and though they cannot be said to value education as we could wish, yet they do value it to a much greater extent than is commonly supposed, and will make sacrifices, and give their children a good education when the means of doing so are placed in their power. Abundant proof is afforded of this by the King's Somborne school, and, under ordinary circumstances, by other good schools; but when the efficient state of the former, and the high repntation in which it is held by the parents of the children who are educated in it, are mentioned as encouragements to teachers and managers of other schools, the announcement is generally received with a mysterious shake of the head, which implies that, though such a school may flourish amongst the labourers in Hampshire, yet it would be impossible to establish one of a like character, or even in some degree approaching to it, amongst the rural population of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The general belief, in regard to the King's Somborne school, seems to be this,-that there is, as it were, some charm connected with it, something peculiar in its constitution, something which does not nor ever will apply to any other school, and that this undefinable something is the cause of its success. I have not the pleasure of knowing Mr. Dawes, to whom I must apologize for this mention of his name, nor have I inspected his school, the state of which I am conversant with only from his own books and the reports of others, but I apprehend that, from the first, he was deeply impressed with the conviction that the parents of the children would value a good education when the means of obtaining it were placed in their power, and I may be permitted to express my opinion that this conviction was an important element in the determination to persevere in his efforts for promoting the true interests of those whose good fortune it is to have such a mastermind amongst them. It is scarcely to be expected that the majority of our National schools can at present be raised to that degree of efficiency which is exhibited by the school at King's Somborne; but a much closer approximation might be made to it, by means of properly-trained teachers, in connexion with a vigorous and enlightened superintendence. Few of the teachers of elementary schools in the East Midland district have received any adequate training. The method adopted to supply this deficiency is not unfrequently this :-a person who is about to take charge of a school is sent to some large school in the neighbourhood to learn what is called "the system," though what this system is I never could understand, unless it is called par excellence "the system;" he remains in the school two months, or even for a shorter period; during this time some knowledge is acquired of certain mechanical class movements,—of drilling the children to sit down or to rise up, simultaneously, at the word of command,-of dismissing them in an orderly and rapid manner;-all this being very well in its place and necessary to be known, but it is not the sort of training that is in itself exactly calculated to develope the mental faculties of the future schoolmaster, or of those whom he will have hereafter to instruct :-to these acquirements there will probably be added some smattering of grammar and geography. These trained teachers then take charge of their schools; it is not difficult to predict what will be the results of such training—they may be found in every Report published by the Committee of Council on Education. It is to be regretted that there is no training institution for masters in the East Midland district. The town of Derby is well situated for such an institution; the position is central, and there are the means of communication with all parts of the district by railways. It is satisfactory to be able to report that a training-school for mistresses is about to be built in this town. In speaking of the inadequate supply of properly-trained teachers, and of the want of an institution in this district for that purpose, I cannot avoid mentioning the earnest and persevering efforts of the Rev. L. Fry, of Leicester, who for a long period has devoted himself to the gratuitous instruction of young persons, both male and female, who are desirous of becoming teachers; he has been the means of bringing forward many intelligent persons of both sexes, who are likely to do well as teachers, and who owe to Mr. Fry a deep debt of gratitude for the sound and solid instruction which they have received from him; but it is obvious (and no one would be more ready to acknowledge this than Mr. Fry himself) that no individual efforts, however vigorous and enlightened, can ever supply the place of a well-organized training institution, where the students are required to go through a regular course of study and discipline. Of 33 masters who presented themselves at the examination in the Easter-week of 1848, 17 gained their certificates; four mistresses were successful on a similar occasion. The small number of the latter who were candidates is a significant token of the limited acquirements of the female teachers in this district. It is satisfactory to be able to report favourably of the working of the pupil-teacher system. Improvements to a greater or less extent have taken place in most of the schools in which they have been apprenticed; the lower classes have had more care bestowed upon them; and the schools exhibit more life and energy than heretofore. The apprentices have, with some few exceptions, passed creditable examinations, and conducted themselves with propriety: the mode of examination, which I have adopted, has been that of printed questions, to which the pupilteachers were required to write their answers; this being not only the best and fairest way of ascertaining their proficiency in the various subjects prescribed for examination at the end of each year of the apprenticeship, but also a useful training for the examinations they will have to undergo, when they become candidates for Queen's Scholarships and certificates of merit. Upon the whole, the questions proposed to the pupil-teachers have not been answered with that fulness which, without being too discursive, shows an accurate knowledge of the subjects to which such questions refer. This deficiency may arise in some measure from the apprentices not being accustomed by their teachers to express their knowledge in writing: in some schools where this system had been adopted, the result of the annual examination was very satisfactory. I cannot report favourably of the skill of the apprentices in teaching: this was generally the least satisfactory part of the examination. Few of the masters are competent to give any positive instruction to their apprentices in this respect; nor have they impressed upon them the necessity of minutely questioning the children upon the meaning of what they read, which cannot be done effectually unless the pupil-teachers are daily accustomed to prepare beforehand the lessons that they are to give to their respective classes; this I find has seldom been the case. In concluding this Report, I beg leave to observe how satisfactory it is to find that arrangements have been made for the regular inspection of all schools that are liable to it; the interruption to which, though unavoidable under the present system, has certainly been attended with some serious disadvantages. I have the honor to be, &c., J. J. BLANDford. To the Right Honorable |