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THE SCHOOLS INQUIRY COMMISSION.

SPECIAL REPORTS ON THE SCHOOLS OF HAMPSHIRE

PETERSFIELD. — CHURCHER’S COLLEGE.

     This charity, like most others, has had its season of litigation. Its funds were misappropriated and mismanaged, the plain provisions of the Act of Parliament not complied with, and great irregularities in the administration of the school were committed. The school was in Chancery, at the instance of the inhabitants against the trustees, from 1818 to 1822, and thence apparently at intervals down to 1835, when the scheme for the management under which it is now regulated was obtained. The largerpart of its funds are still in the hands of the Accountant-General, who pays over half-yearly to the trustees the accruing interest. The gross income for the last year (1866) cannot have been far short of £900. The school now (1867) consists of 23 boys; 14 foundationers who pay nothing, 2 boarders, and 7 day boys, who pay. 21 were present on the occasion of my visit. The age of the upper class of 8 boys average 11½. Their best work was in writing from dictation, in which they averaged three mistakes each, the best having none and the worst seven. Their reading was unintelligent. Three of them did a sum in the rule of three, but the general knowledge of arithmetic was exceedingly small. One or two boys answered fairly some questions in geography and history. Of the thirteen junior, whose average age did not exceed 9, many of them read creditably, and 5 of them worked correctly a sum in the addition of money. Many of them made sad havoc in attempting to write on their slates from memory, the Lord's Prayer, of which "the Livers from evil," instead of "deliver us," is a specimen. Two of the new comers could not repeat it, and many of them only produced a fragmentary form on their slates. I passed down seven places before a boy could tell me the Queen's name. As far as the educational advancement of Petersfield is concerned, it can hardly be doubted that the present large income is absolutely wasted, and that the college is regarded as an eleemosynary institution, rather than a place of learning. The present master remembers in his father's time 101 boys at the school, of whom 45 were boarders. It is said the inhabitants thought their interests suffered in the presence of so many boarders. But in the general interests of education it may well be questioned whether the school was not then a more useful institution, even to Petersfield, than it is at present, where professional men and even upper tradesmen, who themselves have been educated there, consider themselves unable to profitably make use of it for the education of their own children. When I visited this school 26 boys were present, 16 being free boys, who are educated gratuitously, and 10 day boys, paying four to six guineas a year. Four vacancies on the foundation occurred at Christmas, which were not filled up in May. Up to Christmas no examination of the school seems to have taken place since 1835, when the present Regius Professor of Hebrew, as Canon of Christchurch, examined the boys in "Homer, Thucydides, Livy, Greek and Latin composition," and made an entry in the minute book expressing satisfaction with the progress of the school. At present all the boys are taught Latin, but none had gone beyong Delectus, of which they made but indifferent work. Since last Christmas some of the boys had begun Greek grammar, and had reached the declensions of substantives. Some had begun Euclid, and Algebra; eleven upper boys averaged eight and a half mistakes each in writing from dictation. Their knowledge of arithmetic was very limited, and altogether, the character of their attainments was very moderate. French and drawing were not learnt. The boys were all very young, few being much more than 18 years old, and were the sons of poorer tradesmen. The head master has an assistant, for whom he receives £30 a year, who comes at uncertain times for two hours a day. The situation of the school is bad, being at the extreme south-west corner of Portsmouth, which has grown out largely in a northerly direction, and at Portsea. The premises are in a narrow street, and next door to a public house, and what is said there can be heard through the partition in the master's sitting room. The master's house is old, the rooms small, and the floors are decayed. There is some indifferent accommodation for boarders, but none are taken. The gentry do not send their sons to the school. The upper tradesmen do so, but seldom, and then not as free boys. The parents who send the free boys send them because the education is gratuitous, not because they think it suited to their children. The proper work of the grammar school is now being discharged by private schools, and a diocesan school. In the opinion of some of the leading inhabitants, the school would best succeed if divided into separate departments, an upper and a lower. An upper is as much wanted here in a population of 100,000, as a middle or lower.