OP

h. Brit.
THE COMMITTEE OF, COUNCIL ON

EDUCATION;

LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,

FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE,

12-12.45
53551

MINUTES

OF THE

COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION.

1843-4.

Report on Schools inspected in the Counties of Bedford, Cambridge,

and Huntingdon, by the Rev. John Allen, M.A., Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools.

King's College, London; 6th February, 1844.' . MY LORDS,

Your Lordships, in June, 1842, having directed me to inspect the schools connected with the Church of England that have been aided by public grants in the counties of Bedford, Cambridge, and Huntingdon, and having instructed me at the same time to communicate to the Bishop of Ely the object of my tour, with a view to my extending my inquiries as to the state of education in that district, I waited on the bishop, and was furnished, through his lordship's kindness, with a letter to the rural deans of the diocese of Ely; which letter, sanctioning the objects of my visit, served as an introduction to the clergy of the several parishes, who, with few exceptions, most readily opened their schools to my inspection, and did all that was in their power to facilitate the objects of my tour.

I must acknowledge, with respectful gratitude, the obligations I am under to the clergy visited, not simply on accout of the hospitality with which I was received, but also on account of the kindness with which they listened to any suggestions which I had to offer in reference to be schools inspected, and the anxious desire shown to make my visits profitable.

My inquiries did not embrace Sundry-schools, and were directed towards ascertaining the number and quality of daily schools in existence in the several parishes open to the poor, and in connexion with the Church.

The main results of my inquiries I have now the honor to submit to your Lordships, premising that, as, in consequence of several interruptions, the period of time embraced in the inspection extended over somewhat more than 19 monihs, the observations noted must be understood as representing the state of things in the several parishes at the time that they were respectively visited by me. Happily year by year the exertions of the Archidiaconal Boards, the administration of the Parliamentary grant, together with the zeal and liberality of individuals contribute towards bringing about an improved state of things, and some of the deficiencies that have been recorded here will in future reports be noticed no more.

The county of Bedford contains 123 parishes ; of these for

educational purposes, the five parishes in the town of
Bedford (as all partaking in the benefits of the Harpur
Charity) may be classed together; of the remaining 118
parishes, the number of parishes in which schools were
inspected, was

41
The number of parishes in which I had reason to believe
that my inspection would not be acceptable, was

3 The number of parishes in which schools existed, but

which from the absence of the children at the time of my visit, or from other causes were not inspected, was 9 The number of parishes in which no schools, or only

schools of the very humblest class, were in existence, was 65

75

The county of Cambridge contains 164 parishes, from which

number, deducting the 14 parishes of the borough of
Cambridge, which for educational purposes, as being
united under a common board, will most conveniently be
classed together, we have 150 : of these the number of

parishes in which schools were inspected was
The number of parishes in which I had reason to believe

that my inspection would not be acceptable, was
The number of parishes in which daily schools existed, but

which from the absence of the children at the time of my

visit, or from other causes were not inspected, was The number of parishes in which no daily schools, or only

schools of the very humblest class, were in existence

8

10

was

57

40

The county of Huntingdon contains 104 parishes; of these

the four parishes in the town of Huntingdon for educa-
tional purposes may be classed together, and the three
parishes in Sawtry may be classed as ove; of the re-
maining 97, the number of parishes in which schools

were inspected, was
The number of parishes in which I had reason to believe

that my inspection would not be acceptable, was
The number of parishes in which daily schools existed,

but were not inspected from absence of children or other
causes, was
The number of parishes in which no daily schools, or only

schools of the very humblest class, were in existence, was

5

3

49

This deficiency in the means for the education of the poor

of these counties will be still more apparent, when it is added that of the 41 rural parishes in which daily schools were inspected in Bedfordshire, the number in which any reasonable measure of intelligent and really valuable instruction was communicated, cannot, in my judgment, be rated higher than 24, and that consequently the number of parishes practically without daily schools of value for the poor must be raised to 82: and that similarly in Cambridgeshire, the number of rural parishes in which daily schools were inspected, that seemed to me of value, cannot be rated higher than 49 ; while the number of parishes in which no such schools of worth are in existence for the poor, rises to 83: and similarly in Huntingdonshire, the number of rural parishes in which schools of worth were found, must according to the same rule be depressed to 26, while the number of deficient parishes proportionably rises to 61.

The parishes in which the deficiency was most apparent were commonly those in which the number of inhabitants was smallest, yet it will appear from the population of the following parishes in Bedfordshire, which are selected from the list of those which, in my judgment, are practically without daily schools of value for the poor, that this rule is not without exceptions --exceptions the more sad and notable in some cases because of the existence of funds left for the education of the poor. The amounts of these endowments, in most cases, are stated according to the parliamentary returns.

.

Dunstable

Population
in 1841.
. 2001 In this parish a grant of £65 has been

made since this Report was
written, towards the erection of a
school, by the Bedford Board of
Education; the building is expected

to be completed early in 1815. 814 818 This parish is United with Hockliffe,

where a school is building. 2582 An endowed school, income $230

108., under a capable and active master, but wholly inadequate for the wants of the town, is here in existence. There is a large building which it is hoped will

soon be opened as a daily school. 562 531 693 Some of the children attend at

Westoning 509 529 The clergyman has recently erected

Goldington
Harlington