NRS-16774 | Observation Books [Ellalong Public School]

Full description

The purpose of the observation book was for the Inspector to record general remarks about the management of the school, the relationships and discipline within it and the range and effectiveness of the teaching. The Regulations under the Public Schools Act, 1866 noted “The Inspector’s remarks upon the state of the school visited by him, will be entered in the “Observation Book” of the school, which, as a School Record, should be carefully preserved. Entries therein are not to be erased or altered.” (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 83)

Prior to 1939, these volumes were either written up by hand or typed directly onto the page, and are printed in an appropriate format. Four pages are allowed for each report, which is headed by the name of the school and the date of inspection. The report is then divided into four main areas: attendance, organisation, discipline and instruction. From 1939, the majority of entries made in these volumes are entered on a specifically designed form, which is then pasted into the observation book. The form details the school and the inspection date, which was normally once a year until the later 1940’s, and every second year thereafter. The form is divided into three main areas: organisation, government and instruction.

‘Attendance’ is a brief section in which the number present on the day of inspection, the total enrolment at the school and the name of the teacher are recorded.

The ‘organisation’ section pertains to the school’s equipment, beautification programs, staff direction, records, educational agencies, smoothness and effectiveness of general management, and the standing of the school in relation to the general community.

‘Discipline’ covers observations on the pupils’ behaviour, manners, and standards of neatness in both their work and their persons. Remarks on physical training may also be included here.

‘Government’ comments on relations between staff and students, effectiveness of discipline in fostering ideals of conduct and stimulating independent thought and activity, and the socialising influence of the school on its pupils.

‘Instruction’, or general survey evaluates the co-ordination of lesson courses, preparation, general speech-training, teaching methods and their effectiveness in promoting intellectual growth and development, and an appreciation of the higher cultural values.

From 1939 until 1942 the form also includes a section headed Physical Training.

The series from Ellalong Public School is represented by two volumes, which together cover the years from 1926 to 1968. Reports normally appear annually until 1946, and every second year from 1948. The reports for 1931, 1932 and 1933 have been typed directly onto the relevant pages, the volume in which they appear having apparently been dismembered each year in order to free the pages to be inserted in a typewriter, and then reassembled once the typing was complete. No reports are given for 1944, 1958, 1962 or 1968, but the Inspector’s dated signature appears in the later of the two volumes to testify that he visited the school and viewed its records in the latter three years, and the school’s surviving Visitors’ Book also records visits by the Inspector in 1944 and 1958. A short report for 1942 appears as a later insertion between the two pages of the report for 1943, and a separate Physical Education report is included for 1953.