Appendix D. SUMMARY of RESULTS of EXAMINATION of ATTENDANTS on 90 days and above within the year.

Reports

In all these departments the general proficiency of the pupils was highly satisfactory, and reflected the utmost credit on the principal and assistant teachers. And I am in a position to express, even in a stronger degree, the assurance given in my last report of the complete success of this institution. It was abundantly evident from the character of the answering, and especially from the excellent reading of the advanced classes, that the principal teachers had not confined themselves to a mere supervision of the work done by their assistants, but that they had taken an active part in conducting the business of their respective schools. But I notice one slight defect, which can, however, be easily remedied. I refer to the transfer of very young children to the higher departments. This arrangement unduly thins the attendance at the infants' school, and moreover frequently proves injurious to the children in question, many of whom make but slow progress for a considerable time after they have been drafted to the higher schools. I feel it unnecessary to dwell upon this point, I simply state a fact which, in my opinion, merits consideration. But I earnestly recommend that a third class be allowed in the infant department of this Model school. For the new

Third Book is almost virtually the old Second Book; and a child who, at four years of age, begins First Book, may easily master the Third Book before he completes his seventh year. This amount of proficiency, and I may add, corresponding progress in writing, spelling, and to some extent in arithmetic, has, to my own knowledge, been frequently attained in good infant schools. And if a third class be excluded from the infants' department of this Model school, the style of the reading will, I fear, deteriorate, because children who can read the Second Book long before they have reached the age of seven years, must repeat the same lessons day after day. A practice of this kind will prove injurious to the intelligence of any child, and will entail much waste of valuable time, and lastly, the small amount of results fees now earned in this infant school will sensibly diminish should no account be taken of the

answering of children in third class. For instance, the sum obtained AppendixD. for results at last examination amounted only to £32 12s. 6d., while the Reports amount realized from the same source in the girls' school came to upon £218 188. These facts tell their own tale, and require no comment District from me.

and Minor Model

The following table shows the average numbers on rolls, the average Schools. daily attendance, and the per-centage of attendance to numbers on rolls for 1872 and 1873:

Belfast.

The great decrease in the attendance at the infants' school may, in some measure, be ascribed to the transfer of very young children to the upper schools. This, I am aware, has been done in compliance with official instructions, but some modification of them is needed, and, if judiciously carried out, the change would be attended with beneficial results.

TABLE II.

The children on the rolls 31st December, 1873, were classed as follows:

Hence it appears that nearly 50 per cent. of the total number on rolls in the boys' school belonged to the senior division, which includes fourth, fifth, and sixth classes. The corresponding per-centage in the girls' school was more than 70 per cent. of the total number on the rolls. This indicates too high a classification of these pupils, which, if permanently adopted, would certainly become an insuperable obstacle to sound thorough teaching. Miss Cleary, the worthy principal of the

Reports

upon District

and Minor

Model
Schools.

Appendix D. school, understands this perfectly well, and it is but just to her to state, that a large number of her young pupils having passed at the examination held in 1872, in third and fourth classes, she was obliged to promote them to higher divisions. But the recent modifications of the old programme will obviate the evil that would have resulted from the too hasty promotion of children of tender age to fourth and fifth classes. In illustration of this I may remark that although there are many children under eleven years of age now in fifth class, it is not unreasonable to expect that they will at the end of the year work with accuracy and despatch sums in simple proportion. But they could not within so short a period understand fractions, and still less the practical application of the principle by which questions in compound proportion are solved.

Belfast.

The public examination, held on the 23rd December, was very nume rously attended by many of the parents and friends of the pupils, and others interested in the welfare of the school. The several classes tested in the leading subjects specified in the programme, specially prepared for the occasion, acquitted themselves remarkably well. This examination was chiefly conducted by the teachers, principals and assistants. But it was thought desirable that some of the visitors should put questions of their own selection to the children. They were accordingly subjected to this trying ordeal, and the readiness and accuracy with which they worked out several difficult questions in arithmetic proposed by a few gentlemen present at the examination, gave general satisfaction.

The excellent style with which several well-selected songs and duets were rendered by the monitresses and a number of the more grown girls, elicited from the audience hearty applause. Steps, however, should be taken to teach a fair proportion of the children in fourth class vocal music, so as to enable them to sing from note easy pieces and airs chosen from the national music of England, Ireland, and Scotland. This branch of instruction interests and cheers the pupils, and tends to relieve the monotonous routine of the ordinary school business; it should, therefore, apart from other considerations, receive all the attention it so justly deserves.

I take this opportunity to state that the pupils in the several drawing
classes have made fair progress in the elementary stages during the past
year, under their teacher Mr. Greer. But the accommodation at his
disposal is wholly inadequate to meet the wants of these classes; and
I can speak from personal observation of the difficulties he has to
encounter in the discharge of his very onerous duties. His classes
being so large he is compelled to teach them in different school-rooms
in order that they may have adequate desk space.
But this arrange-

ment involves loss of time, and through its operation the drawing
materials are frequently injured from the effects of ink and dust on the
desks. Mr. Greer reports that owing to these drawbacks, the number
of spoiled drawings is greater than the number of those that are finished
within each year.
He further states that under existing circumstances
he can only give instruction in the rudiments of free hand and drawing
from copies. The more useful branches, such as practical geometry,
perspective, machine drawing, and building construction, which are most
required in a manufacturing town like Belfast, have been unavoidably
neglected. I believe a suitable room for the drawing classes could be built
for a very moderate sum by raising the roof of the preparatory school-
room in the girls' department. This scheme would afford space for a
third story, which might be extended over the apartment in which the
apparatus employed in teaching physical science is stored. This plan

and Minor

has, I believe, been suggested by Mr. Gray, the Board of Works clerk, AppendixD. as feasible and judicious. Reports Numerous excellent specimens of needlework and knitting executed upon by the pupils were exhibited in the girls' school-room. All this work District was carefully inspected by the lady visitors, and deservedly elicited many Model hearty expressions of approval. A large number of the more advanced Schools. girls, nearly all in sixth class, work the sewing machine with quickBelfast. ness and dexterity; and as far as I can form an opinion, they are not surpassed in the skilful use of the needle by the pupils of any Model School with which I am acquainted.

I have the honour to be, gentlemen,

Your obedient servant,

J. G. FLEMING, Head Inspector.

The Secretaries, &c., &c.

No. 2.-ANNUAL REPORT upon the BALLYMENA DISTRICT MODEL Ballymena.
SCHOOL, for the year ended 31st March, 1874, by J. G. FLEMING,
Esq., Head Inspector.

Belfast, March, 1874.

GENTLEMEN,-I beg to submit for the consideration of the Commissioners, the following Report on the Ballymena Model School.

The house, premises, and grounds have been kept with the utmost neatness by the head master, Mr. Given. He deserves special credit for the tasty and ornamental appearance of the grounds, which are wellstocked with rose-trees, evergreens, and choice flowers. The girls' school-room has been enlarged, as the attendance has of late years increased to such an extent that additional accommodation was very much needed. I called attention, in a former report, to the defective method of ventilating the school-rooms, but no steps have been taken to remedy so serious an imperfection in the construction of the building. I suggested as a necessary improvement, that windows, consisting of two sashes on pulleys, should be provided. This arrangement, which might be carried out for a small sum, would enable the teachers to keep their school-rooms free from impure air.

No permanent change has taken place in the staff of principal teachers and assistants; but a temporary assistant has been appointed to act in place of Mr. Doran, who has been unable to attend to his duties for some time past in consequence of bad health. This has imposed additional work on Mr. Given, especially as he gets little help from his pupil-teachers, who are, for the most part, lower in intellectual attainments, and more imperfectly prepared for their duties than the young persons who filled the same office not many years since. This is due, at least in part, to the increase of manufactures, and the facility of procuring employment in the Excise and other branches of the public service.

Seven pupil teachers were examined with the male teachers, all in C, or third class papers; they answered from 59 to 75 per cent. of the questions. Five of these young men have become principals of schools, and two have embraced some other calling. There are two monitors in the boys' school, but a vacancy existed for some months owing to the want of candidates. There is not, however, the same difficulty in keeping up the complement of monitresses, seven in all. They are besides, as a rule, more intelligent and more efficient than the corresponding class of boys.

AppendixD.

Reports

The annexed table shows the character of the attendance for 1872 and 1873::

upon

District

Average number on rolls for 1873,

108.

123.

63.

294.

From this return it appears that the attendance during the past two years has been nearly stationary. I am glad to find that the number of pupils in the boys' school has not decreased to the extent I had anticipated, from the prolonged illness of the assistant teacher.

The children on rolls on 31st December, 1873, were classed as follows:

The annual examination for results was held during the week ended the 21st June. The public examination took place on Tuesday, the 24th June.

BOYS' SCHOOL.

Of 124 pupils on rolls, 79 had made ninety attendances, or above, and of these 75 presented themselves for examination.

The following tables show the character of the answering of the classes in the three departments of the school :

Of 135 pupils on rolls, 93 had made ninety attendances, or more, and of these 88 came up for examination.