drawings and needlework exhibited in the girls' school-room were very AppendixD. much admired; indeed I know of no Model School in which these Reports branches are more successfully taught. I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obedient servant, J. G. FLEMING, Head Inspector. upon District and Minor Model Schools. The Secretaries. No. 7.-ANNUAL REPORT upon the KILKENNY DISTRICT MODEL Kilkenny. SCHOOL, for the period of fifteen months ended 31st March, 1874, by JAMES PATTERSON, Esq., Head Inspector. May, 1874. GENTLEMEN,—The termination of the year on which you have instructed me to report having been changed from the 31st December to the 31st of March, this Report on the Kilkenny District Model School relates to the fifteen months ending March, 1874. I. The Edifice. This is in good repair, and has been kept clean and neat. II. Teachers. The teachers have discharged their duties with industry and fidelity, zealously endeavouring to produce satisfactory results in the instruction of their classes. Some changes have taken place within the year. In the boys' school Mr. M'Donald, from the Waterford Model School, has succeeded Mr. Carson as assistant master, Mr. Carson having been appointed to a desirable situation as teacher of a school under the patronage of Sir Arthur L. Guinness, at Cong. In the girls' school Miss Hogan, assistant teacher, has been succeeded by Miss Sheidow, from the Bailieboro' Model School, and in the infant school Miss Ann M. Armstrong has been appointed principal teacher in place of Miss K. Fitzgerald, who has been most deservedly advanced to the more profitable situation of principal of the infants' department of the Parsonstown Model School. The teachers in office on the 31st March, 1874, were these, their religious denominations being indicated by the letters following their names: III. Pupil-teachers and Monitors.-In the course of the fifteen months from 1st January, 1873, to 31st March, 1874, six pupil-teachers (young men) held place in this Model School, of whom only two remained at the end of the period. Of those who left, two had completed their course of two years here, and went, one of them for further training in the Central Training Establishment, Dublin, and the other to a situation as private tutor. One, after fourteen months' service as pupil-teacher, obtained by competitive examination the valuable appointment of Surveyor of Taxes; and one, on the termination of his first year as pupil-teacher in this establishment, was transferred, at his father's request, to that at Waterford, where he has the advantage of residing at home. There are now vacancies for four pupil-teachers. The two male monitors who were appointed in September, 1873, continue in office. The normal number of monitresses is five, but one having completed her course at the end of 1872, only four continued in the school during 1873. One of these, on the termination of her fourth and last year as monitor, was recommended for further training in the teacher's class, at Dublin, leaving two vacan AppendixD. cies here which will be filled immediately. The conduct of these young persons during the whole period was unexceptionable, and their answering at the annual examination was creditable to themselves and their teachers. Reports upon District and Minor Model Schools. Kilkenny. IV. Annual Examination of the Schools. The public examination was held on the 18th of June, before a large and highly respectable audience. Previously, Mr. Molloy, the District Inspector, and I had been engaged for several days in examining all the classes in detail, according to the results system, and on this examination of ours were awarded the results fees to the teachers, and the premiums, for which £8 were granted by the Commissioners, to the children. The pupils were presented thus for examination : In my last report I mentioned that the classification of the boys in 1872 was too ambitious, a good many being presented in classes higher than what they might be supposed to be suited for by age, and that in consequence several failed to pass, and to earn fees for their teacher in some of the branches. This error continued to bear fruit disadvantageous to teacher and scholars in 1873; for the pupils who in 1872 passed in reading and two other essential subjects, though they may have failed in the rest of their programme, or in an important part of it, were then pushed on to higher classes, though they would have profited more by remaining in the lower until they had mastered its programme thoroughly. This was especially manifest in the third class and the sixth, in which there were not a few failures in grammar and geography. Instruction in agriculture has been totally neglected; but, by way of compensation, geometry, algebra, and some branches of physical science had been carefully taught. The results of this examination showed, on the whole, a decided advance on those of 1872, proving that good work had been done in the interval. In the girls' school the answering in grammar was poor, and in geography barely good. In all other parts of their programme-reading, spelling, writing, dictation exercises, arithmetic, needle-work, singing, and drawing, the pupils acquitted themselves remarkably well. The proficiency of the infants was quite satisfactory. V. Ages of the Pupils examined. Of the pupils present at the annual examination, there were :— Under seven years of age, Total, Boys. Girls. Infants. Total. VI. Average Attendance of Pupils.-The attendance of pupils, which increased gradually during the years 1871 and 1872, has continued to incrcase since then. The average on rolls, and the average daily attendance for the year ended 31st March, 1874, were these: the VII. Religious Denominations of the Pupils.-The numbers of pupils Appendix D. of the several religious denominations, who attended at any time within year ended 31st March, 1874, were these: : Reports upon District and Minor Established Church, Roman Catholics, Model Schools. Kilkenny. 135 75 64 274 The numbers remaining on the rolls at the end of that year were VIII. The fees paid by the Pupils then on the rolls were at these IX. Religious Instruction continued to be imparted at the same times as formerly, and in accordance with the rules of the Board. As heretofore, for many years back, the clergy of the late Established Church, and of the Presbyterian and Wesleyan Churches, superintended the instruction of the Protestant pupils; but the Roman Catholic clergy held aloof. X. Classes in connexion with the Science and Art Department, South Kensington. Mr. Ryan, the head-master, during the year prepared classes for examination in four subjects, or classes of subjects, by the Science and Art Department. In elementary mathematics 13 pupils passed of his class of 28. In acoustics, light, and heat, 13 of a class of 25. In electricity and magnetism his whole class of 29, and in physical geography 20 of a class of 35. The sum he realized on the whole was £57. I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obedient servant, The Secretaries, Education Office. No. 8.-ANNUAL REPORT upon May, 1874. I. The Edifice. The house and premises have been kept in good repair. The want of more class-rooms is felt, but in other respects the accommodation for the classes is convenient and suitable. II. Teachers. The list of teachers given in my last report continued unchanged until the end of 1873, when Mrs. O'Connor, pupil teacher, K Appendix D. acting as assistant in the infant school, resigned. Instead of filling up her place additional monitresses have been appointed. Reports upon District and Minor Model Schools. Inchicore. III. Monitors.-On the 31st March, 1874, there were six monitors— two boys and four girls-recognised by the Board. The boys and one of the girls had been then only three months in office; one girl, four months; one two years, and one three years. The last two were examined with the teachers coming forward for classification in 1873, and acquitted themselves very creditably, except in arithmetic. One monitress, who had completed three years as such, resigned on 31st July, 1873, on obtaining a good situation as teacher in a military school in England. No fault has been found at any time with the conduct of any of these young people. IV. Annual Examination.-A public examination was held on the 5th December, 1873. It was attended, on the part of the Railway Company, by their Locomotive Engineer, Alexander M'Donnell, Esq., under whom the fathers and elder brothers of many of the pupils are employed, and to whose active exertions in its favour much of the prosperity of the school is due ; and on the part of the Commissioners of National Education, by P. J. Keenan, Esq., C.B., and J. E. Sheridan, Esq., Chief of Inspection, whose friendly interest is continually manifested to its advantage. The Rev. Thomas Mills, Vicar of St. Jude's, who is unremitting in his attention to the religious instruction of the Protestant children, also favoured us with his presence, as did some of the parents of the pupils not very many, their avocations during the day preventing most. Mr. O'Carroll, the District Inspector, and I had previously examined all the classes in detail with the view of ascertaining the proficiency of each pupil, and deciding to whom, as most deserving, premiums should be awarded. All the children on the rolls, except a few who were absent owing to unavoidable causes, were examined in the following standards : The answering of the boys was better than it had been at the previous annual examination, and gave promise of further improvement, which, indeed, is still desirable. The girls did not acquit themselves so well, on the whole, adequate efforts not having been made to fit them for the classes which children of their age ought to occupy. It is to be remarked, however, that a very small number of those examined on this occasion were at this school when it was examined in 1872. Still it will not be at all satisfactory if the proficiency be not considerably higher at next examination. And this it cannot be expected to be unless the principal teacher be more constant than she has been in her attendance at the school. It is true that her frequent absences have been caused by her own illness or by illness in her family; but whatever the cause, the efficiency of the school has been greatly impeded by it. The infants gave every evidence of having been very carefully attended to during the year. The gentlemen who favoured us with their presence at the examination were so good as to express their approval of the results on the whole, pointing out, at the same time, certain defects which it will be our business to have rectified. V. Ages of the Pupils present at Examination.-Of the children Appendix D. examined there were :-- Boys. Girls. Infants. Total. Reports upon District 27 47 and Minor Model 105 243 VI. Average Attendance of Pupils.-The prevalence of smallpox and of measles reduced the attendance of scholars during 1872, but it recovered in 1873, and for the last twelve months that of the boys and infants was higher than it ever had been before, at least since 1863, when the statistics in my possession commence. The attendance of girls was slightly greater than it had been in 1872, but less than in the previous eight years. 1872. Schools. Inchicore. VII. Religious Denominations of the Pupils.-The number of pupils that made any attendance within the year ended 31st March, 1874, was 376. These were of the following religious denominations: On the rolls, on the last day of that year, there were: VIII. The rates of Payment at which these children were admitted, IX. The Arrangements for Religious Instruction continued as they were in 1872. X. Evening School. The evening school for boys-chiefly apprentices at the Inchicore Works, was held for two hours on four evenings of each week during the months of January, February, March, October, November, and December, up to Christmas week. The principal and assistant masters of the day school conducted it. The average number of pupils in attendance was-in January (1873), 33; February, 34; March, 32; October, 47; November, 42; December, 42; January (1874), 44; February, 44; March, 32; for the six months included in the year ended March, 1874, 42. The number of individual pupils who made any attendance that year was 95. They were examined near the end of the period by Mr. O'Carroll and me: results moderate. Reading, writing, and arithmetic, with a little mensuration were the only branches taught. I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obedient servant, The Secretaries, Education Office. |