Organisation, Curriculum, and Standard of Work (continued)

MUSIC (continued)

Concerts of music, including some by the youngest pupils in the school, take place regularly, and recently a mixed-voice choir has been successfully launched with the adjacent girls' grammar school. All this evinces a virile musical life.

Parental help has been considerable in producing funds to purchase musical instruments. The grand piano, which was a gift, is now in need of attention, and one of the two uprights is a poor instrument. The main electrical recording apparatus, another gift to the school, is unsuitable for normal class use and the apparatus which is used is sub-standard. In short, the time would seem to be ripe to review the whole provision for musical education in this school in the light of the success already achieved.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The physical education programme shows a wide range of games and sports in addition to the work in the modern gymnasium, while, additionally, the boys can pursue physical interests of other kinds through association with the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme, the sailing club, ski-ing, and youth-hostelling holidays.

The development of matches and competitions between forms, houses, and other schools has enabled many boys to enjoy team play; the athletics training introduces devices, for example athletic standards, which seek to stimulate individual progress and effort. The organisation is smooth and effective, and the opportunity which these varying activities give for social training is used to advantage, while the general level of achievement is satisfactory. The work in the gymnasium has not progressed to the same degree as other aspects of the programme, but this perhaps has been a necessary result of inculcating a spread of interest and of allowing the boys, particularly in the senior part of the school, a fair degree of choice in the activities which they pursue.

Two fully-trained teachers of physical education share the work In the gymnasium and much of the field activities, although in the latter they are helped by other members of the teaching staff, who make a most useful contribution.

General School Activities

The school day begins with collective worship. During the inspection the readings from the Bible were very well given by senior pupils, and the attention which the boys paid to the reading and to the short prayer (given by the headmaster) could be measured by the absence of coughing or shuffling. The hyan-singing, however, was thin, in spite of the example set by the staff.

The meal is taken by the boys in two sessions in the dining space (which during lessons is used as a centre for private study by the many who cannot, for one reason or another, use the school library). The boys sit, with masters, at tables of eight, and the service is effected from each table. At the inspection the meals served were good in both quality and quantity, and the general arrangements in the dining space worked very smoothly under the direction of the two masters chiefly responsible.

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