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local authority to dispense, if it thinks fit, with the regular certificate of age, and direct a simple entry of age to be made in the School Book by their clerk, or some other specially deputed person. We have therefore deputed to this office our head teachers, and requested the managers of voluntary schools to nominate their head teachers for formal appointment by the board. The clerical work involved in making these entries, and still more in filling up the returns of attendance and examinations required by the department, is in some danger of interfering with the efficiency of our best officers, and reducing them to be superintendents, instead of active and sympathetic teachers. As one has said, "Superintendence is a good thing, but school mastery is a better." Upon the returns just referred to, honor certificates are awarded by government to children under 11 years of age who have passed in standards 4, 5, and 6, and made full attendance at the same school for two years.1 In these cases the department pays (under certain conditions) the fees for three years. Three hundred and five of our scholars have gained these certificates during the past year.

The rewards offered by the board are simply for attendance, and are given to children who attend punctually on every occasion on which their respective schools are open. Such children receive a card at the end of the quarter, and two cards entitle the holder to a book of the value of from one to three shillings. During the first quarter of this year 27,366 cards were earned in this way and 11,542 books. Though as yet we have given only books as prizes, it appears from the recent reply of the local government board in the Over case that it would be prepared to take a liberal view, should we at any time feel it desirable to offer prizes in another form. While speaking of prizes, I may add

The "standards" or grades here referred to are those prescribed by the general education act of 1870. They are as follows:

STANDARD 1.-Reading: A short paragraph from a book used in the school, not confined to words of one syllable. Writing: Copy in manuscript character a line of print, and write from dictation a few common words. Arithmetic: Simple addition and subtraction of numbers of not more than four figures, and the multiplication table to six times twelve.

STANDARD 2.-Reading: A short paragraph from an elementary reading book. Writing: A sentence from the same book, slowly read once, and then dictated in single words. Arithmetic: Subtraction, multiplication, and short division.

STANDARD 3.—Reading: A short paragraph from a more advanced reading book. Writing: A sentence slowly dictated once by a few words at a time from the samne book. Arithmetic: Long division and compound rules (money).

STANDARD 4.-Reading: A few lines of poetry selected by the inspector. Writing: A sentence slowly dictated once by a few words at a time from a reading book. Arithmetic Compound rules (common weights and measures).

STANDARD 5.-Reading: A short ordinary paragraph in a newspaper or other modern narrative. Writing: A short paragraph in a newspaper, or ten lines of verse slowly dictated once by a few words at a time. Arithmetic: Practice and bills of parcels. STANDARD 6.-Reading: To read with fluency and expression. Writing: A short theme or letter, or an easy paraphrase. Arithmetic: Proportion and fractions, vulgar

and decimal.

that a special diploma of honor has been awarded to the board by the jury on education at the Paris Exhibition in consideration of the excellence of its work. Particular regard was paid to the success that has attended our efforts for securing the attendance of children, and the example of London in this respect seems likely to be followed in France.

SCHOOL FEES.

As regards fees, the amount received in our schools during the year ending Lady-day last was 55,8131. 1s. 6d. We have at present 45,933 school places at 1d. a week, 91,191 at 2d., 36,335 at 3d., 8,225 at 4d., 2,859 at 6d., and 87 at 9d., being an average of 2d. Where it is found that the position of the parents will permit, the fees are being gradually raised, as the above figures will show when compared with those I gave a year ago; in several instances this has been done at the suggestion of Her Majesty's inspectors. At the same time even the lowest fee is beyond the ability of some, and during the year that ended at midsummer fees were remitted in 3,219 cases, and remission renewed in 2,355

more.

THE TEACHING STAFF.

At Lady day we had in our schools 2,378 adult teachers, of whom 406 held first class certificates and 1,283 second class. These were exclusive of 1,479 pupil teachers and 272 candidates. The relation of these figures to those of the previous year is shown thus:

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455

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The increase in adult teachers is accounted for by the greater power required to instruct the advancing numbers of the children. As an example of the staff we employ, I may instance a large school which has been under my own frequent inspection and which earns us a yearly grant of over 1,000l. The scholars on the roll are 1,782, of whom there is a daily average attendance of 1,467, or 467 boys, 374 girls, and 626 infants. These are taught by 3 masters and 4 male pupil teachers, 5 mistresses, 2 female ex-pupil teachers, and 5 female pupil teachers; that is, 19 teachers in all-surely no excessive allowance. In the appointment of teachers regard is had to the recommendation of the local managers and to any claim which may arise from good service previously rendered under the board. One of our inspectors says: "During the

past half year 27 masters have been appointed in my district; of these no less than 18 were assistants in the employment of the board. This is a good proportion, and shows that the interests and claims of assistants are not overlooked. Every one of these appointments has, so far, worked well." It will be one of our first duties this autumn to consider a scheme for revising the scale of salaries of our teachers. While, on the one hand, we shall do well to provide for the more regular promotion of deserving teachers, and the retention in "schools of special difficulty" of those who are meeting those difficulties successfully, we shall bear in mind that no profession has of late years been so rapidly advanced as that of the elementary school teacher, and that a due proportion must be observed between the payment that can be earned in it and in other professions where onerous and intelligent service has to be rendered.

CHARACTER OF THE EDUCATION.

The question has frequently been put at the opening of new schools whether we were not giving an education in advance of our duty and equal to that which might be expected in secondary schools. In answer to this it may be said that the instruction in secondary schools is often far below the mark; and, further, that the great majority of our children are busy over the simple rudiments of learning, as is seen from the fact that at the close of last year 41.5 were in the 1st standard, 25.8 in the 2d, 16.1 in the 3d, and 16.6 in 4th, 5th, and 6th. Mr. Alderson, Her Majesty's inspector, says of the Marylebone district: "A marked feature in school board instruction in its present stage is its limited range. It will be a surprise to many who have credited the London school board with an over-ambitious programme to learn that elementary school work, nicely executed, is at present the characteristic note' of their operations." Indeed, I fear the charge of backwardness in standard. work might rather be brought against us, seeing the proportion of children we present in the three upper standards is but one in six. The same gentleman, however, does us only justice when he adds: "It may well be impossible for a newly opened school, recruited from the streets, to present a fourth of its scholars, or even any at all, in the three higher standards." It is encouraging to know that the upper standards are rapidly increasing, and to believe that our next report will show a marked improvement under this head.

The committee of council on education fix a certain age for each standard, expecting a child of 8 to be presented in the 2d standard, one of 9 in the 3d standard, and so on; but some consideration must be had for the circumstances of the scholars, it not being likely that a child from a degraded and half-starved family will attain a given degree of proficiency as early as the lad of an intelligent and prosperous mechanic. The subjects taught in our schools are classified as essential and discretionary, or, according to the division of the code, standard, class, and specific. In standard subjects the percentage of passes last year in

reading was 87, in writing 84, and in arithmetic 79.1. This compares favorably with the percentages for the entire country, which are given as 85.78 for reading, 78.99 for writing, and 69.97 for arithmetic. Mr. Renouf, Her Majesty's inspector, gives in his report a list of unsuccessful schools in the Tower Hamlets, where a percentage of passes falls below 60, and adds: "No board school is found among these. The board schools are conspicuous in the list of those whose percentage reaches 90."

As is well known, Bible instruction with simple religious exercises forms a part of the daily programme in each school; but as the gov ernment inspection does not extend to this subject, our judgment of results has to be formed upon our own annual examination. In distributing the prizes this year at the Crystal Palace I took occasion to say—and the vice president of the Privy Council subsequently quoted it in Parliament as a remarkable fact that the number of children who voluntarily entered the competition this year was 104,909, against 82,062 in 1877. Besides these, 1,403 pupil teachers submitted themselves to examination. While many of their answers are reported to us as having been superficial and betraying a want of thinking power, some were extremely good. Thus, whereas some even of the pupil teachers could find in the parable of the good Samaritan no further lesson than that we should be "kind to people," a boy in the 6th standard summed up the lessons to be gathered in these words: "We learn (1) that those whom we may count as our enemies are often our best friends; (2) that we should love our enemies; (3) that a good action is its own reward: no doubt if a crowd of people had been near, the priest or the Levite would have given help in order to have received the praise of men."

A still better evidence of the comprehension of this parable was given in a collection spontaneously made in a number of our schools for the Indian famine relief fund, when a sum of 4351. was sent up from children in 476 departments, the coins in the boxes being almost exclusively halfpence and farthings. While the board would properly discourage systematic appeals to their scholars, the goodwill in this case was so manifest as to make it seem a legitimate part of educational training to allow it to find vent; and I therefore consented to act as treasurer of the fund. One master says: "Not feeling myself justified in opening a subscription list, lest my children might feel constrained by mere emulation to give money which could ill be spared at home, I placed a box at the stair head, and simply allowed the boys to pay in whatever they chose. From the weight of the box I gather that about a pound has been collected, but I forward it unopened." The amount was found to be 21. 10s. Another writes: "I wish you had seen the triumphant air of satisfaction with which a black boy of seven years of age gave me a halfpenny. That's for 'em,' he said, and seemed to think that want would be known no more."

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Singing is taught universally with good results, both as regards the ability to read music and the quality of voice. We have also reaffirmed our decision to teach drawing to all our pupils, from a conviction of its great value in every branch of industry. Our annual exhibition of drawings of pupil teachers and scholars has had a stimulating influence on this department of school work. The class subjects required by the code are grammar, history, elementary geography, and (in girls' departments) plain needlework. The introduction of these subjects is stated on all hands to have acted beneficially on the ordinary school course in increasing the intelligence of the children and raising the percentage of passes in standard subjects. How, indeed, can it be other than useful for a child to be able to parse a simple sentence, to know something about the history of his country, and gain some idea of the places about which he reads? The need there is of instruction in the last, at least, of these subjects is illustrated by the remark of an inspector on a "very good girls' school." "It would be well, however, to give the girls some idea of geography, as even in the fifth and sixth standards most of them could not tell me what river flows through London, what country they live in, or the name of any other town in the world." Complaints occasionally reach us that the class subjects are too superficially handled, and it might be well to imitate more closely the interesting and vivid method of teaching adopted in many of the American and German schools. Of the instruction in history in particular, it must be said that it is given in few schools, and, when given, is too often a dry matter of dates and dynasties and battles, instead of the broader view of the growth and progress of our country.

Needlework is a subject which has too long been neglected in the school. Comparatively few domestic servants can darn or mend neatly, or cut out and make their own clothing; while mothers are really capable of properly instructing their daughters in this most useful art. The best inspectors confess to their inability to dispense with "woman's judgment on woman's work;" and it must be a satisfaction to the board to feel that it has had the advantage from the beginning of employing the services of two qualified ladies who are charged with the oversight of this department.

The specific subjects recognized by the code occupy but few of our children, as appears from the small amount of grant earned. Thus, upon the examination of fifty of our schools from January to March last, the grant for standard subjects was 5,755l., for class subjects 2,7881. 168., and for specific subjects only 3447. 16s. In cases where scholars have reached the fourth standard, and are not withdrawn by their parents, they must proceed, if the board is to earn the government grant, to these specific subjects. Here they will not advance any alarming distance if they get a hundred lines of poetry by heart, though that be called lit. erature, or acquire a knowledge of the structure of the human body, though that be dignified by the title of physiology. This last subject

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