147

E.—2

The gymnasium is used as' frequently as the time-table of a busy student will permit. The favourite, and I might say the only, game indulged in is fives, the court for which is in the gymnasium. An additional court would be greatly appreciated. " Gymnasium " suggests recreation, and " recreation " calls up to the mind the total inadequacy of the grounds of the College. I have referred to this before, and I can only hope that by keeping at it, like the importunate widow of old, a tardy ear may at length be given to the reasonable demand for an extension. Leaving the recreative and aesthetic aspect aside for the present, it has also to be urged once more that the interests of the country districts served by the College require a much larger area of ground for nature-study and elementary agriculture. An adequate development of the programme of the country school is hardly possible until this question of ground is solved. Mr. Webb has already sacrificed too much of the playing-space of his scholars to nature-study and gardening purposes ; nothing more can be attempted until a suitable plot is available. One of the most important aspects of the work of the students is thus of necessity obliged to remain only very imperfectly done. Normal School: The work in this department has been on the whole satisfactory. Mr. Webb and his staff have facilitated and helped in the practice arrangements of the students, besides doing their share, as the former regulations required, of the teaching-work of the College. Under the new regulations the instruction of the students can be arranged with little call upon the staff of the Normal School. The secondary department will now, if necessary, be increased to fifty. I recommend that this be done, at any rate for one year. The addition of an assistant here will strengthen the department, and also give me some available assistance for the students' work; A junior kindergarten room will be added to the infant department. The addition of the room necessarily means the addition of a teacher. According to the new regulations the total staff allowed is twelve. This is to provide at least one lecturer, who shall give a good proportion of his time to the instruction of the students. But if all the classes are full — i.e., an average of forty to each teacher — the whole available staff will be absorbed by the practising department, thus : Standards, 6 (a teacher to each class) ; secondary, 2, (average attendance, 50) ; infants, 2 ; country, 1 ; kindergarten, 1. As the classes are at present it is impossible to group, and there is no suitable room even if the grouping were possible. I propose, however, to work during the next year with the full staff and the full school, and see how far it is possible to meet the requirements of the instruction of the students under such conditions. The additions suggested as necessary in my last report have been under consideration during the year. Just where they should be placed is somewhat difficult to decide ; but on the whole the most suitable place would seem to be behind the manual and technical room. Two rooms —a new science room and a kindergarten room —are urgently needed, and there should be added also an art room and a museum. At the present time the plans for these additions are almost ready, and I trust that before the year ends the rooms will be ready for occupation. At the beginning of the year a prospectus was issued, setting forth classes which it was thought would be of benefit to teachers preparing for higher certificates, and to those who might wish to further qualify themselves for infant-room work. Owing to the small support promised it was not worth while beginning. The classes proposed were education, physiology, handwork, English, and infant-room method. In 1907 a short school was held in midwinter for the benefit of selected country-school teachers. It was proposed to hold another in 1909 ; but, as the new regulations make provision for the admission of teachers of this class, the necessity for doing anything further in the matter has been removed. The Training College is always open to visiting teachers, and those who wish to do so can readily obtain a week or so in addition to their term holidays to enable them to spend some time in the College. During the past year a great many teachers have attended —some for a day or two, others for a week, others for a month at a time. According to the new regulations a sum of £200 will be available for such subjects as drawing, modelling, singing, and drill. I recommend that instructors be procured for drawing, modelling, singing, and domestic science. The provision of instruction in these subjects very materially relieves the strain that was felt where members of the Normal School staff had to take up the subjects. Needless to say, much more effective work should be done under the altered arrangements. I propose, too, to relieve Mr. Tamblyn of the work he has been doing in nature-study. It is hardly possible for a man to do justice to this subject and at the same time do justice to the important department (model school) he is in charge of. There is enough in the latter, if it is adequately to represent what our country schools should aim at, and in a measure accomplish, to tax a man's whole strength and time. I wish, in conclusion, to thank the following for their generous contributions to the social and recreation fund of the College : Messrs. J. G. W. Aitken, W. Rutherford, G. W. Wilton, W. Mackay, J. Boal, J. Wilson. All gifts in this direction are greatly appreciated. The social side of College work must always bulk largely when it is considered that three-fourths of the students are strangers to the town. I have, &c, Wμ. Gray, Principal. The Chairman, Education Board, Wellington.