SCHOOL BOARD—On Monday evening, the usual monthly meeting was held. There was no business of public importance.

SCHOOL BOARD—On Monday evening, the usual monthly meeting of this Board was held, the whole of the members being present.—The assistant mistress, Miss Harvey, applied for an increase of £5 in her salary.—Mr. J. Claridge suggested that as that was the last meeting of the Board the matter should stand over. This view was adopted by all the members, except Mr. Knight, who did not see if the application was a just one, why they should not deal with it, although, he said, he had no objection to its being adjourned.—On the motion of Mr. Claridge, seconded by Mr. Knight, it was unanimously resolved that as the term of office of the Board had nearly expired, Miss Harvey should be requested to renew her application after the election of the new Board.—Mr. Wood complained of the action taken by the Educational Department, in reference to half-timers, and said that Mr. Warren wished the Board to take some steps in the matter to bring it under the consideration of the Educational Department.—It was the opinion of the Board that probably some alteration would be made in the code when before Parliament, and the matter dropped. There was no other business of public interest.

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION—The following gentlemen have been nominated as candidates for seats on the School Board: Mr. John Claridge, Mr. Wm. Claridge, sen., Mr. George Denton, Mr. Daniel Dickens, Mr. Samuel King, Mr. F. U. Sartoris, and Mr. W. Wilkins. There are five seats to be filled. The polling is fixed for March 1st.

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION—This election took place on Monday last. The village has been extensively posted with addresses by each candidate. Some were posted in the night, and on Monday morning all was ready for the fray. The committees met early, and before nine o'clock, the time for the opening of the poll, conveyances had been to Higham Ferrers and other places, and returned laden with voters. The committee for the Conservatives were stationed in a house close to the Vestry-hall, while the Liberal committee had so far made their arrangements, that the canvassers met their own voters at the Hall, and went with them to the polling station. Conveyances were plentiful all the day, and at times hundreds assembled round and inside the Vestry-hall. At length four o'clock came, and the last voter had put his paper into the mystic box and the interest became deeper while the process of counting the votes was going on. At length this too was accomplished, and ringing cheers rent the air as it became known that the Liberals had won. The Liberal Committee were under the able command of Mr. W. Wilkins, and the Conservatives were marshalled by Mr. Simpson, assisted by Mr. E. Shelton, of Higham Ferrers. The result of the election was as follows:—S. Knight (L.), 555; W. Wilkins (L.), 541; G. Denton (L.), 536; F. U. Sartoris (C.), 455; J. Claridge (C.), 449; W. Claridge (C.), 405.

SCHOOL BOARD—On Monday evening the last meeting of the old Board was held in the Boardroom, when there were present Messrs. G. Denton, W. Wilkins, and S. Knight. The accounts, as presented, were passed. The Clerk reported that the auditors had passed the accounts, and recommended that the fees should be paid to the Clerk every month instead of to the Master as salary. The Chairman was of opinion it was only giving the Master and Clerk unnecessary trouble. It was decided not to advertise the balance-sheets, as it would be unnecessary expense. The Board did not think it would be necessary to alter the mode of the fees at present.

SCHOOL BOARD—MONDAY LAST
Present: Messrs. G. Denton, S. Knight, and W. Wilkins.

The Clerk asked the meeting to elect a chairman and then to proceed to the election of chairman and vice-chairman for three years. Mr. Denton having been elected.

The Clerk read the certificate of election by the returning officer.

Mr. Denton proposed that Mr. Knight be chairman. As he headed the poll, he thought it was an expression of the wishes of the parishioners as to his fitness.

Mr. Wilkins seconded.

Mr. J. Claridge did not think the number of votes polled by any member was any criterion, and his opinion was that as Mr. Denton had filled the office for three years, he was the most fitted to fill the chair.

Mr. Knight thought Mr. Denton was the most fitted to take the office.

Mr. Claridge moved that Mr. Denton be chairman, but the proposition was not seconded.

Mr. Denton thought that if the Board would suffer through his not taking the chair, he would take it, and as Mr. Knight had more interest in the education of the parish than he had, he thought he would make a very good chairman.

Mr. Claridge: Then Mr. Wilkins is the fittest person.

On the motion being put, Mr. Denton and Mr. Wilkins voted for it, and Mr. Claridge against. The motion was therefore carried.

On the motion of Mr. Wilkins, seconded by Mr. Knight, Mr. Denton was elected vice-chairman for the three years.

The next business was to consider the application of Miss Harvey, for an increase of £5 to her salary. This application was received two months back, and she was requested to renew the application after the election of the Board.

Mr. Denton proposed, and Mr. Wilkins seconded, that the application be acceded to.

This was carried unanimously.

Cheques were signed for salaries and other expenses; a precept was issued for £70, payable on the 1st of May, to provide for the expenses of the Board to the 25th of June; Messrs. Knight and Wilkins were appointed a committee to provide window blinds for the schools, and the meeting afterwards separated.

SCHOOL BOARD—The ordinary meeting of this Board was held on Monday evening last, Mr. J. Knight in the chair. Messrs. W. Wilkins, J. Claridge, and G. Denton, were also present. The business was of a purely formal character, and of no public interest.

SCHOOL BOARD—On Monday evening the monthly meeting of the School Board was held. Present: Messrs. S. Knight (in the chair), G. Denton, and W. Wilkins. A cheque was signed for the Public Works Loan Commissioners for £73 19s. 8d., being an instalment of repayment and a half-year's interest on building loan. A precept was issued for £70 to be paid on the 31st of July, to meet the expenses of the Board to Sept. 29th. The Chairman and Mr. Wilkins were appointed a committee to provide a cupboard and some additional hat pegs for the schools. Mr. Wilkins suggested that circulars be obtained by the Board for the use of the master, in cases where the children who were regular in their attendance missed once or twice. He thought it would be better in such cases for the master to inquire before the case was reported to the officer, and he had prepared a draft circular that he thought would be suitable. On the suggestion of Mr. Denton the matter was adjourned for one month for inquiries to be made in places where the system had been tried.

SCHOOL BOARD—ON Monday evening the monthly Meeting was held. Present: Messrs. S. Knight (in the chair), W. Wilkins, G. Denton, and J. Claridge.

The report of the recent examination was read, from which it appeared there were in the mixed school 128 presented for examination, 122 passed in reading, 98 in writing, land 95 in arithmetic; infants presented, 55. The grant for the mixed school was £97 3s.; for the infant school, £47 12s.; total, £144 15s.; or an increase of £13 14s. on the grant earned on last year. In the mixed school reading and handwriting are good, spelling and arithmetic require attention, grammar and geography are good. The discipline and needlework are excellent. The infant school is reported to be in a creditable state of efficiency. A. Colson and P. Darnell have passed well. M. Bull must improve in grammar, geography, and composition. It was resolved to provide a number of circulars for the use of the master of the Board Schools to use in case of any casual irregularity in the attendance, so that only the bad cases of attendance are reported to the Attendance Officer. Mr. Wilkins gave notice that at the next meeting he would move that the standard to allow children to work half time be lowered from the 3rd to the 2nd. The other business before the Board was of no public interest.

SCHOOL BOARD—On Monday evening, the usual monthly meeting of this Board was convened, and Messrs. Knight, Wilkins, and Claridge attended. Mr. Wilkins stated that a letter had been received from Mr. Heygate, stating that he could not attend the meeting, and asking if one of the members would kindly take the minutes, or should he send his clerk. Mr. Denton wrote that the members would take the minutes for him if he forwarded the books, &c. The books were sent in a leather bag, which was locked, and the key had not been sent. The members present adjourned the meeting until the 17th inst.

SCHOOL BOARD—MONDAY, SEPT. 13th.

Present: Messrs. Knight, Denton, Wilkins, Claridge, and J. Heygate (clerk).

Mr. Wilkins proposed: "That certificates for the use of medical men in the village be provided by the Board to show that children claiming exemption from attendance at school on the ground of illness, were really ill and under medical treatment." It was unhappily true that many children feigned illness in order to keep away from school, and if all cases of illness of Board School children were properly certified, he thought there would be fewer cases of non-attendance.

Mr. Denton seconded the proposition, and it was carried unanimously.

Mr. Wiikins proposed that the Board's bye-laws should be altered, so that a child might be allowed to work as a half-timer when it had reached the second standard, instead of the third standard. There were some children who never could pass the third standard, and unless some alteration was made, when the new Act came into force next year, a great number of children would be debarred from working at all. Provided that the children made a certain number of attendances at school, he thought also that they should be allowed to work, even if they did not succeed in passing the second standard.

The Clerk thought that the Education Department would insist upon a child reaching a fixed standard of education; and if the required standard was reached in an unusually short time, he did not think that would relieve the child of a fixed number of attendances at school. Speaking from memory, be thought a similar proposition to that of Mr. Wilkins' had been made at Wellingborough, but the Education Department would not sanction it.

Mr. Denton seconded Mr. Wilkins' proposition, and it was carried unanimously, whereupon the Clerk was instructed to write to the Education Department, inquiring whether their lordships, would sanction the proposed change.

Mr. Wilkins drew attention to the fact that Mr. Sartoris had not attended any meeting of the Board for six months.

Mr. Claridge thought the Board should write to Mr. Sartoris, asking for an explanation. He might have been absent through indisposition.

Mr. Denton considered "there was no doubt as to Mr. Sartoris's intention not to take his seat on the Board," but, perhaps, "it would be an act of that would be appreciated" if the Board were to write to Mr. Sartoris for an explanation.

Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Knight failed to see why the Board should write to Mr. Sartoris at all; the former gentleman was of opinion that the Education Department should be informed of Mr. Sartoris's continued absence from the meetings of the Board, although this Board might fill up the vacancy caused by Mr. Sartoris without taking any preliminary proceedings. He proposed that Mr. Sartoris's absence from the Board meetings for six months should be reported to the Education Department.

Mr. Knight seconded the proposition, and it was carried, although Mr. Denton and Mr. Claridge did not vote.

Mr. Claridge proposed that the Board should write to Mr. Sartoris asking for an explanation, but the proposition was not seconded.

School Board

The ordinary monthly meeting of the School Board was held on Friday, the 29th ult. Present: Mr. N. P. Sharman, in the chair; the Ven. Archdeacon Lightfoot, vice-chairman; Messrs. G. Plowman, W. Jackson, J. Garfirth, G. Maycock, and J. Askham.

The Clerk produced the accounts for the Board School expenditure for the year ending Sept. 29 which were passed unanimously. They showed a diminution in the expenses for the year over the previous year of £149 15s.

School Board—MONDAY, Nov. 8TH.

LIVELY PROCEEDINGS—ON Monday evening, a special meeting of the Rushden School Board was held, for the purpose of filling up the vacancy caused by the resignation of F. U. Sartoris, Esq., J.P. Mr. Knight presided, and there were also present, Messrs. G. Denton, W. Wilkins, and J. Claridge.

The Chairman read the circular of the Education Department, authorising the Board to fill up the vacancy.

Mr. J. Claridge said as Mr. Sartoris was elected as his colleague, it was for him to propose his successor. He had great pleasure in proposing Mr. G. H. Skinner as a member of the Board.

Mr. Denton could not second Mr. Skinner, as he failed to see what special qualification Mr. Skinner possessed; if a person could have been found that would represent the opinions of Mr. Claridge, and who was at the same time an educationist, it would be different. He could not see, after the way Mr. Sartoris had treated the Board, that they were under any obligation to consider him; he, therefore, proposed Mr. Haydn Packwood.

Mr. Wilkins seconded Mr. Denton's proposition. Mr. Skinner, he said, had never taken an active part even in Sunday School teaching.

Mr. Claridge was very much surprised at the nomination of Mr. Packwood, as he considered the seat belonged to the party to which Mr. Sartoris belonged. Mr. Sartoris, he believed, was supported by a larger number of voters than any other member, and he did not think it was right, just, or fair to deprive them of a representative; if the members of the Board thought differently they had a strange sense of honour, fairness, and justice. He was pleased he did not share their views, and if that was the way they were going to act, it would only show them up, and prove what people had already said, but which he could not believe, as he thought he had gentlemen to deal with; but he found he was in the way, and if they elected Mr. Packwood he should also resign, as he was of no use there.

The Chairman thought the person elected should be someone that had taken some interest in education, and Mr. Packwood had always taken a great interest in the religious education of the young, and he could not see that they would be showing any more injustice to the party who elected Mr. Sartoris than he had done by not attending the Board.

Mr. Claridge repeated that he could see he was in the way, and he should resign.

Mr. Denton said so far as he was concerned he had been very pleased to work with Mr. Claridge, and he believed that it was the opinion of the other members that if Mr. Skinner would take as much interest in the work of the Board as he (Mr. Claridge) had, they would be pleased to support him.

After a rather warm debate, the preposition of Mr. Claridge, not being seconded, fell through, and Mr. Denton's resolution was carried. Mr. Claridge voted against it.

The Clerk reported that there was a balance in band on the loan account of £37 6s. 4d., and it was decided that at the next meeting the loan account should be closed.

Mr. Denton said the master had told him that the number of scholars in attendance was in excess of what the schools were built to accommodate, but of course the average was not so large.

The balance sheets were examined and signed. They showed that the call on the rating authorities for the year had been 9d. in the £. The election expenses amounted to £20 17s. 7d.

A letter was read from the Education Department acceding to the Board's request, to adopt the second standard for half-timers, but refusing to allow an attendance test instead of passing the standard.

It was decided to amend the Board's bye-laws, by substituting the second for the third standard in the fifth bye-law.

Mr. Wilkins reported that he had that day met the architect and the contractor for the buildings at the school, and the latter had agreed to make the necessary alteration in the tanks to make them water-tight.

A reduction of £5 per annum in the Clerk's salary was agreed to, after which the Board separated.

SCHOOL BOARD—The ordinary monthly meeting was held on Monday evening, when Mr. H.Packwood, the newly-appointed member, took his seat on the Board. All the other members were preset. There was no business of public interest, but it was stated that the masters of both schools had reported that the attendance was never more satisfactory than at the present time, the irregular attendance forms recently issued by the Board having proved of good service.