7. In the religious instruction being according to the principles of the Established Church.

III. It agrees with Mr. Lancaster's

1. In all the children being seated at single desks, facing one way.

2. In all the children being taught to write.

3. In all the children being taught to spell, by writing on slates words dictated by the teachers.

4. In all the children, when of a proper age, being taught to cipher in classes.

IV. The Enmore school differs from the greater part of those, both on Dr. Bell's and Mr. Lancaster's systems

In not being a free school.

V. The following modifications and additions have been introduced d.

1. Writing from dictation connected, in various ways, with every reading lesson.

2. Numerals, punctuation, &c. taught by writing from dictation.

3. Sets of questions and answers provided for many of the reading lessons.

4. Sets of questions and answers provided for the ciphering lessons;-and for other things taught in the school.

5. Nothing repeated from memory, until first read, with all the accompanying exercises.

6. Mr. Lancaster's method of teaching arithmetic considerably modified and extended: tables, in some rules, given on a peculiar construction, &c. &c.

d Some farther modifications and additions are described in the ensuing notes. 3d edit. 1815.

CHAPTER II.

GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, &c.

THE school consisting on this day, twenty-third of March, 1812, of seventy children, of both sexes, is divided into eight classes; which are distinguished numerically, reckoning from the lowest upwards.

Each class is under the direction and tuition of its teacher.

The teachers and their classes are under the inspection and superintendance of the monitor. The schoolmistress watches and presides over the whole.

The school room is 27 feet long, and 16 feet wide. Parallel with its shorter sides are placed single moveable desks and forms; the ends of which are about 14 foot from the wall on one side of the room: on the other side there is a space, the whole length of the room, and about 4 feet in breadth, which is used for the common passage of the school, and for the classes to assemble in, to say their lessons. The desks being single, all the children -sit facing one way; those in the eighth, or highest class, with their backs nearly close to the wall. At the other end of the room, in front of the first

e It now consists of a hundred children; and there still are applications for the admission of more than can be accommodated. We have contrived to receive this additional number, by placing the two lower classes in an adjoining house, under the care of a steady woman; and sending teachers from the upper school. 3d edit, 1815.

school, as about to be described, commences, and continues until twelve; at which time the children in the upper part of the school break up their reading classes, and form into arithmetic classes; in which they are exercised under their respective teachers until dinner time. In the mean while those children who have passed through the second class, but are too young to learn arithmetic, either write copies, or are allowed to improve and amuse themselves with looking over their lesson books k.

The greater part of the girls are engaged, during the whole of the afternoon, in needle-work, knitting, straw plaiting, or some other such work of industry; which of course breaks in upon the regularity of the system. But from the consideration of what importance it is that females should be accustomed early to such useful employments, the inconvenience arising from this interruption is cheerfully submitted to: as indeed it would be, were it much greater than in fact it is. The boys still go on, for the most part, as in the morning; as do those few girls who happen not to be provided with work. But notwithstanding this additional practice on the part of the boys, I have not observed that the girls find any difficulty in retaining their stations in their classes. This is to be accounted for, partly, from the circumstance of their being still within hearing of what is going on in their respective classes, though not actually engaged in it; but principally, I believe, from the well known fact, that girls are more docile and attentive than boys.

The business of the school begins and ends with a prayer; which is taken from the conclusion of the

by means of a large copy for the whole school, see forward, in the first note to the account of the proceedings in the third class.

Instead of half an hour mentioned above, a whole hour is now employed in writing from copies. 3d edit. 1815.

k At present, all the children in the upper school, excepting four, are in arithmetic; and during the arithmetic hour these four are sent to join the head class of the lower school. 3d edit. 1815.

Catechism broke into short Questions; and is read by one of the teachers. Immediately before prayerin the evening, the whole, or a portion of the Church Catechism is said: on which occasion, all the children stand before the schoolmistress in a double rank; the juniors, who are merely listeners, in the front, and the seniors, who repeat the Catechism, in the back rank.

Every alternate Saturday is a whole holiday: and a week's vacation is given at each of the three greater festivals.

The plan of instruction is carried on almost entirely through the agency of the scholars themselves; the school being divided, as was before stated, into eight classes; each under the tuition of a teacher. The teachers are supplied by the seventh and eighth classes. Most of the children in the seventh class, and all, except the head child, in the eighth class, take their turns for an hour at a time, as teachers to the other classes: and at the expiration of the hour, the children who have been acting as teachers are called back to their classes; and a new set is appointed. This change of teachers is under the direction of the head child of the school; who is the permanent teacher of the eighth class1.

The plan of taking the teachers from the two upper classes, and of changing them every hour, though we were obliged for a time to submit to it, was attended with some inconvenience, both to the individuals of those classes, and to the rest of the school. The teacher was not always quite equal to the duties of his office: and the consequence was, that the class was retarded. In the mean while, he was himself losing the benefit of the lesson, or lessons, upon which his own class was employed. These, however, were inconveniences which we had no means of obviating;-until our eighth class had so far advanced in their learning, as no longer to require the writing of lesson words, and our other preparatory exercises. This point, to which I had looked forward from the very commencement, we have at length attained: and I have now the satisfaction of seeing none but our most capable and efficient children acting as teachers.

During the ten minutes allotted to the preparation for the lesson, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh classes are employed in writing lesson words, &c. at the dictation of their respective head

The monitor is selected from the best and steadiest children of the eighth class; and is relieved at the same time, and by the same directions as the teachers. His usual station is at the inner extremity of the first, or front desk; where, either seated on the desk or standing on the form, and thus facing the classes, he has an opportunity of observing accurately both their conduct, and that of their teachers. If a child offends in any way, the monitor instantly cautions him aloud; and if the offence is repeated, he is again cautioned, and his name is set down, with a mark opposite to it, on the monitor's slate: and for every new offence committed, the caution is repeated, and an additional mark set down. Before the school separates, the monitor's slate is examined by the schoolmistress; and if more than three or four marks appear opposite to any child's name, confinement, or some other punishment, is inflicted.

The monitor frequently leaves his station, to assist an unpractised teacher; to inspect the slates of the several classes; or, generally speaking, to perform any office that may be conducive to the discipline

children; who, in this instance, may be considered as the assistant teachers; and are, in general, perfectly qualified for the execution of this duty. In the mean time, the eighth class are either at their desk, engaged in transcription, or some other such occupation; or assembled round their teacher, reading their lesson. At the expiration of the ten minutes (and, for the accommodation of the teachers' class, the interval is sometimes extended to twelve or fourteen minutes) the five higher children in the eighth class take charge of the five classes before mentioned, conduct them out to lesson, hear the lessons read, and lead them back to their desks: the head children of those classes then resume their dictation; and the eighth class reassemble under their own teacher.

Whilst the five classes are reading, the children in the lower part of the eighth class either assist those teachers, who have charge of the largest classes, or join with the seventh class in saying the lesson to the head teacher.

This arrangement does not comprehend the teachers of the first and second classes. They are still changed at the expiration of the hour; and are usually supplied from the seventh class.

N. B. All our dictating or assistant teachers are now taken from the seventh class. 3d edit. 1815.