Report by the Rev. John Allen on Schools in the Counties of Bucks, Hants, Herts, Kent, Surrey, and Wilts.

MY LORDS,

Privy Council Office, London, 29th January, 1847.

I HAVE the honour to submit to your Lordships a Report of schools in my district inspected by me during the year 1846. On account of the time taken up in tabularising the results obtained from schools inspected in 1845, and on account of the additional Report of schools in the diocese of St. David's, and from other causes, the number of schools visited by me in 1846 has not equalled the number of those visited in 1845. It will appear from the following tables that the whole number of schools visited by me in my district during the past year is 235; of these, 50 are infant-schools, in rooms fitted with a gallery, all (with the exception of that at Croydon) under mistresses; 72 are schools for older children under mistresses; 43 are schools under a master, assisted by a sewing-mistress for the girls; and 70 are schools in which boys and girls are taught apart, under a master and mistress. If the schools in this last class be counted as double schools, the entire number of schools now to be reported on by me may be reckoned at 305.

The names of these schools, arranged in four classes as above, according to counties, alphabetically, together with the more important facts observed in reference to them, are exhibited in the following tables.

BUCKS.

Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls

80 69 36 26 17 18 58 52 22 17 22 32 14 O O O

9 31 21 30 15 18 16 10 0 10 0 100 53 75 40

98 67 37 14 18 12 43 16 55 40 25 30 14 0 0 0 133 93 90 68

Hartley Wintney 54 51 8 4 22 17 29 23 25 28 21 27

6 3 8 0

Longrarish. 21 31 0 0 8 12 15 18 613

4 3 0 0 41 71 32 51

£. s. d. £. s. d. £. s. d. £. s. d. £. s. d. £. s. d. £. s.

£26+pence 20 0 0

£22 5 6 + pence.

40 0 0

35 0 0

2 18 7

No Return.

£60

No Return.

£50

:

2 5 01 10 0

2 7 91

£50

:

:

:

:

:

10 0 0 6 0 0 10 0 0

in which Boys and Girls are taught apart.

Other Expenses.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

£. s.

::

d.

Instruction somewhat scanty. The elder boys have learned the prophecies about our
Saviour, and some of the "Faith and Duty;" but otherwise there is room for improve-
ment. Girls' instruction improved since last inspection. The girls are clean and
orderly.
Room for improvement in the discipline. Instruction improved since last inspection;
the two lower classes of boys and the lowest class of girls ought to be in an infant-
school. I recommended the use of good secular reading-books.

Room for improvement in the instruction and discipline; a scarcity of proper books.
Teachers untrained.

Children clean and orderly. Instruction highly satisfactory in the boys' school. Know-
ledge of Scripture very pleasing. Writing, reading, and arithmetic good. Mulhauser's
copybooks. Hullah's music tables.

Children quiet, clean, and orderly. Religious knowledge good. Arithmetic, so far as it
goes, accurate; singing good; writing fair.

Great pains taken with the devotions. Instruction improved since last inspection.
Examination incomplete from want of time.

Boys under excellent discipline and teaching. Girls not fully examined.

Instruction somewhat scanty; better in the girls' school than in the boys' school. The religious instruction of the girls pleasing. Writing good.

Instruction in the boys' school very satisfactory; the children are, in all respects, taught with intelligence. Arithmetic very good. The girls' school has recently had a change of teachers, and is improving. Examination of the girls incomplete from want of time. Instruction in the boys' school much improved since last inspection. Room for improvement in the girls' school. Boys' schoolroom dilapidated; needs a boarded floor sadly. Master trained at Chichester; intelligent.

Children clean, quiet, and orderly. The time of inspection unfavourable for seeing the most advanced children. The upper class have learned the "Faith and Duty." Excellent building, except that the floor is of brick.

500 Girls clean; boys in fair order. The school has only been at work 18 months. Building good; but the boys' school has a brick floor.

£18 Rewards.

Discipline good. Instruction very satisfactory. Great pains taken in instructing the children in the doctrines of the Church of England, and the grounds from Scripture for those doctrines. A pressing need for new school-rooms.

£10 Pension A residence for the teacher built by the lord of the manor since the last inspection. to late Teachers changed. A prospect of improvement in the instruction.

Master.

Children clean, quiet, and properly classed. Boys compose well, write well, read fairly; know a good deal of Scripture; are taught the Catechism with pains. Girls also have learned a good deal of Scripture. Singing good, taught on Hullah's method. Master appears to do his work with pains, intelligence, and success. Three-quarters of an acre of ground enclosed round the infant-school, in which 12 of the elder boys have allot

ments.

Discipline good. Instruction of the girls very satisfactory; they are taught the Scriptures with intelligence, care, and reverence. Some good exercises in composition. Only first class of boys examined, a new master having been appointed within the last few weeks, and time running short.

Instruction highly satisfactory; first class read well, and recite pieces: are not exercised in composition: what is done in arithmetic is well done. Knowledge of Scripture and intelligence very pleasing; the use of the Irish school-books has tended much to raise the intelligence of the children. Discipline very satisfactory; apparently greatly helped by the skill attained in music. An evening school for 30 young persons.