AGENCY AND INSPECTION.

Mr. Saunders has been still engaged in the systematic visitation of the schools in the London district.

During the quarter, Mr. Davis has visited thirty-six different towns and villages in the counties of York, Chester, Derby, and Lancaster, on various matters connected with the business of the Society. Fortyeight schools have been inspected, four public examinations conducted, and one teachers' meeting attended.

Mr. Baxter has visited sixty-two towns and villages for purposes connected with the promotion of elementary education. Seventy-six schools have received visits from him, chiefly in the west of England and in South Wales. He has also conducted or taken part in twelve public school examinations, and addressed twenty-seven public meetings, many of which consisted chiefly of the parents and the school managers, and some of which possessed a special interest.

During the past three months Mr. Milae has been chiefly engaged in Essex and Norfolk, and in addition to the daily work of inspection, he has conducted public examinations and addressed public meetings at Hatfield Heath, Clavering, Earls Barton, Leighton Buzzard, Wrentham, Downham, North Walsham, Heigham, and Great Bardfield.

Mr. Vardy has visited forty-five cities, towns, and villages, inspected sixty-two schools, held thirteen conferences with committees, addressed seven public meetings, and conducted six public examinations, namely, at Deptford, Reigate, Kensington, Dover, Folkestone, and Tunbridge Wells.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

NEWTON ABBOTT.-New and excellent buildings having been recently erected for the accommodation of these schools, the opening of them was celebrated by an invitation issued by the managers to the children's parents to take tea together on the premises. About 150 persons sat down together in the play-ground to enjoy the liberal provision made for them, after which they adjourned to the girls' schoolroom, where a most effective meeting was held, presided over by the Rev. Christopher Woolston, rector of Tornewton. On the following day the children took tea together, to the number of 150. The schools have opened in the new premises with every prospect of success and extended usefulness.

BRIXHAM. The public examination of this school was held this year in the Assembly-room, an arrangement which added greatly to the comfort of all, and drew a numerous and respectable audience. The children were examined by Mr. Turner, of the Redcross-street Schools, Bristol, and by Mr. W. R. Baxter, and acquitted themselves with an intelligence and promptness of reply which did themselves and their teacher very high credit. We have special pleasure in noticing this fact, as the teacher has laboured under great disadvantages from the want of a more suitable room, and from a deficiency of teaching power.

TEIGNMOUTH.—The first public examination of these schools was held in their respective school-rooms, the infants being examined in the afternoon, and the mixed school in the evening. Both did well, and showed a good year's work, as well as gave high promise for the future. The meetings were well attended-that in the

evening being crowded to excess. If things go on as prosperously the second year as they have during the first, we sincerely hope that the friends of education there will feel that the schools deserve an immediate and vigorous effort to provide them with thoroughly good and suitable premises.

BUTE DOCKS, CARDIFF.-This school having been in existence but six months its managers felt some little diffidence in risking an examination. They need not, however, have been timid; for though the subjects were necessarily limited, both in number and extent, yet the children acquitted themselves with high credit, and gave great satisfaction to the select circle of friends present. Mr. Hooper has done well for the time, and only wants adequate teaching assistance to do still better.

BLAINA. The public examination of these excellent schools proved singularly successful this year, the children acquitting themselves with rare credit, though submitted to some sharp and rather unexpected tests. A very excellent parents' meeting was also held here on a subsequent evening, which was presided over by F. Levick, Esq., and addressed by him, the Rev. D. Morgan, rector of the parish, the Society's Inspector, and other gentlemen. The audience was large, deeply attentive, and greatly interested. It is an unmistakeable sign of the power of these schools over the population of the hills, that so large an audience of parents could be so easily brought together to listen to addresses on school topics.

TYDEE. The school here, though only six months old, has already outgrown its accommodation, and the worthy owner of the property has built an addition to the room by which its area is increased by one-half its former extent. A meeting of the parents was held here, under the presidency of Charles Lewis, Esq., of Newport, to listen to a lecture by the Society's Inspector. The room was quite filled by a deeply interested audience. The school is in excellent discipline, and full of promise for future good.

BEAUFORT.-Three years ago the school at this place-small in numbers, feeble in management, and destitute of almost everything necessary to its existence-was on the verge of extinction. Since then a new school-house has been built, and a large school collected. A meeting of the children's parents was convened for an address from the Society's agent, and by the time of his arrival the spacious room was filled to the doors. Dr. Bevan presided, and a very effective meeting followed.

NEATH.-The first annual meeting of these new and enlarged schools took place on an extremely wet day, which, however, did not apparently diminish either the interest or the pleasure of the occasion. A bazaar of fancy and useful articles was held during the afternoon in the Freemasons' Hall. At five o'clock a public tea took place in the boy's school-room. The Town Hall was the scene of the evening's proceedings, which was crowded in every part at an early hour. The mayor of Neath presided, and the meeting was addressed by various local gentlemen, and by ́ Mr. Baxter. At the close of the speeches some special prizes, kindly contributed by the mayor, were by him publicly presented to some of the elder children.

Not the least interesting event of the evening was the presentation of a handsome work-box to Miss Evans, the laborious and painstaking mistress of the girls' school. It was purchased by the joint contributions of her assistant and her pupil teachers, and presented as a token of their affectionate esteem. The presentation was made by the mayor, and highly applauded by a sympathizing audience.

Similar meetings and school examinations have been held at Downton, Framilade, Totnes, Chard, Basingstoke, Rhymney, Westbury, Bedminster, Athelhampton, Risca, Sirhowy, Abertillery, Maesteg, Llandeilo, Llanelly, and Swansea, of each of which we should have been pleased, had our space permitted, to have given some details.

DAVENTRY.-On Thursday, July 21, the annual examination of the children of the British School took place in the school-room, which was densely crowded; E. A. Briggs, Esq., in the chair. The class examinations were very creditable to

both master and scholars; and the recitations were remarkably well given, being free from those awkwardnesses of gesture and tone so commonly marking juvenile efforts of this kind. After the distribution of prizes, as this meeting terminated the connexion of the school with Mr. Steane, who is going to take charge of a large school in Yorkshire, the scholars had selected the occasion as a fitting time to present to him a very handsome and well-furnished writing desk, as a testimonial of their affectionate regard for him, and grateful appreciation of his efforts to instruct them, combined with his great assiduity and devotion in cultivating their confidence and friendship, and making them his companions out of school hours. This testimonial originated with the children.

DONCASTER. The annual examination of the Doncaster British Schools was conducted by Mr. Davis, in the boys'-room, on Friday, August 26th. In the unavoidable absence of W. B. Wrightson, Esq., M.P., the chair was taken by the mayor. The room was filled to overflowing with the parents of the children and the subscribers, and the examination was, in every respect, a very satisfactory and successful one.

DOWNHAM. The British School in this town, which had been closed for several years, was re-opened last February, and is now in a flourishing condition, with as large an attendance as the present room will admit. It is in contemplation to build a more commodious school-room.

NORTH WALSHAM.-The British School in this town was recently re-opened by a public tea-meeting, at which 156 persons were present. After tea, very interesting addresses were delivered by the Rev. G. Gould, Mr. J. H. Tillett, and other gentlemen. The chair was occupied by Mr. J. D. Smith, of Norwich. The interest of the proceedings was greatly increased by the presentation of a testimonial of a purse containing ten guineas to 'Mr. J. Walker, who has been appointed by the committee of management to the mastership of the school. Mr. Walker was formerly master of the British School at Mundesley. The testimonial was presented by Mr. Larter, of Mundesley, on behalf of eighty-three subscribers, comprising the parents of the children taught at the school, and some of the most respectable inhabitants of the parish and neighbourhood. Mr. Walker, on receiving the testimonial, expressed his sincere thanks to the kind friends who had given him such a mark of their respect and appreciation of his services, and he assured them they would always live in his grateful recollection.

BRADFORD.-A public examination of the Borough West Boys' School was held on Thursday, August 11th, in the Lecture-room of the Mechanics' Institute. H. W. Ripley, Esq., occupied the chair, and amongst those present were the mayor, (H. Brown, Esq.,) George Taylor, Esq., William Byles, Esq., &c., and a large number of the parents of the children. The boys were examined in reading, grammar, geography, history, and mental arithmetic, by Mr. Davis, and in Scripture history by the Rev. J. R. Campbell, M.A., and the replies were accurate and intelligent. A lesson was also given by Mr. Ingleton, the master, on the "Barometer;" and the boys' knowledge of music, as taught on the tonic sol-fa system, was tested by George Taylor, Esq. At the close of the examination the chairman expressed himself highly satisfied with the progress which the examination indicated, and especially with the scriptural knowledge possessed by the boys.

HARPENDEN, KENT.-A testimonial, consisting of a silver inkstand and a purse containing thirty sovereigns, was presented to Mr. A. Melville, the master of the British School, by the inhabitants of Harpenden, on the occasion of his leaving that village, to take charge of an institution for the instruction of the deaf and dumb. Mr. Melville has held his office for six years, and has succeeded in winning the respect of his neighbours and the affection of the children in a very high degree. The testimonial was presented in a crowded meeting, which was attended by the principal inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

SCHOOL ORGANISATION.

THE following paper has been prepared by the teacher of a considerable school in the West of England, and relates his own experience in the adaptation of a large school-room to modern requirements. It ought to be premised that the room referred to is of an oblong form, and its dimensions are 83 by 35.

Before the introduction of the Minutes of the Committee of Council on Education, in 1846, our elementary schools were generally organised on the basis of a monitorial agency, and provided for the contemporaneous pursuit of each branch of study by the whole school.

By the general introduction of pupil-teachers the organisation of our schools underwent a material change; and the simultaneous pursuit of each branch was generally given up. Thus the alternation of great noise (attending the simultaneous teaching of reading, arithmetic, &c.) and comparative quiet (during the writing exercises), gave place to a plan by which the more and less noisy operations were conducted at the same time.

Very generally, the tripartite arrangement was adopted, by which the school-room is fitted so as to accommodate an equal number of scholars in galleries, in desks, and in draft spaces; and by simultaneous changes, all the children of a school are made to occupy these stations in succession. This plan possesses many advantages, but has, notwithstanding, the following defects ::

1. It is based on the assumption that all the children require an equal amount of teaching, for which the gallery, desk, and draft stations are specially adapted— which is not the case; the gallery being far more available for the lower part of a school, while the desks, as providing for the pursuit of individual exercise, meet the requirements of the higher classes.

2. It necessitates simultaneous changes, and, consequently, uniformity in the length of lessons; and almost precludes the possibility of examination exercises suitable for the higher classes.

To meet these drawbacks, class-rooms have in many cases been erected, whereby isolation from other parts of the school and entire independence of action have been obtained; but each class so circumstanced demands a well-trained and conscientious teacher, and this arrangement therefore cannot under existing circumstances be generally adopted in all our primary schools.

Recognising, then, the existing teaching power as consisting of pupil-teachers and trained masters, the former being to the latter as two or three to one,* we will explain how we think the tripartite arrangement might be modified so as to avoid the serious defects before named. The plan has been adopted in a large local school, falling under the type of the Model School of the British and Foreign School Society.

Let us suppose, then, a large rectangular room, capable of accommodating 360 children, the area being divided into three main portions, fitted respectively with galleries, writing-desks and forms, and standing space for drafts.

It is proposed to divide off, by means of a dwarf partition and curtain, the latter or draft portion (if possible, adding a little to the area, by a slight curtailment of the desk space). The curtain may consist of any strong cloth fabric, and should be stretched and painted in plain oil colours, so that it may from time to time be cleaned; and if thought desirable, the alphabet in capital and small letters may be drawn as a writing model. The upper part of the curtain should be attached to a fixed beam, and the lower part to a roller, about three or four inches in diameter, and which by means of ropes and pulleys may be made to revolve, and thus wind up

* An arrangement of this kind would meet all the purposes of the Minute of the 4th of May last.

This

the curtain from below, much as an ordinary window-blind does from above. curtain, except at the opening and close of school, may be kept permanently down, by which means the room is with great facility divided into two rooms. The smaller area (hitherto spoken of as the draft space) should be fitted with desks and forms, suitable for the more advanced classes; reserving space for an equal number of children to be employed in drafts. We should thus have provided desk and draft space for the more advanced part of the school, with the opportunity of working independently of the junior classes; and as the work of such classes requires less collective teaching, and more individual work, they are supplied with school-fittings best suited to their requirements.

In the larger department of the school-room, it was proposed to diminish the amount of desk accommodation by about one-third; whereby a portion of each class formerly engaged in writing will be displaced; this portion may with advantage be engaged in draft work. By this arrangement a diminished number will be engaged in writing at one time, and may with advantage be put under the supervision of one teacher; while the remaining teachers, thus disengaged from writing superintendence, may devote themselves to the portion of their classes engaged in draft work. By this arrangement also the agency of monitors may be wholly dispensed with; and the individual teaching in the drafts will assume a much higher character than is possible where this work is wholly or mainly performed by monitors.

The work in the lower part of the school will retain a large amount of collective teaching, which is mainly adapted for early instruction; while both the writing and draft work will be done under more efficient supervision.

The curtains that should be introduced between the galleries and the desk section may, if the groups of seats are arranged for the scholars to face each other, be constructed on the plan before named; having a permanent writing model on one side, and blank maps, or any diagrams available for the collective teaching, on the other side. The master's desk may with advantage be placed in the centre of these curtains, and facing the writing groups; that position giving, by ear, a ready command of the galleries behind; and, by eye, of the writing work in front. The space on either side of this station is that in which the drafts belonging to this part of the school will perform their exercises.

The principle involved in the plan may be summarily stated thus:-That a schoolroom may advantageously be divided into two principal portions, one of which may be fitted for the upper school, in which the gallery is made subordinate to the arrangements necessary for individual and draft work; while in the other section the writing arrangements are subordinate to those for collective and draft teaching. T.

TEACHERS' MEETINGS.

THE Annual Party given by the Committee of the Society to the Manchester British Teachers' Association was held in that city on Saturday, July 23rd, under the presidency of Mr. Davis. An animated and interesting conversation arose upon the recent "Minutes," especially the one by which the maximum number of pupilteachers to be allowed to one certificated teacher is reduced to four. The proceedings of the evening were characterized by thorough harmony and good feeling, and were brought to a close by a cordial vote of thanks to the Committee for their liberality. NORWICH TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.-On the 23rd of July, Mr. Milne met the teachers of the Norwich Association in the Pockthorpe school-room. Miss Talmedge gave a lesson on Flax, after which, an interesting conversation took place on the topic, "How to make a school popular." The proceedings closed with a social cup of tea, and a vote of thanks to the Committee of the British and Foreign School Society, who provided it. Though not so numerously attended as last year, several teachers being from home, the meeting was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.