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After being given one week’s notice the school was visited by His Majesty’s Inspectors from Monday, 9th March. The leading HMI had given notice to Mr Holmes of the timetable of inspection. The work of two subjects would be inspected each day, the first pair being History and English. With the school being closed for the celebration of the feasts of St Gregory and, five days later, St Patrick, the inspectors’ examination of the school was not completed until 19th March.
A detailed and comprehensive report was published, a copy of which was recorded by Mr Holmes in his own handwriting. An unedited version of this copy is recorded below and it gives a detailed and independent assessment of how the school appeared to professional inspectors at that time.
Report made by Mr Heath, HMI, on the Inspection of the school
The school was opened in 1923 and is the only selective Central School for Roman Catholic Boys in Manchester. Besides the Head Master, there are 16 Assistant Masters, including 2 for Manual Instruction, and a member of the [Manchester] Education Committee’s staff comes part-time for Physical Training. There are 411 boys in the school, of the following ages:-
Only a few leave this school for Secondary or Junior Technical School, and the number is likely to decrease.
Organisation
There is a 4-year course, with 3 classes in each year. A short test is given on entry and boys are then drafted to one of the three 1st year forms. A few boys, if they are much over 12 and suitable for a C form, may go into the C form of the 2nd year. First year boys are reviewed again at Christmas and Midsummer and put into a different form if necessary. This classification is based solely on ability in English subjects: for Mathematics there is a separate grading, so that a boy may be in II A for English and French and in II C for Mathematics, or vice versa.
In this connection, it appears that no information about the boys is sent from their primary schools. It would clearly be a great help to the Head Master and save much waste of time and even misjudgement of boys, if for all the children going to Central Schools the primary schools supplied confidential reports on their attainments and personality.
Premises
The building is that of an old Industrial School and is serviceable but lacking in amenities. Several of the rooms are small and rather dark, and those facing Ardwick Green are noisy. The surface of the playground is in bad condition and needs to be entirely renewed. The accommodation consists of a hall, a gymnasium, two woodwork rooms, an art room, two laboratories (one very small) and 11 classrooms. There is also a dining room.
Curriculum
For the first two years there is a general course covering all the Elementary School subjects. The A and B forms also take French, as well as a small group of C boys, who may develop an aptitude for it. After the 2nd year, all take English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and Physical Training: In addition, the optional subjects are French, Art, Handicraft, Bookkeeping, Shorthand and Machine Drawing. Of these, boys may choose 2 or 3, but they may not go on with French or Art unless they have already shown ability in them. A few boys every year take School Certificate or Matriculation, but this fact is not allowed to give an undue bias to any part of the work, and the normal goal is the Authority’s Central Leaving Certificate, for which different papers are set for the A and B classes. The Time Table is well planned, and the general system of giving each Master, as far as possible, classes all of the same mental ability, makes for smooth working and continuity. All teachers have the whole 4-year scheme for the subjects they teach.
English
Five Masters take the subject, and so far as possible all the classes taken by each of them are of the same mental grade. For instance, the A classes in the last 3 years, and all the C classes, are each taken by one man. This greatly helps the continuity of the teaching and also makes it easier.
Great importance is attached to this subject, and it is on the ability in the use of English that the classification of the boys is based.
Generally the work on the subject is good. The schemes are well planned and based on sound principles, the books are varied and well chosen, and the treatment is adapted to varying abilities in different classes. Above all there is thoughtful and systematic teaching, and a great number of devices are used to build up the boys’ knowledge and to increase their confidence and skill in using the language. This is especially so, though in different ways, in the A and the C classes. With the latter, the work has to be slow and careful: in the former, the boys develop rapidly, and it is not surprising to find the top class mostly up to school certificate standard, able to summarise accurately and capable of serious discussion of standard English writers.
In this connection it may be mentioned that, though a few boys pass matriculation every year, often with distinction or credit, and the class takes the matriculation set books, an alternative set of books is studied if the matriculation books appear unsuitable.
It is satisfactory to find that close attention is paid to handwriting, and most boys show a marked improvement in this as they move up the school.
French
All in the A and B classes take French for their first two years and so do a few in IC who may later be transferred to a B class. In the third and fourth years, only boys in the A classes continue the subject. All the A classes are taken by one Master and the two B classes by another.
In spite of careful teaching the work in the top class is hardly so good as has been seen at other visits. The boys are interested and can do passable free composition, though with grammatical weakness. Their oral work and translation are of similar quality. The reason for this appears to be that in the first two years too much stress is laid on grammatical exercises and too little on the actual use of the language, spoken and written. Hence the grammatical work lacks point and interest, while it is not fortified by the practice which more reading and speaking would give. If the boys could be made to see that hard work at grammar really helped them to read French books and to talk French, they would be more ready to work at it.
At present the first-year classes read no stories, but only the short pieces in the grammar book. It is understood that this will be corrected.
The two B classes are naturally weaker than the A, but even so they know very little French. The same considerations apply to them as to the A classes, and especially they need an easy book to read. In addition, their teaching should lay firmer stress on memory work and, as an aid to this, better training in pronunciation.
The time allotted is adequate, ranging from 3¼ to 4½ hours per week. But IA have only 2 hours 20 minutes, which is hardly enough.
History
History is taught by two Masters, both of them having suitable qualifications and being manifestly interested in the subject. The more experienced of them has drawn up a thoughtful Scheme of Work for the school but the Junior Master has been encouraged to modify it in his classes and has made useful suggestions for the C boys. The boys are taught on sound, methodical lines. They use their text books well and show an intelligent interest in the lessons. Occasional debates and dramatic work rouse interest and might well be taken more frequently. The written exercises, satisfactory in themselves, would be more stimulating if they were more varied in character. Some historical maps and atlases would be valuable teaching data.
Geography
This subject is taken by 2 teachers, one of whom takes the A and B forms, and the other the C forms. Both teachers have made some special study of their subject, but as they are rather inexperienced the Head Master keeps in especially close touch with their work and gives them helpful guidance.
The A and B forms have the exclusive use of a Geography Room whilst the C forms are taught in the Hall, which is of course used for a variety of other purposes.
The equipment provided is reasonably adequate, though some of the text books are rather out of date. It would also be a gain if regular weather records were taken. The necessary instruments are already in the school.
The teaching of the C forms is generally successful. It seeks to give the boys broad notions of the conditions under which other peoples live and some acquaintance with their way of life. The subject-matter of the lessons is generally well chosen, and since the instruction is given in an easy and tolerant spirit the boys are interested in the subject and certainly derive profit from it.
In the A and B forms the teaching is equally painstaking and steady progress is being made. The ground covered is much the same as that for the C forms, but the work is carried to a further stage and approached from a rather more scientific angle. It suffers however from being too academic in presentation and therefore loses something in interest. If the teacher could break away more often from the ordered routine of the orthodox text book he would perhaps lose something in the range of his work but would add considerably to its interest and vitality.
Mathematics
The organisation provides for 3 streams graded according to natural ability and attainment. Three Masters, each of whom confines himself throughout to a particular stream, are responsible for the instruction. All three are capable, keen and conscientious and the Master responsible for the ‘A’ stream has exceptionally wide knowledge of his subject and his teaching is particularly successful.
The Schemes of Work cover a 4-year course and are systematically differentiated to meet the wide range in the natural abilities of the boys. For example, the ‘A’ streams have a course comprising Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry, which covers the ground of the School Leaving Certificate, whereas that of the ‘C’ streams is very rightly confined to Arithmetic, a little Algebra and practical Geometry including some graphical work.
The preliminary work in the ‘A’ streams in Geometry, Algebra, and Trigonometry has been thoughtfully devised and ensures that the boys proceed to the theoretical aspects of Mathematics with much practical work, so that, towards the end of their course, they are considering things and ideas with which they are already familiar.
Samples of the work in the 3 streams were seen during the inspection and from the oral response to questions asked, and an inspection of worked exercises, it was clear that the ‘A’ steam profit from their course and enjoy it, and good work is also done in the other two streams.
The boys are trained to think for themselves and the neat and logical arrangement of their written exercises is praiseworthy.
Various minor details were discussed with the Head Master and the teachers concerned, and it was suggested that there might with advantage be some further revision of the curriculum for the C streams which would give added consideration to graphical work and also provide for much more oral work than obtains at present. Also, use might well be made of the park facing the school for much practical work.
Science
The teaching conditions for Science are a decided handicap to the instruction and call for comment.
Two rooms are provided for the instruction. One of them is fairly well equipped and of size but the teacher’s demonstration bench is too small to fulfil its function. The other room has the following major defects: - It is much too small, it is not provided with gas or water, it has no teacher’s demonstration bench, the miscellaneous collection of old desks and small tables which are used by the pupils for practical work is quite unsuitable, there is no wall blackboard, and there is a serious lack of cupboard accommodation and wall shelves.
Neither room contains a carpenter’s bench and tools, which is very necessary equipment for various odd jobs, and there are no electrical wall plugs.
It should be noted that there is only one projection lantern for the use of the whole school.
The Scheme of Work provides for a 4-year course in general elementary Science, (sound, light, heat, magnetism and electricity), and some simple Chemistry: as in Mathematics, the work is differentiated to cater for the varying abilities of the boys.
The instruction rightly stresses the qualitative aspect of Science and aims at providing the boys with a simple explanation of everyday phenomena and so stimulates their curiosity and interest in their ordinary environment.
The Masters responsible for the instruction prepare their lessons very carefully, are well qualified to teach the subject, and improvise much simple apparatus for practical work; despite the heavy handicap of their conditions they are achieving success.
From a survey of the various forms it was clear that the majority of the boys enjoy and benefit from their instruction in this subject. From the early stages they are trained to record their own observations, and their note books are particularly neat, well-illustrated, and logically arranged.
Minor details concerning the work were discussed with the teachers concerned, and it was suggested that organised visits to appropriate places in the neighbourhood of Manchester should be a definite part of the curriculum.
Woodwork
There are two good rooms, in each of which a half class is taken by a fully qualified Master. The work is carefully graded and generally follows the course commonly adopted in Manchester schools. The boys like the work and the standard of craftsmanship reached is creditable.
It is suggested:
(a) that the course should be enlarged to include metalwork in the 4th year.
(b) that illustrations of English furniture and art should be collected, and that the Masters responsible for Woodwork and Art should jointly prepare a cultural and artistic course which would give the boys a proper background and an artistic stimulus to their work.
Art
All boys take this for two years, and it then becomes an optional subject, popular, but only open to those who have already shown ability in it. One Master takes all the work and a big room is devoted to it. There are some fine photographic reproductions of famous pictures on the walls but a lack of anything in colour. As the use of colour is stressed in all lessons, it is clearly desirable to provide some colour reproductions of pictures and some modern examples of poster work, as a guide and stimulus to the boys’ imaginations.
Throughout the course pencil, pastel and watercolour are used, and the boys develop freely in imaginative power, at the same time receiving enough teaching in technique to enable them to express themselves. By the end of the course those who can take it can draw effectively and use colour in an interesting and intelligent way, for both pictures and design work.
The same Master takes a group of boys in simple machine drawing. Only pencil is used, deliberately, but the group can read a blue print, draw an object from plan and elevation, and make readable machine drawings. This section of the work is valuable.
Music
This subject is taught by a young teacher who, though not well qualified on paper, has a marked musical bias and is competent to meet the demands which the subject makes on him. A large number of good songs has been learnt during the past year and the boys sing them with some appreciation of their merit. Some further training in voice production would add to their powers of performance, especially if it were combined with greater attention to the correct pronunciation of words.
On entry the boys are unskilled in the theoretical parts of the subject, but this is a weakness which is now being remedied. The rate of progress is rather slow and methods of improving it should be comparatively easy to devise. This, together with the possibility of extending the teaching of Music to the older forms, was discussed during the inspection.
Physical Training
A capable and experienced visiting Master is responsible for the greater part of the instruction. The boys work vigorously under his direction and appear to be interested in the lessons. Two of the four full-time members of the staff who share the work have attended special courses.
Although several classes show a fair standard of gymnastic ability in certain branches of the training, it is felt that organised physical exercises will not become an effective part of school life until the conditions under which the work is carried out are considerably improved.
The gymnasium is not supplied with heating apparatus and there appears to be no method of controlling ventilation. The use of the gymnasium as a changing room makes the floor unfit for the practice of important exercises in lying and sitting positions. Some portable apparatus is installed but more could be added if the space now needed for changing purposes became available.
It is suggested that the expensive and unhygienic practice of exercising in everyday clothes should be discouraged and that for all lessons in the gymnasium a costume of ‘shorts’ and shoes (and vest if desired) should be adopted. It seems unnecessary to have more than two full-time members of the staff, in addition to the visiting Master, teaching the subject in the school. A daily period of physical activity, which is strongly recommended for all classes, is of particular importance in the case of the senior boys who are passing through a period of rapid growth and tend to clumsiness in movement.
The Head Master is keenly interested in, and has done much to improve, the physical well-being of the boys. With the willing co-operation of the staff many valuable out-of-school activities are successfully organised. Camping has been a strong feature for some years. The annual Sports Day, athletic training and field games are also well planned.
Swimming is taken by the junior boys during school hours.
Other activities
Keen interest is taken in the boys’ games and as the result of systematic encouragement and coaching by various members of the staff out of school hours, the school has always several cricket and football teams taking their full share in the local school leagues. The football teams especially have a habit of winning matches, and have often provided one or more members of the Manchester Schools’ XI.
Two camps were held last year, and there have also been tours to London and to Norway and Denmark, while this year’s objective is the Lake District.
Inside the school there are various societies, notably for dramatic work and a school concert in the Christmas term; while the more literary find an outlet in the school magazine.
An Old Boys’ Association was started in 1928: with a membership of 120 it carries out a full programme of social and sporting activities, and is doing its full part in building up the school tradition.
General
It will be clear from what has been written that the school is in a very satisfactory condition. For this the Head Master’s very efficient direction must mainly receive credit. His grasp of every detail of the school life is thorough, and his planning and guidance of the work are wise and effective. The staff are a happy and hard working team, giving their full strength for the benefit of the school. The boys, though of varying intellectual powers, are cheerful, well-mannered and responsive, and evidently find the school congenial and stimulating. In particular the older boys are notably free from the lethargy and lack of interest which sometimes attack boys of their age. For this the school deserves great credit.
Main subjects taught in 1936
Art Machine Drawing
Book-keeping Mathematics
Craftwork Music
English Physical Training
French Religious Education
Geography Science
History Shorthand
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