NRS-17116 | Visitors' Books [Myall Upper Public School]

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.During the period covered by these volumes, the overwhelming majority of entries are the signatures of clergy or their delegates who visited the school in order to provide religious instruction. Other regular signatories include the Inspectors of Schools, on their regular visits of inspection, and (from 1958) Physical Education instructors. From 1958 onwards the Inspector has habitually added to his signature a note of the number of pupils present, out of the total number enrolled, on the day of his visit.From 1954 to 1961 the record includes the signatures of visitors to the school’s Education Week Open Days, and in December, 1957, those also of the visitors to, or possibly organisers of, a “games and folk dancing” afternoon.