E.—•lβ

35

NOETH CANTEEBUEY.

Sir, — Education Office, Christchurch, 29th January, 1897. We have the honour to submit our annual return for the schools of the North Canterbury District for the year 1896, as required by section 12 of the regulations under " The Education Act, 1877." The appended lists give in detail the information in regard to individual schools required by the regulations. In addition, the usual summary tables are here furnished, presenting the general statistics of examination in a form convenient for comparison, and, so far as figures go, providing a means of estimating what has been done in each group of subjects. At the close of the year there were in operation under the Board's control a total of 194 schools, of which 190 were examined in accordance with the standard syllabus. The remaining four were aided schools, opened or reopened during the year, and therefore not yet prepared for examination. One school examined in the early part of the year was subsequently closed and replaced by another in a more convenient position, which will be taken in its stead at the usual time. In the 190 schools examined, there were presented 21,318 children, of whom 19,957 were present on the days of examination. In the standard classes 1.-VI. 12,212 were reported as satisfying the tests at the different stages, and 2,390 failed. Of the latter number, 384 had made less than half attendances during the three quarters preceding, and under the older regulations would have been returned as " excepted." Some rule of distinction which will mark out cases of bad attendance still seems to us desirable, and accordingly, although a better rule than that formerly in use might probably be found, we have in the school reports continued to distinguish as - executed those cases of failure in which the conditions of attendance come within the limits of that rule. In the classification of the pupils presented, 5,887, or 27.6 per cent, of the total enrolment, were included in the preparatory division. Of this number, 826, or 3.9 per cent, of the school-roll, were eight years of age or more on the dates of presentation, and in these cases generally satisfactory reasons were assigned for the classification adopted.

I.—Pass-subjects: Numbers.

II.—Pass-subjects: Numbers reduced to Percentages.

* Mean of average age.

'ass. Classes. Presented. Present. Excepted as under Old Rule. Passed. Schools presenting. Average Age of those that passed. Failed. 1,169 ' 1,578 2,080 2,492 2,534 2,359 Yrs. mos. ibove Standard VI. Itandard VI. V. ... „ IV. ... „ III. ... II. ... I. ... 'reparatory 308 1,458 2,214 2,909 3,226 2,788 2,528 5,887 205 1,403 2,138 2,777 3,116 2,725 2,443 5,150 38 81 93 101 55 16 196 479 604 523 136 68 83 159 179 180 184 181 182 190 13 10 12 11 12 0 10 11 9 8 8 7 Totals for 1896 Totals for 1895 21,318 21,227 19,957 20,028 384 314 2,006 1,925 12,212 12,373 190 185 11 11 4* 5*

School-roll. Class-roll. Passed, 1896. Passed, 1895. Classes. Presented. Present.! 1 not Pass. School-roll. Class-roll. School-roll. Class-roll, Joove Standard VI. .candard VI. V. ... IV. ... III. ... II. ... I. ... 'reparatory 1-4 6-8 104 13-6 151 13'1 11-9 27-6 66-6 96-2 96-6 95-5 966 97-7 96-6 87-5 160 25-3 24-0 19-4 6-9 33 5-5 7-4 9-8 11-7 11-9 111 80-2 71-3 71-5 77-2 90-9 93-3 5-3 7-6 10-4 11-4 120 11-6 84-4 74-9 75-9 750 900 93-6 On totals ... 1000 936 158 57-3 808 58-3 84-7