NRS-17243 | Visitors' Books [Thornton Public School]

Full description

The Public Instruction Act, 1866 authorised special religious instruction by visiting clergymen and their delegates (Public Schools Act, 1866, s. 19), and regulations under the Act authorised members of the public to visit schools during ‘the hours of secular instruction’ to observe teaching methods, teaching material and equipment (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 84-85). The regulations required every teacher to keep a visitors’ book ‘in which visitors may enter their names and if they think proper any remarks. Such remarks the Teachers are by no means to erase or alter.’ (Regulations … s. 86).

The purpose of the visitors’ book was to create a record of the persons other than pupils or teachers who attended the school during business hours. Visitors’ books were divided into three columns – date, name and remarks. The remarks usually recorded the purpose of the visit which included religious instruction (by far the most usual purpose for visiting a school), school inspection, medical inspection, departmental officers visiting on business e.g. to inspect the buildings or equipment, and guest speakers. Occasionally visitors (particularly Inspectors) remarked briefly on the conduct or the ambience of the school.

Prior to February, 1959, the great majority of signatures in this volume are those of clergy or their assigns visiting the school in order to provide religious instruction to the pupils. Such signatures cease almost completely after this point, which would seem to indicate that the school maintained a separate Visiting Clergy Book from this time, a supposition borne out by the fact that the only two subsequent clergy signatures not connected with particular commemorative events, entered in May, 1961, have been annotated “Transferred to Correct Book.”

Other regular visitors to the school included the Inspectors of Schools, on their normal visits of inspection; Police Lecturers, who normally sign at least twice a year, and generally once a term; Physical Education advisors, School Counsellors, officers of the Department of Health and the Child Welfare Department, and representatives of Dr Barnardo’s Homes. Tuberculosis (TB) testing was carried out at the school in September, 1959.

In September, 1957, the school was visited by a party headed by the Minister for Education, Mr R. J. Heffron, and the MLA for Maitland, Mr Milton Morris (subsequently Minister for Transport). Mr Morris visited the school again in June, 1958 (when he was accompanied by the Area Director of Education, Mr Gelfius), in May, 1960 (accompanied by his wife and by an Alderman from Newcastle), in June, 1965 (again accompanied by the Area Director), in November, 1965 (accompanied by the Assistant Minister for Education, Mr Wal Fife) and in October, 1969.

The volume also contains the signatures of those members of the general public who attended the school’s Education Week Open Days in 1956, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969, the celebration of Commonwealth Day in 1959 and 1965, and the school’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 1969. The local clergy who took part in the Commonwealth Day observations in 1962, 1963 and 1964 have also signed the volume on these occasions.