Tabulated Reports, in detail, 1852, by Her Majesty's Assistant Inspector of Schools, Rev. R. F. Meredith.

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TABULATED REPORTS, in detail, 1852, on Schools inspected by Her Majesty's Assistant Inspector of Schools Rev. R. F. MEREDITH.

Buildings, one room, in good repair. Two small desks against the end wall; furniture fair; no playground.
Books fair as far as they exist; apparatus, one small map of England. Organization, mixed school, under a
mistress. Method defective, through want of encouragement and instruction. Discipline and instruction
very defective. The entire control and teaching is left to the mistress, an anxious but helpless young woman.
Elementary books much needed, and the clergyman is anxious to receive a small grant towards the same.
The sole income of the school at present is the children's pence, of which I could get no account.

One room, with small apartment adjoining for the infant class. One row of desks against the wall; furniture
and books deficient; no playground. Apparatus, good supply of maps, black-board, &c. Organization, four
classes, under mistress and monitor. Discipline mild; instruction fair. A mixed school, with a class of
infants in an adjoining room. The mistress had been in charge of a school formerly, and had a pupil-teacher;
she is a quiet earnest person, but wants a little more authority. I can speak hopefully and favourably on
behalf of this school. The room is rented; I believe no freehold site can be had in the parish.

A new school, in very good order. Groups of parallel desks; furniture, books, and apparatus good. Organi-
zation, three classes in parallel desks. Instruction good. The method and discipline of the school may be
expected to improve. The mistress has hardly yet had time to bring the school into an effective state.

Large school buildings with brick floor. Groups of parallel desks; furniture good; no playground. Good
supply of books and apparatus. Organization, boys, six classes, under pupil-teacher and candidates, in
parallel forms; girls, five classes, under candidates and monitors, ditto. The method, discipline, and
instruction in both schools are now in a fair order of advancement. The curate of the parish, Mr. Steven-
son, is most painstaking, but his other duties in so large a town occupy much of his time. An extra
inspection would add much to the confidence of the teachers. The infant school wants an efficient mistress.
There is a good gallery; but the books, instruction, and discipline are defective. The mistress seems an
anxious person, but wants skill for so large a school.

There are two school buildings in the Isle of Portland, just above the foundation of the walls, which, I was
told, were in course of erection as the two schools of the island, until the works were suspended in con-
sequence of a difficulty as regards the conveyance of the sites. The buildings were to cost 700l. each; 500l. of
which were to be granted by the Woods and Forests, and 2007. by the Committee of Council on Education.
I inquired if the inhabitant generally were now in favour of the proposed new schools, and received a
favourable answer. The master of St. John's school seems an earnest attentive man; and I have no doubt
that, with fair development, he would make an efficient and useful master. At present he has no opportunity
of fairly trying his skill. The school is liable, at any moment, to be turned out of the room in which it in

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held for the present. – Portland is a very important post, with an increasing population. The schoolmaster would be anxious to receive a grant of books and maps; but, under the present uncertain state and tenure of his school, I could hold out no hope.

The clergyman was absent when my notice arrived. On the day of inspection I found no person to receive me, and the school not assembled.

This is a good school. The furniture, books, and apparatus good. Organization, three classes, and infants in
parallel rows. Method very fair. Discipline and instruction very good; children well informed in Scripture.
The ventilation of the school is kept good by the open windows, but as such is not always agreeable,-e.g.,
to-day, during heavy rain,-I would suggest some ventilation confined to the purpose.

The desks against the wall, two rows of higher forms, with slates nailed to them, in the centre of the room;
furniture fair. The playground for the boys is small. The books very poor: apparatus none. Organization,
boys, three classes, master assisted by a boy as a sort of monitor; girls, three classes, under a mistress,
chiefly for sewing and reading. The method and discipline poor; instruction I believe given with the best
of the master's ability; the instruction in the girls is very fair. There are twenty children taught in this
school free under Buller's Charity; but for this aid no school would exist. It is a poor fishing village; the
children are mostly out with the parents gathering shell fish. The master is a very old man, nearly done
his work. The girls school is interrupted two hours every Monday by the relieving officer paying the
paupers. I would suggest that this interruption and annoyance be removed.

One room, divided by folding-doors into two schools, when desired; rooms too crowded; no ventilation;
master's residence under. Desks parallel in both; furniture fair; playground a common in front of school.
Books and maps much wanted, apparatus none. Organization, four classes in parallel desks, Method
fair. Discipline mild; instruction given with much earnestness. This school is chiefly supported by a
charity; twelve boys and twelve girls are clothed and taught gratuitously. I suggested the removal of the
ceiling, but I fear there are local difficulties in the way of any improvement here.

The desks in the boys school are parallel in gallery, in the girls against the wall. The furniture good. Supply
of books and apparatus very good. Organization, boys, three classes, under a master aided by a monitor;
girls, four classes, National system, monitors for the two juniors. The method and discipline very fair; the
instruction in boys is good, intelligent, and painstaking; girls, the mistress, a quiet person, gives her instruc-
tion with care. These are two good quiet schools in the midst of a great town. The master is a clever
young man, and takes pleasure in imparting his scientific knowledge, by models and practice, to his pupils.
One well-ventilated room; mistress' apartments under. Groups of parallel desks; furniture good. A plentiful
supply of books and apparatus. Organization, four classes, with a young woman to teach the infant class.
Method, National system, in squares. Discipline very fair, children clean and orderly; instruction given with
care and attention."

20 The buildings very bad, floor full of holes, windows broken, very exposed, no care apparently devolving on any
person. The desks against the wall, but quite loose, and in character with the rest of the school; furniture
very poor. The playground is the high road or common in front. A poor supply of books; no apparatus.
Organization, children in squares, but no evident arrangement. The method and discipline very mild. This
school is near the Land's End, on an exposed situation. The building has two rooms, but is just in existence.
The instruction is confined to reading from some tattered Bibles and Testaments, spelling a few words, and
some writing in copybooks. The clergyman or managers did not appear. The school seemed in a sad
neglected state.

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16 40
7 22

12 44

25 29

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10. Plymouth, St.Andrew's Chapel,

Tabulated Reports on Schools inspected by Rev. R. F. Meredith-continued.

The desks against the wall; furniture fair; no playground. Supply of books very fair. Apparatus, small maps, and black-board. Organization, four classes in squares, under a master. Method mild. The discipline and instruction very fair; the master tries his bost. I believe the school has some discouragements to contend with, There ought to be more children in attendance.

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13 Oct. 44 15 17

23 7 10

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20 17

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furniture very fair; a piece of inclosed ground in front of the school, intended as a playground and indus
▲ now school, with master's residence. Two groups of parallel d one row against the wall for the girls,
his wife.
trial garden. The supply of books is small; apparatus fair. Organization, four classes under a master and
The method wants more energy; discipline rather defective; I advised the master to go for a day
given. The clergyman is very anxious about the welfare of the school.
or two to the Exeter training school, to see the discipine which he so much wants; the instruction is fairly

Three groups of parallel desks in boys school, in girls against the wall; furniture good. A good supply of
books; apparatus fair. Organization, boys, four classes, two in desks, two in squares; in girls, two classes
59 in squares, very fair. The method in the boys school is inefficient, in the girls earnest and attentive. No
discipline in the boys, very fair in the girls. The instruction in the boys is carelessly given, in the girls
and infants fair. The infant school is a good and convenient building, with gallery. The system of infant
school teaching is not fully carried out. The boys and girls school is a superior building, a little way out of
the village; there is a playground, outbuildings, field garden, and workshops, all attached, it being the
intention of Sir Thomas Acland to make this an industrial school; his son, the vicar, is most anxious to
remedy the existing bad state of things, and I trust he will be enabled to carry into effect the only remedy,
I fear, though a severe one, viz., to remove the master.

Open for inspection of buildings only, which are in good order, but the low ceiling of the boys school must affect the ventilation. The clergyman declined the inspection of the school.

The buildings open to inspection only. All seemed in very fair order.

90 Groups of parallel desks; furniture fair; no playground. Books very good; apparatus very good. The
master was dismissed a few days before my visit for gross misconduct. The Hon. Mr. Scott begged
that I would defer the particular inspection of the children until after Christmas. The school is at present
under the care of a student from St. Mark's, and seems in a fair orderly state.

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50 102 155 60 90 170

The desks are against the wall; furniture fair; no playground. There is a deficiency in elementary books;
apparatus, black-board and small maps. Organization, five classes in squares. The method and discipline
are fair; the instruction is given with much care. This is a nice little school, under a quiet mistress. The
rector's family are very attentive, and it is to their exertions that the school is indebted for its efficiency.

The desks are parallel in gallery; furniture fair. Good supply of books; better maps wanted. Organization,
boys, six classes, under master, two pupil-teachers, and three candidates; girls, five classes in ten divisions
under pupil-teacher and candidate, with one assistant. Method fair. The discipline and instruction in the
girls school are very fair; the boys school did not appear in a satisfactory state as regards its discipline; the
master says it is caused by the influx of strange boys; he is a clever well-informed person, but wants either
energy or application. The girls school appeared much improved, judging from former reports.

The buildings and furniture are very good. Desks against the wall; no playground. The supply of books, apparatus, and maps is too small for general use. Organization, five classes in squares, under a mistress, one stipendiary monitor, and one candidate. The method and discipline are mild and gentle. The instruction is very fairly given. This school shows the pains taken by the clergyman and his family. The mistress is about to leave.