At a meeting of the Rushden School Managers on Tuesday evening, at the Alfred-street Schools, it was announced that a scheme for re-zoning the town, with a view to allotting one elementary school for each zone would be taken in hand immediately.

This, when approved, will mean that a child will have to go to the school allotted for the particular zone in which his or her parents reside, and will prevent a child passing one school in order to attend another.

This scheme will not take into account the proposed scheme for an elementary school on the Irchester-road Estate, which is in abeyance at the moment.

The members present were Messrs. L. Baxter (in the chair), F. Corby, C. Claridge, W. E. Capon, E. A. Sugars, E. Freeman, Rev. C. J. Keeler, Mr. Prothero (District Chief Attendance Officer), and the Clerk, Mr. J. Ferris.

An apology for absence was received from Mr. A. Allebone, C.C.

Mr. Prothero said that since the last meeting the County Secretary for Education had considered the question of transferring children from one school to another, and had looked into the matter closely with a view to having the whole thing settled once and for all. He had been instructed to go into the matter thoroughly and report to the secretary. It would mean that zones would have to be fixed and adhered to.

Mr. Prothero added that the parents of Rushden had been very good in the past and they did not want to bother them more than they could possibly help. At the same time there were certain vacant places in some schools that could be filled, and they wanted to try and arrange matters so that a child did not pass one school to go to another. That could not be justified because the schools were fairly evenly distributed in the town.

Mr. Prothero gave the figures for the various schools as follows: Alfred-street Mixed, 394, plus 54 from the Infants, making a total of 448; Alfred-street Infants, 261 less 54; Moor-road, 193; Newton-road Mixed, 492, plus 52 from the Infants; Newton-road Infants 406 less 52; South End 214, plus 56 borrowed from the Infants Department, a total of 270; South End Infants, 174, less 56.

The town would have to be divided into probably four zones, to which they would have to keep.

“Unfortunate”

Mr. Capon said it might be unfortunate but they had got to see the matter through and he thought they could promise Mr. Prothero any assistance he wanted. If there was forcing to be done they would have to force it.

The chairman referred to the proposed school on the Irchester-road Estate.

Mr. Capon: “If you see that in your life-time you will be lucky.” The trouble was that when the total number of children was compared with the accommodation, it was found that there was room for all.

Mr. Prothero said the Managers had always catered for the children and naturally looked to having a new school on a new estate.

A number of applications were received, including one from Belfast, for a vacancy for a certificated teacher at Alfred-street School, and the Managers agreed to interview three of the applicants.

Sub-Committee Meeting

At a meeting of the Rushden District Education Sub-committee which preceded the Managers’ meeting, the members present were Messrs. C. Claridge (in the chair), F. Corby, C. W. Horrell, C.A., W. E. Capon, E. Freeman, E. A. Sugars, L. Baxter, Rev. C. J. Keeler, with Mr. L. Perkins, M.B.E., J.P., B.Sc. (principal of the Evening Institute), Mr. Prothero (District Chief Attendance Officer), and Mr. J. Ferris (Clerk).

Giving his report on the Evening Institute, Mr. Perkins said this was the fourth week of the session, and they had almost the same number on the roll as at the corresponding period of last year. The boys were not as numerous as the girls, but many young fellows went to the Boot and Shoe School. The trouble was that not one quarter of those who left school went to the Evening School in any district in England.

The chairman: That is the trouble.

Mr. Perkins said that there were also W.E.A. classes, and several places of worship had classes of a certain kind – for needlework, English, the production of plays, etc., and Scouts and Guides’ organisations. There was really plenty of room for an increase of ten to twenty per cent. It sometimes happened that a boy came from a Boot and Shoe School and wanted to join the classes, who had never written anything except his lecture for ten years, and had done no arithmetic except to reckon his wages or a football match attendance, and wanted to start and learn science. That could not be done.

It was a great mistake, continued Mr. Perkins, for boys to be admitted to the Boot and Shoe School without any educational test. The result was that in some cases public money might be better spent.

Mr. Corby asked if there were no stipulations about entering the Boot and Shoe School.

Mr. Perkins: If a boy can write his name and he is 16 years of age it is all right. But it is a pity because it is in their own interests that they should come to the Evening School; they never know when it is going to help them. Boys and girls when they have left school at 14 are afraid of getting the same humdrum work of standards 6 and 7 of the elementary school, but that need not be so.

Mr. Freeman asked if children leaving school were given advice concerning the classes.

430 On Roll

Mr. Perkins said circulars were sent round. He added that there was an idea that if one joined the classes it was necessary to attend three nights a week. That need not be the case. It used to be a condition, but was a bad one and he personally had never obeyed the law in that respect. “If a boy or girl can only come once a week they are still welcome.” Mr. Perkins said there were now 430 on the roll, and another twenty could be anticipated. The Boot and Shoe School had of course taken about 100.

Mr. Freeman: But we still compare favourably with any other part of the county?

Mr. Perkins: Yes. We have a bigger percentage of students.

Mr. Horrell observed that it was a pity that boys lost the two years between 14 and 16 before becoming eligible for the Boot and Shoe School.

The chairman: It depends on the parents to a great extent.

Mr. Corby said he did not see how Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, etc., who perhaps only met once a week, could affect the Evening Institute attendances.

Mr. Perkins emphasised that he was quite satisfied with the report, and had only added general observations; there was inclined to be a wastage of the money spent if a scholar simply drifted away from school altogether at 14.

Mr. Perkins added that in common with other salaries, Evening School salaries had been reduced by 10 per cent.

Free Places

Mr. Freeman referred to the case of a scholar at a Rushden school, who would have been awarded a free place scholarship, having been successful in the examination, had he not been disqualified because he resided in Bedfordshire. He would like to know whether some agreement could not be made between the authorities of the two counties.

Mr. Perkins said that if he resided in Bedfordshire it should be the duty of the county authorities there to provide him with secondary education, but they could claim that the boy had not passed their test. Such cases often arose near the county boundary.

Mr. Prothero said it was possible some arrangement could be made, and the matter considered.

A resolution asking the county authorities to consider the question was passed on the proposition of Mr. Freeman.

The Sum-committee agreed to close South End and Moor-road schools, which were required for polling stations, on Tuesday next, the other schools to remain open.

The quarterly report of the Attendance Officer showed the following percentage attendances:-

Newton-road Mixed, 91.4; Alfred-street Mixed, 91.4; Intermediate, 95.3; South End Mixed, 86.3; Newton-road Infants, 82; Alfred-street Infants, 85.2; South End Infants, 85.8; Moor-road Infants, 82.8; a total average of 88.4, compared with 93.2 in the corresponding period of last year.

The Attendance Officer commented the scarlet fever had been prevalent at South End and there had been an epidemic, which still continued, of whooping cough in all Infants’ departments.