E.—l

VI

age at which children are able to attend. In both cases the proportion is as nearly as possible 5 per cent, of the total school enrolment. The probable explanation of the equality is that a higher ideal of what is necessary for the Eirst Standard requirements prevails uniformly in the town schools than on. the average in the country. The reasons assigned are almost invariably such as to fall conveniently under the four heads—(l) insufficient time at school, (2) irregular attendance, (3) mental or physical incapacity, and (4) ill-health. Though these groups are not exclusive of each other, and though little may be learned from group 3, which is made up of very mixed elements, ranging from " dulness " to imbecility or physical deformity, yet the numbers ranked under each head may contain some features of interest. In fourteen city and suburban schools, with a roll-number of 8,161 children, there were in all 410 over eight years included in Class P. on the date of examination. Of this number, 165 belong to group (1), 87 to group (2), 102 to group (3), and 56 to group (4). With the sufficiency of the reasons given we have pleasure in expressing ourselves fully satisfied. In this district there are, we believe, comparatively few children ranked at examination below Standard I. who ought, so far as the teacher's efforts are concerned, to occupy a higher position in the school classification.

TABLE E.-Average Age of Pupils at Standard Examinations in 1892.

The average ages at the time of passing the several standards are lower in the Wellington Education District than in any other part of the country, and higher in Wanganui than anywhere else. Experience may prove that the most excellent teaching and the most reasonable interpretation of the standards could not bring the average ages much lower than they now are in Wellington, where the mean of the average ages is eleven years and two months. It is perhaps too much to hope that this may, without some counterbalancing disadvantage, be reduced to ten years and six months, which would be the mean if the First Standard were passed at eight years of age, and the others at intervals of a year, as was originally contemplated.

TABLE F.-Inspection Statistics.

Education Districts. Average Ages for Standi ords. Mean if Ages. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland ' .. North Canterbury ... South Canterbury Otago Southland v L ! Yrs. mos. 9 1 9 3 9 5 8 5 9 5 8 10 8 7 8 10 9 2 8 9 8 9 9 1 9 2 II. III. Yrs. mos. Yrs. mos. 10 4 11 5 10 3 11 7 10 7 11 9 9 8 10 7 10 3 11 4 10 6 12 1 9 10 | 10 9 9 9 11 4 10 2 11 10 9 11 11 2 10 1 11 2 9 11 | 11 3 10 8 11 5 IV. Yrs. mos. 12 6 12 8 12 9 11 11 12 3 12 9 12 1 12 2 12 7 12 2 12 2 12 3 12 5 V. Yrs. mos. 13 6 13 6 13 7 12 7 13 0 13 7 12 11 13 1 13 7 13 1 12 11 12 11 13 4 VI. Yrs. mos. 14 4 14 6 14 1 13 8 14 1 13 10 13 11 14 3 14 4 14 1 14 0 13 10 14 2 1892. Yrs. mos 11 10 11 11 12 0 11 2 11 9 11 11 11 4 11 7 11 11 11 6 11 6 11 6 11 9 1891. Yrs. mos. 11 10 12 2 12 1 11 4 11 9 11 11 11 7 11 5 11 9 11 7 11 6 11 7 11 10 Mean Range (difference between highest and lowest) 9 0 1 0 10 1 11 4 12 4 0 10 13 1 2 0 14 1 0 10 11 8 0 10 11 9 0 10 0 11 : 1 6 Mean in 1891 .. Bange in 1891 9 0 0 10 10 2 11 0 11 1 5 0 12 0 4 9 13 0 2 9 14 1 1 4

Education Districts. re S d 0 I O O Q a & o a O „i 3 i ft © O T3 sM ft -^ ft Absent. •6 © © o « H Failed. Passed. o © r/j WO cC H II © ft O o O © © fs gft S £c J 1 ' S~ ~ -n ;r. °m a ■rH C3 © Auckland taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay rfarlborough kelson .. 23,615 2,697 7,827 11,681 6,202 1,991 5,830 1,713 1,633 20,497 5,002 22,322 9,053 8,025 1,042 2,752 3,446 2,176 670 1,762 602 520 6,156 1,583 7,555 2,980 125 6 32 239 43 31 182 20 51 144 84 300 102 621 108 388 198 92 55 148 61 43 451 146 326 164 732 121 358 304 141 52 141 22 29 425 112 482 259 2,045 302 972413 780 240 338 139 241 1,917 478 1,651 827 12,067 1,118 3,325 7,081 2,970 943 3,259 869 749 11,404 2,599 12,008 4,721 14-5 21-3 22-6 5-0 20-8 20-3 9-4 13-8 24-3 14-4 15-5* 12-1 14-9 51-1 41-5 42-5 60-6 47-9 47-4 55-9 50-1 45-0 56-0 52-0 53-8 52-1 64 62 49 68 58 42 57 55 49 48 52 58 62 60 49 45 70 46 37 39 49 38 57 55 71 62 Jrey Westland vtorth Canterbury South Canterbury )tago Southland For the colony Mean 55-6 Mean 52-1 120,063 39,269 1,359 2,801 3,178 10,343 63,113 14-1 52-6 In 1891 .. 118,440 40,297 59,511 16-29 50-25 53-1 50-6 1,120 2,944 2,983 11,585 * In the report issued last year failures in South Canterbury were entered in error as 29-6. The correct numbi ir was 21-0.