ENOGGERA. Inspected 18th August. On roll:-Boys, 38; girls, 23; total, 61. Present :-Boys, 24; girls, 17; total, 41. The dwelling-house is too small for the teacher's family, and a detached kitchen should be erected. [A kitchen has since been erected.] The pump is out of repair. The premises are otherwise in a satisfactory state. There is a strong staff, consisting of the teacher, his wife (paid assistant), and a pupil-teacher, giving one teacher to 20 scholars in average attendance. Discipline is very fair, but drill is defective. The schoolroom was observed to be dirty and untidy; loose papers littered the playground, and one of the closets was filthy. The school has been disorganized in a great measure by the absence through sickness of many pupils; two classes have been merged into one, and the resulting classification has been by no means satisfactory. The work of the first class is unmethodically planned. The attendance has lately reached a daily average of 75 per cent., but only 5 per cent. are reported to have attended steadily. The average results, except in the first class whose progress has been slow, were of a satisfactory nature. FORTITUDE VALLEY (BOYS). Inspected 15th and 18th October. On roll, 225. Present, 190. The new building had been occupied for nearly twelve months before inspection. The plan, though needing modification, is the best yet adopted in the case of recently erected brick buildings. It has the distinctive and admirable feature of possessing two classrooms in addition to the main large hall. However, the classrooms are too small, too low in the roof, and quite unsheltered from the afternoon sun; they are consequently painfully hot and close. The large room is very imperfectly ventilated. The ground needs stumping and levelling; the closet accommodation is wholly inadequate; and there are no gymnastic appliances of any kind, though there is a good play-shed. The tone and discipline are very good indeed. The staff is unusually strong in numbers, and of average intellectual powers, and, with the exception of the first assistant, of perhaps more than average industry and zeal. The head-teacher is a trained and very competent schoolmaster, and the first assistant was trained in the colony; but the remainder of the staff, consisting of one assistant and five pupil-teachers, are wanting in a knowledge of school management. The head teacher, recognizing this fact, is taking pains to train the younger members of his staff, and has established a weekly class for mutual criticism in the practice of teaching. This excellent practice, elsewhere rare if not non-existent, might advantageously be adopted in all the larger schools. The classification in the upper classes is much too high. The average daily attendance has been 58.3 per cent, and only 346 per cent. of the scholars have attended for four days out of five. While the general condition of the school is satisfactory, an unduly high classification made the quality of the answering appear worse than it really is when the ages of the pupils is considered. FORTITUDE VALLEY (GIRLS AND INFANTS). Inspected 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd October. On roll:-Boys, 70; Girls, 308; total, 378. Present:-Boys, 52; Girls, 258; total, 310. The material organization is good, except that more accommodation is needed-a want which is about to be supplied. The plan of the building is defective in not providing proper ventilation, the shelter of verandahs, and accommodation for hats. By means of concerts and popular entertainments conducted by the teacher of the boys' school, funds were raised for the purchase of a piano, which is retained by the girls for use in marching. Some of the girls learn the instrument after school hours. The staff is amply large enough, affording one teacher to twenty-five scholars in average attendance. The head mistress is very well fitted to conduct such a school, and her aids are of average ability in all respects. The tone and discipline are quite satisfactory, and in this respect, as well as others, the school has improved. The daily average attendance is 592 per cent., and 48.9 per cent. of the pupils have been present four-fifths of their time. The girls are taught singing by the master of the boys' school-they have made good progress in this subject and moderate progress in drawing. Great improvement is observable in the marching and singing of the infants. The marching of the girls to the piano is also very fairly executed, but systematic drill has hardly been attempted. Needlework is well taught, and each girl was able to produce specimens of her proficiency. The general quality of the results is fair, and the quantity of work done is generally, but not always satisfactory. FORTITUDE VALLEY (GIRLS N.V., R.C.) On roll, 176. Present, 164. There is no change in the premises. The building is an old wooden structure used both as a schoolroom and as a church, and has but little in common with a well planned and well arranged schoolroom. It is also too small; and the ground attached is very contracted, and almost useless as a playground. In this school pupil-teachers have been dispensed with, and the paid staff is much too small, there being one teacher to forty-eight pupils in average attendance; but certain young persons, formerly pupil-teachers, are said to give their services gratuitously. Discipline has improved, though it is not yet strict enough to secure attentive attitudes of mind and body in the case of the younger classes. The school is conduct WI with a fair measure of energy, skill, and industry on the part of the teachers, but the classification is often bad, the evils of premature promotion being plainly visible in the third and fourth classes. Accord ing to the teacher's return the daily average attendance has been as high as 817 per cent., and 63 per cent. of the scholars are stated to have attended four-fifths of their time. The punctuality is remarkably good. The quality of the results is fair, and the quantity of work done moderate; very fair progress has been made. FORTITUDE VALLEY (INFANTS), N.V., R.C. On roll:-Boys, 78; girls, 88; total, 166. Present:-Boys, 64; girls, 68; total, 132. The premises are unchanged, and they are not at all desirable premises for so large a body of infants. Practically, however, the material conditions are such that the work of the school can be carried on with efficiency, and there is nothing wanting in the ordinary appliances. The building adjoins the girls' schoolroom, and the small area of ground forms the common playground. Neither school is furnished with a lavatory, although the water is laid on. The internal organization is very good. The head mistress, who appears to be a painstaking teacher, and who is aided by one paid assistant, has the benefit of the help of three unpaid teachers, one of whom affords invaluable assistance. The pupil-teachers having been dispensed with, the paid staff is at present at the rate of one teacher to sixty-seven scholars in average attendance, and is therefore very inadequate. Order, discipline, and tone are remarkably good, and the brightness, intelligence, and cheerfulness of the little ones, are quite a distinguishing feature of this institution. As represented by the returns, the average daily attendance is 80 per cent., and 95'2 per cent. (!) of the scholars are stated to have attended four days out of five. There are forty children attending under five years of age. The quality of the results is very good, the general condition of the school is admirable, and the children are making excellent progress. GERMAN STATION. Inspected 20th and 23rd August. On roll:-Boys, 41; girls, 48; total, 89. Present:-Boys, 30; girls, 41; total, 71. The material organization is remarkably good. The school-house has been much improved by a verandah, recently erected round three sides of the building, and many minor alterations and repairs have been made. The teacher, at his own expense, has partitioned off, from the interior of the schoolroom, two small classrooms. A circular swing has been added to the list of gymnastic appliances, and now this school can boast of the most complete gymnasium in the colony. The playground has been cleared of sida retusa and saplings; a pretty flower garden has been formed; a vegetable and fruit garden, neatly planned and well tended, adorns one corner of the grounds; and shade trees, purchased at the expense of the teacher, have been planted in ornamental plots round the buildings. The entire premises present a singularly attractive appearance. The administration is methodical and professional, and would, perhaps, be improved by the infusion of a little more vigor. The order, tone, and discipline, are generally good; but the second classes, in the hands of the senior pupil-teacher, showed want of discipline, self-restraint, and habits of attention. The school is conducted without recourse to corporal punishment. The average daily attendance is 715 per cent., and 67.8 per cent. of the pupils attended four-fifths of their time. This attendance is much better than what is usual. Singing and drill are well taught. The quality of the average results of the examination is decidedly fair; a satisfactory amount of work has been done. and the general condition of the school is satisfactory. the presence KANGAROO POINT (BOYS). Inspected 13th, 14th, and 15th December. On roll, 221. Present, 153. The premises are in good order, but the accommodation is insufficient. The verandahs are used for teaching, but, from their narrowness, they are not well adapted for this purpose. A class-room-or a play-shed, to be used as a class-room-is required. There is no gymnastic apparatus; and the supply of reading books was found to be inadequate. There is one teacher to twenty-seven pupils in average attendance-a fair proportion; and if the infants now attending were in their proper place (the infants' school), the staff would be even stronger. The school has been unfortunate during the year in losing of the head teacher and the first assistant for considerable periods. While they were both away, the acting head teacher imprudently made a number of promotions which have proved to be very premature. The classification is certainly bad; the boys of the highest class are deficient in accurate knowledge, and behind the other classes in discipline; the third and highest second classes are distinguished by want of intellectuality and cheerful animation; the lowest classes, forming a section of the school, in the hands of the first assistant, showed evidence of the best management. Drill has been taught systematically, and the boys have at last learned to perform some movements with precision. The daily average attendance is 68.3 per cent., and 47 per cent. of the pupils have attended regularly. The attendance is punctual. The quality of the results is moderate, but a fair amount of work has been done. The general condition of the school is fair, and it would have been better if a too high classification had not been adopted. KANGAROO ENOGGERA. Inspected 18th August. On roll:-Boys, 38; girls, 23; total, 61. Present :-Boys, 24; girls, 17; total, 41. The dwelling-house is too small for the teacher's family, and a detached kitchen should be erected. [A kitchen has since been erected.] The pump is out of repair. The premises are otherwise in a satisfactory state. There is a strong staff, consisting of the teacher, his wife (paid assistant), and a pupil-teacher, giving one teacher to 20 scholars in average attendance. Discipline is very fair, but drill is defective. The schoolroom was observed to be dirty and untidy; loose papers littered the playground, and one of the closets was filthy. The school has been disorganized in a great measure by the absence through sickness of many pupils; two classes have been merged into one, and the resulting classification has been by no means satisfactory. The work of the first class is unmethodically planned. attendance has lately reached a daily average of 75 per cent., but only 5 per cent. are reported to have attended steadily. The average results, except in the first class whose progress has been slow, were of a satisfactory nature. FORTITUDE VALLEY (BOYS). Inspected 15th and 18th October. On roll, 225. Present, 190. The new building had been occupied for nearly twelve months before inspection. The plan, though needing modification, is the best yet adopted in the case of recently erected brick buildings. It has the distinctive and admirable feature of possessing two classrooms in addition to the main large hall. However, the classrooms are too small, too low in the roof, and quite unsheltered from the afternoon sun; they are consequently painfully hot and close. The large room is very imperfectly ventilated. The ground needs stumping and levelling; the closet accommodation is wholly inadequate; and there are no gymnastic appliances of any kind, though there is a good play-shed. The tone and discipline are very good indeed. The staff is unusually strong in numbers, and of average intellectual powers, and, with the exception of the first assistant, of perhaps more than average industry and zeal. The head-teacher is a trained and very competent schoolmaster, and the first assistant was trained in the colony; but the remainder of the staff, consisting of one assistant and five pupil-teachers, are wanting in a knowledge of school management. The head teacher, recognizing this fact, is taking pains to train the younger members of his staff, and has established a weekly class for mutual criticism in the practice of teaching. This excellent practice, elsewhere rare if not non-existent, might advantageously be adopted in all the larger schools. The classification in the upper classes is much too high. The average daily attendance has been 58.3 per cent, and only 346 per cent. of the scholars have attended for four days out of five. While the general condition of the school is satisfactory, an unduly high classification made the quality of the answering appear worse than it really is when the ages of the pupils is considered. FORTITUDE VALLEY (GIRLS AND INFANTS). Inspected 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd October. On roll:-Boys, 70; Girls, 308; total, 378. Present:-Boys, 52; Girls, 258; total, 310. The material organization is good, except that more accommodation is needed-a want which is about to be supplied. The plan of the building is defective in not providing proper ventilation, the shelter of verandahs, and accommodation for hats. By means of concerts and popular entertainments conducted by the teacher of the boys' school, funds were raised for the purchase of a piano, which is retained by the girls for use in marching. Some of the girls learn the instrument after school hours. The staff is amply large enough, affording one teacher to twenty-five scholars in average attendance. The head mistress is very well fitted to conduct such a school, and her aids are of average ability in all respects. The tone and discipline are quite satisfactory, and in this respect, as well as others, the school has improved. The daily average attendance is 59.2 per cent., and 48.9 per cent. of the pupils have been present four-fifths of their time. The girls are taught singing by the master of the boys' school-they have made good progress in this subject and moderate progress in drawing. Great improvement is observable in the marching and singing of the infants. The marching of the girls to the piano is also very fairly executed, but systematic drill has hardly been attempted. Needlework is well taught, and each girl was able to produce specimens of her proficiency. The general quality of the results is fair, and the quantity of work done is generally, but not always satisfactory. FORTITUDE VALLEY (GIRLS N.V., R.C.) On roll, 176. Present, 164. There is no change in the premises. The building is an old wooden structure used both as a schoolroom and as a church, and has but little in common with a well planned and well arranged schoolroom. It is also too small; and the ground attached is very contracted, and almost useless as a playground. In this school pupil-teachers have been dispensed with, and the paid staff is much too small, there being one teacher to forty-eight pupils in average attendance; but certain young persons, formerly pupil-teachers, are said to give their services gratuitously. Discipline has improved, though it is not yet strict enough to secure attentive attitudes of mind and body in the case of the younger classes. The school is conducted teachers imitate the low tones in which she speaks, and, in consequence, the questions and answers are so imperfectly audible that the teaching wants point, incisiveness, and solidity. The classification is not judicious; girls have been promoted when such promotion was entirely premature, and in manifest violation of the table of minimum attainments. Good order prevails, but the discipline fails to secure silence, distinct tones, and attentive habits. The daily average attendance is 58 8 per cent., and 367 pupils have attended four days out of five. The attendance has been much affected by the prevalent epidemics, and one pupil-teacher and several pupils of the school have died. The general proficiency is moderate, and a fair quantity of work has been done. LEICHHARDT STREET (INFANTS). On roll:-Boys, 85; girls, 165; total, 250. Present :-Boys, 66; girls, 124; total, 190. The class-room devoted to infants forms a third wing of the general school buildings. It is preposterously small in relation to the number of pupils, there being only three square feet to each child in average attendance. The area would barely afford standing room for the children when closely packedto teach them in this room is impossible. They overflow into the girls' room, into the girls' hat room, on to the verandah, and into shady corners outside; and so they are handled after a fashion. There is no space for proper drilling, and marching is impossible. There is no hat room for the infants, but arrangements are being made for disposing of the very bad practice now followod of having the hats heaped in disorder in corners. A play shed, simple gymnastic apparatus, and surface drains are needed. Under such physical conditions, the proper routine of an infant school cannot, of course, proceed. Nevertheless, the internal condition of the school is by no means bad; it is well conducted under the circumstances, and the children show habits of discipline and attention which might well be imitated by the children attending the higher departments of the institution. There is an average of 39 pupils to each teacher the staff consisting of the mistress and four pupil-teachers, all of whom appear to be well fitted for their duties. The daily average attendance has been 54 per cent., and 387 per cent. have attended with regularity. The general character of the administration is satisfactory. MOGGILL. On roll:-Boys, 31; girls, 68; total, 68. Present:-Boys, 28; girls, 25; total, 53. The buildings are much injured by the ravages of the white ant, but they continue to be waterproof. A new closet and a blackboard are needed. Swings and croquet sets are in habitual use for the amusement of the children. The staff consists of the teacher and a male pupil-teacher, and to each teacher there is an average of only 19 scholars. The head teacher is a competent and painstaking man, but the pupil-teacher, though naturally a clever lad, has been allowed to fall into lazy habits, and he is at present one of the most useless pupil-teachers in the service. A considerable number of children in the highest classes were not provided with copies. Order and discipline are very fair; corporal punishment not in use. The attendance has been very irregular, but it is fairly punctual. The quality of the results is moderate, and the general condition pretty satisfactory. MOUNT GRAVATT (PROVISIONAL). On roll:-Boys, 19; girls, 6; total, 25. Present:-Boys, 12; girls, 6; total, 18. The premises consist of a half-ruinous slab hut with mud floor. Many of the window panes are broken, and the furniture is rude, ill-proportioned, and badly placed. There is neither clock nor closet. The mud floor of the hut was damp and cold, but clean, and the interior has a most cheerless aspect. The teacher is an old man, who has for many years conducted a provisional school in the Board's service, but his administration is devoid of method, and shows no improvement. He is conscientious, and does best earnestly, but he is too eager to explain his plans of instruction, and to expatiate upon his success, to listen to any advice or suggestions from an Inspector. Though practically blind as far as reading a book is concerned without the aid of glasses, he contents himself with an eye-glass, which requires to be laboriously adjusted every few seconds. This absurd practice places him at a disadvantage. The discipline is very defective; I have never seen little children at school behave with greater impropriety than the youngest draft of the first class. The daily average attendance for last quarter was 624 per cent., and only 20 per cent. have attended with regularity. Eighteen children of school age, and within reach of this school, are reported as receiving no education. The school registers have been very imperfectly kept. The answering was, upon the whole, of a very moderate character, and the the children is not very marked. NORMAL SCHOOL (BOYS). On roll:-471. Average present, 330. progress of The material condition is very good; and as regards appliances for instruction, the supply of fifth books alone appeared to be defective. The floor space available affords 163 square feet to each pupil in average attendance, and 11 square feet for each pupil on the roll, and is therefore ample for present requirements. The internal organization is good; the head master exercises a thorough supervision over his KANGAROO POINT (GIRLS AND INFANTS). Inspected 6th, 7th, and 8th December. On roll:-Boys, 49; girls, 206; total, 255. Present:-Boys, 36; girls, 166; total, 202. The building is new, in excellent repair, and nearly fully furnished with all requisites. It possesses the inestimable advantage, so rare in recently erected schools, of being well ventilated. It is well designed for a girls' school, but only the prevailing good organization and discipline permit it to be used with efficiency as an apartment for the common instruction of a mixed body of girls and infants. The ground at the disposal of the girls is too small, but can easily be enlarged by annexing a portion of a Government reserve on the south side. It is very desirable that this should be done. The staff is numerically strong, but it comprises only two adults, the other six members being pupil-teachers. As a body they are good workers, but require more direction than they have had the means of receiving during the absence of the head mistress. The latter was absent on sick leave for four months in the last half of the year, and the deterioration in acquirements and tone of the highest class observed at inspection is ascribed to this circumstance. The large body of infants, comprehending 45 per cent. of the whole number of scholars, is excellently managed, with some help, by a pupil-teacher of the fourth year, who shows an unusual aptitude for the specialty of infant school work. Except a disposition to copy, and to prompt, the tone and discipline of the children are all that could be desired. The average daily attendance is 632 per cent., and the regular attendants form 356 per cent. of the whole number. The epidemics which prevailed in the South of Queensland during the year appear to have lingered longer in this neighborhood than in other parts of Brisbane. The quality of the answering excelled in the infants' classes, and averaged fair throughout the school, and a satisfactory amount of work has been done. KELVIN GROVE. On roll:-Boys, 100; girls, 119; total, 219. Present:-Boys, 69; girls, 83; total, 152. The school was opened in January. The school-house is a long wooden structure, with verandahs at front and back. The ends of the back verandah are enclosed on two sides, and the closets thus formed being furnished with hat-pegs, luncheon shelves, and wash-stands, are found to be very useful. Fencing is needed; when it is supplied there will be no room for the teacher to escape his responsibility for keeping the boys' closet morally pure, as it is not at present. The attendance has increased far beyond what was expected, and beyond the capacity of the building. The staff is weak in numbers and in qualifications: it consists of the head teacher, an untrained man, and three female pupil-teachers, being at the rate of one teacher in average attendance. A newly formed school attended by pupils coming from different quarters, of varied attainments and degrees of training, and conducted by a staff numerically and technically weak, cannot be expected to be in a very satisfactory state. Still, the weak points are capable of amendment if the teacher will only devote his whole heart, and time, and energy, to the task. There is a good deal of talking in school; the attainments are in some respects very low, and the classification is sometimes injudicious. Class movements are made with tolerable precision, and the order was in other respects pretty fair. The average daily attendance is 62 per cent., but only 31 per cent. of the children attend with steadiness. LEICHHARDT STREET (BOYS). Inspected 29th and 30th September, and 1st October. The school was opened in January. The building is constructed of brick, and is well furnished, but very badly ventilated. The situation is such that the easterly breezes cannot ventilate the room. Play-sheds, gymnastic apparatus, and surface draining, are requirements. From funds raised by means of public entertainments given in the schoolroom, the teacher has been able to level and plant with trees the ground in front of the building. The internal organization is not good. The staff affords one teacher to 34 scholars, and is, therefore, rather weak numerically; it consists of the head teacher, two assistants, and four pupil-teachers. The classification is very faulty indeed, the attainments being generally one grade below the nominal standard, but in the case of many individuals much more. The discipline is also indifferent, the leniency of the head master appears to be measured by the license of the pupils. Notwithstanding his large experience, undoubted zeal, and courteous manners, he has not been able to call up in his aids a cheerful and hearty spirit of co-operation with him. They have all, more or less, an air of depression, and I doubt not that a consciousness of the failure attending their efforts to teach subjects, or branches of subjects, for which the minds of their pupils are not yet ripe, may have much to do with this. The average daily attendance is 65.7 per cent., and the number of regular attendants, 56-4 per cent. of the whole number of pupils. LEICHHARDT STREET (GIRLS). Inspected 4th and 5th October. On roll, 176. Present, 154. The building corresponds in form and size with the boys' school, and affords accommodation for 200 pupils; there is no gallery as in the boys' school, and the want of ventilation is quite as much felt. Play-sheds and a dividing fence between the boys' and girls' playgrounds are requirements. The staff is moderately strong in numbers, but rather weak in power. It consists of the head mistress, one assistant, and three pupil-teachers. The administration wants vigour. The head mistress, who is a trained teacher, and possesses a competent knowledge of school management, is not robust; the children and the other teachers |