SUNNINGDALE NATIONAL SCHOOL. On opening School. The school duties commence with prayer, as the church clock finishes striking nine. (All children not then present are detained in the room at twelve for half an hour, employed in writing; the same punishment in the evening if not present at two.) After prayers the children sing from note a psalm or hymn to one of the tunes appointed for divine service of the following Wednesday or Sunday. The master has accustomed them to sound the tuning fork, give the key note of the tune, and commence singing it, quite unassisted by himself or the apprentices. He intends that they should do the same in church before long. When they have sung, the teacher or one of the apprentices reads carefully and distinctly a short portion of Holy Scripture, usually a part of one of the books they have recently studied and received lessons in. The monitors of cleanliness then perform their duties, as stated in the monitor roll, No. 8. When all these preliminaries are gone through (generally between twenty and twenty-five minutes past nine), the general work of the school proceeds according to the time table. School Journal.-The elder children have since January 1851 kept a journal, in which they enter their observations upon natural things, the seasons, habits of animals, the weather, &c., or any remarkable incident occuring in the school or parish. This is a suggestion from the Reverend Mr. Fosbery. Remark Book. They have also a "Note and Query Book," in which a boy or girl may enter any interesting fact, or any question of general utility, referring either to their book knowledge, or to any proper circumstance belonging to the great world out of school. These entries are first submitted for the approval of the master. APPENDIX (B.) Purchase of Books by Children. Since the period of our "renewal grant," 5th January 1852, to the 21st of the June following, 46 children belonging to 37 families have purchased 95 lesson books, and books of reference to the amount of 17. 19s. 4d., the average outlay for each of these 37 families being 1s. 0d., and for each child of the 46, 104d. Two children purchased books to the amount of 3s. 11d, each child. These were the highest purchases for any one child in the six months. It should be mentioned that the prices were reduced from the charges upon the list supplied by the Government to the extent of 2d. on a shilling. A grant in aid of the purchase from the Government entitled the children to this additional advantage. These particulars may appear trifling, but I know in almost every instance considerable effort was really necessary to enable the parents to procure these books for their children. The following is a list of the books referred to above: This is merely a beginning; more could have been sold, but the master had obtained only a few to ascertain if his scholars would purchase. I am, says he, now on the point of sending for another supply, and I am sure my children will buy them freely. General Report, for the Year 1852, by Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, the Rev. F. C. Cook, M.A., &c., on the Schools inspected in the Counties of Middlesex, Bedford, Buckingham, and Hertford. MY LORDS, January 1853. remarks. My report for the past year will not present any Preliminary novel or peculiar features, nor occupy any considerable space; but it is not unsatisfactory to be enabled to record a continuous and steady, if not rapid, course of improvement in the National schools of the Metropolitan district, and to confirm by additional facts the opinion which I have so frequently felt it my duty to express, that, the system of pupilteachers and certificates of merit has produced, and is likely to produce in future, the most beneficial effects upon the education of the poor. I will first make a few remarks upon each point of statistical information contained in the subjoined tables, and, secondly, refer briefly to various questions which have been brought under my notice in the course of last year's inspection. 37 23 43 32 50 57 28 95 47 64 29 42 33 11 26 55 16 79 17:41 14:59 11 23 7.7 3.77 1.96 The amount of accommodation in square feet divided by 8 will give the number of children who can be properly accommodated. Calculations of area in school-rooms, as compared with the average attendance of scholars, should be made upon this basis. The space of six square feet has been found, in practice, to be insufficient for the accommodation of each child. † At the date of closing this return. Per-centage taken on number of children present at examination. Fourteen and over, Compound Rules and Reduction. Simple Rules. 69.35 SUMMARY B. Aggregate Annual Income, as stated by Managers, of 138 of the Schools official occu 1. In the year from November 1, 1851, to October 31, 1852, Review of the number of schools under separate teachers, inspected, pations. amounted to 278. During part of that year I had the advantage of being assisted by the Rev. W. P. Warburton, whose services were highly estimated by all the managers of schools with whom his official duty brought him into contact. Schools were visited by him in the months of January, February, March, and April. The time was, however, broken by other official engagements, and only 57 days were actually occupied by the work of inspection in my district. The Rev. J. G. C. Fussell was appointed Assistant Inspector for this district in the autumn, but he was chiefly occupied in visiting schools with me, in order to ascertain the general standard of attainment, and the methods adopted in collecting and recording results. My own time, during this year, was occupied to a very considerable extent by the inspection and examination of the female training schools, a work which requires much time and attention, especially since it has appeared expedient, and indeed necessary, that I should revise a large proportion of the written papers of candidates for certificates of merit. For the first time since the appointment of pupil-teachers I found it necessary to take a month in the summer for recreation. Under these circumstances the number of schools inspected is as large as could be expected, and, indeed, with the exception of that month and of the Sundays, every day in the past year has been occupied by official business. I state these facts, however, not so much as bearing upon the records of the past year, as with reference to the future. After a careful inquiry into the amount of work now required to be done in School-accommoda tion. my district, I see great reason to hope that the periodical inspection of schools can be arranged for the present in a far more satisfactory manner than has hitherto been possible. Many parts of my district which had been unvisited during several years have already been inspected by Mr. Fussell; and the number of applications for annual grants is evidently increasing. Indeed, I feel assured that a vast number of school managers, who need assistance and appreciate the importance of regular inspection, have been withheld from making an early application solely by the knowledge that many schools in their neighbourhood, which had invited and were liable to inspection, were seldom or never visited. If, however, I may judge from the number of applications received since the appointment of an assistant inspector, it appears probable that the number of schools absolutely requiring an annual visit will ere long occupy nearly all the time which I and Mr. Fussell can devote to their examination. 2. The 278 school-rooms provide accommodation for about 31,000 children, at the rate of eight square feet per child, and the number in average attendance is reported by the managers to amount to 29,103, of whom 28,154 were actually present on the days of inspection. Bearing in mind the observations which I made last year, I took pains to ascertain the comparative extent of accommodation in town and country schools. Upon the whole I feel satisfied that, while the school-rooms in most of the country parishes which I visited are quite as large as, if not larger than, is necessary, the generality of London schools under inspection receiving annual grants are full even to overflowing. This is an important fact, especially as bearing upon all questions connected with the organization and arrangement of schools. It might have been expected, and it is a fact, that the managers of schools in crowded districts will not exclude children so long as any portion of the available space remains unoccupied. It is impossible to enforce, and I doubt whether it is just to make, regulations which require so much space for each class as is allotted in the very ingenious and, in many respects, admirable plans set forth under your Lordships' authority. It is not unusual to find the area opposite to the parallel desks occupied by classes, and I have reason to believe that this occurs to a greater extent than can easily be ascertained by an Inspector. The only possible remedy is the increase of school accommodation in towns and cities. I venture to request your Lordships to take into consideration the observations which I made in my report last year. (Minutes of 1851-2, vol. ii., p. 36-37.) The importance of providing proper accommodation and instruction for a larger number of children in this Metropolis cannot be |