7

G.—S

RETURN of ATTENDANCE at NATIVE SCHOOLS in the BAY of PLENTY and LAKE DISTRICTS, for the Quarter ended 31st December, 1873.

Compiled from returns furnished by the teachers. Herbert W. Brabant, Inspector of Native Schools.

No. 7. Mr. H. W. Brabant, R.M., Opotiki, to the Hon. the Native Minister. Sir,— Opotiki, 27th June, 1874. I have the honor to submit the following report of my half-yearly inspection of the Native Schools in the Bay of Plenty and Lake Districts :— Matata School: Teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Creeke.—The number of children on the books of this school is 40. When I visited it on May 29th, in company with Te Wikiriwhi, the Chairman of the School Committee, 27 were present, of whom 13 were boys and 14 girls. The first class consisted of 7 pupils. Their reading and spelling, from the " Irish National Third Book," were good, and, although the pronunciation was somewhat defective, they appeared to have some appreciation of the meaning of what they read. They wrote well from dictation, and the arithmetic of this class was very good, one being in bills of parcels, one in reduction, and the rest in compound multiplication and division. They also answered remarkably well when crossquestioned in the multiplication, shillings, and pence tables. The second class (7 pupils) read indifferently from the " Irish National Second Sequel " (a book beyond their capacity), and well from "Nelson's Sequel." Their spelling, translating into Maori, and writing were good, and their arithmetic fair. The third class (5 pupils) read pretty well from " Step by Step," were able to work the simple rules of arithmetic, and wrote well. The fourth class were beginners. In geography, the whole school had a fair knowledge of the maps of Europe and of New Zealand. They had also all learned the vocabularies in " Lessons in the English Language." The girls had been taught needlework by Mrs. Creeke. The discipline was good, and the pupils clean and neat in their persons. There are a greater number of children attending this school than there were last half year. Their improvement is decided, and generally the state of this school may be said to be progressive and satisfactory. Whareroa School (Tauranga) : Teacher, Major Wood.—The number on the roll is 38, though but 15 were present at my inspection of this school on June 2nd. The reading and spelling of the first class (5 in number), from "Nelson's Junior Reader, Part II," were good; but they had little appreciation of the meaning of what they read, and no colloquial English. Their writing from dictation Avas good; of two of them remarkably so. In arithmetic, two of them were said to be able to do addition and subtraction of fractions; but in this they failed. They all, however, worked the compound rules well. They answered questions on the map of New Zealand, and on the meaning of geographical terms, well. Second class (7 pupils) : Their reading, from the "Irish National Sequel," and spelling, were good; but, as in the first class, they had no appreciation of the meaning, and no colloquial English. Their arithmetic (simple rules) was fair. This school was hardly in working order, it having only been open a day or two under the new teacher after a month's cessation of duties. I saw Hori Ngatai, the Chairman of the School Committee. He considered that he had a grievance in the removal of the former master, who had given the Natives great satisfaction. While I concurred with the chief in praising Mr. Oldfield's abilities as a teacher, I explained that he had not been removed by the Government, but had himself resigned his post. This, it appears, had not previously been explained to Hori Ngatai.

Name of School. Names of Teachers. Hours of Attendance. Number on Books. Average Attendance. Whakatane •hiwa ... Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Mr. Avent 9 a.m. to lj p.m., 10 to 12 a.m. 2 to 4 p.m. do. do. do. do. 76 17 38 15 (marumutu latata laketu totoiti Mr. and Mrs. Clarko Mr. and Mrs. Creeke Mr. and Mrs. Rudman Major "Wood Mr. Cowan Mr. Tait Mr. and Mrs. Oldfield Mr. Wyatt 61 25 21) 2!) 28 16 IS 18 25 'arawera )hinemutu Whareroa )potiki do. do. 10 to 12 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. 15 1 14 1 Note. —The average of the Tarawera School is estimated, no books having been kept. Tin ipen last quarter. / Ohinemutu Icliool was not