville and Featherston. Two or throe others have shown considerable weakness in particular classes, with capital work in other classes—the work varying with the ability of the class teacher. Of those in Class C, five are weak, seven are gooi, and the remaining five have.done fairly, in Class T), eleven schools show poor results, the others being more or less satisfactory. I do not expect such good results in small schools as in large ones, though I find them in a few. Speaking generally, I may say the quality of the work compares favourably with that of past years. Many of the reading classes showed improved style and tone. In arithmetic there is still some tendency to lose sight of the best methods, and to make the obtaining of the answer the whole aim of the pupil. If I were asked in what lessons the skill and resources of a good teacher were most called into play, I should answer, In a reading lesson in which the sense of the passage is well brought out and comprehended, and in an arithmetic lesson in which the process is clearly stated step by step, and the reason of each step understood. Only the best teachers succeed in doing this, and hence it is that in grammar and arithmetic there is so much failure in examinations. I am pleased to state that I have been much impressed during the past year with the fact that nearly all the classes which have done work far above average merit—large classes in which all or nearly all the candidates have passed, and many made strong passes —have been taught by teachers who have grown up in the Wellington service, some being pupil-teachers of the third or fourth year, some assistants who are ex-pupil-teachers, and some teachers of standing who were quite unable to do such work a few years ago, but who have year by year been rapidly improving in skill by practical experience in their work. AVith regard to the large infant schools, I can continue to report favourably. Owing to pressure of work, I have not been able to afford them so much time as I have done in former years ; but I am satisfied with their management, except in one or two instances in the matter of attempting too difficult work in the higher classes, and more especially in using a reading book prescribed for Standard 11. But it is in the region of work outside the ordinary standard boundaries that I find much of the success of the past year. Of the class subjects, which include history, geography (Standards 11. to IV.), drawing (Standards 11., III.), and science, the percentage results are given in Summary 2, column 5. The average of these percentages is 80 for schools in Class A, 58 in Class B, 54 in Class C, and 43 in Class D. This is the first year in which these results have been thus dealt with. The high marks obtained in the larger schools are due in a great part to the impetus and direction given to the teaching of drawing by the establishment of a School of Design, and to the reorganization of the science classes by the special teacher of science. All the class subjects are taught throughmit the district, w Tith the exception of elementary science, which, as a rule, cannot at present be taken up in the schools of Class D, and is not taken up in a few of Class C. In the smallest schools of Class D, in which a teacher holds solo charge, there are often only one or two children in higher standards, or the teacher is not prepared to undertake the technical work. The marks in the last column of Summary No. 2 are for additional subjects, including drill, singing, needlework, drawing (S4 to S7), recitation, and the subject matter of the reading book. Of the maximum 120, the following are the average marks obtained: Schools in Class A, 100; in Class B, 76; in Class C, 56 ; and in Class D, 47. Here, again, the fairly high results in many schools are attributable in a great measure to the action of the Board in appointing a special teacher of drill and gymnastics, in addition to the specialists in drawing and science. In the schools of Class A all the additional subjects are faithfully taught, if we except, as a matter of course, needlework from the curriculum of the Mount Cook Boys' School. I mention this fact, because it necessarily lowers this class of results in that particular school. With regard to the additional subjects, I have to report that drawing, recitation, and the subject matter of the reading book are everywhere taught. In drill, instruction is given in all but