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These, on the whole, are fair results, but they are not so good as those obtained in the same subject last year. The Fifth Form in the Girls' School was examined orally, and answered fairly, although failing badly in fractions, from the want of drilling in the use of factors. Euclid. The following are the results of the examination in this subject:— Classes examined. Percentages obtained. Highest. Average. IV. a, Second Division (boys) ... ... ... 76 ... 36 VI., Second Division (girls) ... ... ... 84 ... 67 jIV. a, First Division (boys) ... ... ... 53 ... 38 tV. (boys) 73 ... 31 VI. (boys) ... ... ... ... ... 81 ... 43| VI., First Division (girls) ... ... ... ... 72 ... 36| It will be observed that the Second Division of Form VI. (girls), which failed very badly in algebra, did exceedingly well in Euclid. In nearly all of the other classes a proportion of good papers were sent up, but on the whole a certain degree of weakness was apparent in this subject, as was the case also last year. Trigonometry. Last year I directed attention to the weakness of the Boys' School in this subject, and suggested as a remedy that trigonometry should be introduced at an earlier stage in the school course. I notice that this suggestion has been acted upon, trigonometry now being taught in the Fifth Form, and the use of logarithms, with the practical solution of triangles, in the Fourth. This is quite a satisfactory arrangement; but it will be another year before the improvement which is to be anticipated becomes apparent, the present Sixth Form having only commenced the subject this year. Thia accounts for the weakness still indicated by the following results: — Classes examined. Percentages obtained. Highest. Average. V. (boys)... ... ... ... ... ... 73 ... 32 (VI. (boys) ... ... ... ... ... 62 ... 38 (VI., First Division (girls) ... ... ... ... 63 ... 41 I may be permitted to say, in conclusion, that I have thought it more useful to disclose, without any reserve, the weak points of the schools than to extol their merits. Both schools are now organically in so sound a condition, and enjoy so full a measure of public confidence, that wellfounded criticism on the part of an examiner can only be beneficial, the more especially as the Board and the heads of both schools have given proofs of their anxiety to leave nothing undone to remedy defects that have been shown to exist, and to alleviate or eliminate every known source of weakness. The Chairman, Board of Governors. John Shand.

6. Mb. Chapman's Eepoet. Boys' High School. French. —l have examined the following classes in this subject: Form VI.; Form V.; Form IV. r Upper Division; Form IV., Lower Division; Form III.; Beginners' Class. I conducted the examinations by means of written papers, the questions being confined to the work gone through during the year. In all, 125 boys were examined. Throughout the school the average of marks obtained is somewhat low: this is, in part, perhaps due to the fact that in all or most of the classes there seem to be some boys who take no interest in this subject, or who have neglected it while pushing themselves ahead in other subjects. This seems the most reasonable explanation of the circumstance that in Class 111., Junior Division (beginners), upon a maximum of 50 marks the first few boys obtain respectively 46, 46, 35, 35, 30, while in the same class, comprising twenty-six boys, eight obtain less than 10 each. In the same way, in Class 111. (Upper Division), boys obtain 34, 31, &c, while out of eighteen boys eight obtain less than 10 marks each. This feature, which tends greatly to reduce the average of marks, appears more or less in nearly all the classes; it is least apparent in Form V. I am glad to be able to note a distinct improvement in the Upper Fourth. From this class, which sent up twenty-eight boys, I obtained a large number of good papers, and there was a general improvement in the style in which they were written. The average of marks was good, notwithstanding the reduction due to the cause already referred to. In the Lower Fourth the average was very low. In Form V. I also thought there was some improvement. The papers were not brilliant, but a good proportion of them showed careful work and obtained a satisfactory number of marks. I was not nearly so well satisfied with Form VI., the results in which were disappointing. The highest marks in this class (comprising eleven boys), upon a maximum of 50, were 40, 33, 30; and some of the papers were very carelessly done. In several of the classes I again met with a difficulty to which I had occasion to refer last year, namely, a want of intelligent appreciation of the identity and meaning of words when read together in sentences. This leads to loose spelling and a great deal of guessing, It had been to some extent remedied by exercising the boys in dictation, and in one of the lower classes where this had been more attended to the result was very apparent. I think, on the whole, spelling, including the use of accents, had been more carefully attended to than last year. German. —In German I examined three classes —namely, Form IV., Form V., Form Vl.—in all comprising twenty-three boys. The average of marks was good in all these classes. In the two highest forms it was above 37 and 36 respectively, upon a maximum of 50. Several boys obtained over 40, and one as many as 45 marks. I beg to express my entire satisfaction with the teaching of this subject. 12th December, 1883. Fbbdk. Chapman.

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