NRS-17120 | Observation Books [Nabiac Public School]

The purpose of the observation book was for the Inspector to record general remarks about the management of the school, the relationships and discipline within it and the range and effectiveness of the teaching. The Regulations under the Public Schools Act, 1866 noted “The Inspector’s remarks upon the state of the school visited by him, will be entered in the “Observation Book” of the school, which, as a School Record, should be carefully preserved. Entries therein are not to be erased or altered.” (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 83)From 1939, the majority of entries made in these volumes are entered on a specifically designed form, which is then pasted into the observation book. The form details the school and the inspection date, which was normally once a year until the later 1940’s, and biennially thereafter. The form is divided into three main areas: organisation, government and instruction.The ‘organisation’ section pertains to the school’s equipment, beautification programs, staff direction, records, educational agencies, smoothness and effectiveness of general management, and the standing of the school in relation to the general community.‘Government’ comments on relations between staff and students, effectiveness of discipline in fostering ideals of conduct and stimulating independent thought and activity, and the socialising influence of the school on its pupils. ‘Instruction’, or general survey evaluates the co-ordination of lesson courses, preparation, general speech-training, teaching methods and their effectiveness in promoting intellectual growth and development, and an appreciation of the higher cultural values.From 1939 until 1942 the form also includes a section headed Physical Training, which may appear in reports for 1943 where old stocks of the forms have been used.The surviving items in this series contain reports annually from 1939 until 1948 (the report for 1944 being entered directly by hand), biennially from 1952 until 1956, and thereafter in 1957 and 1961. Manual Training, Physical Education, Home Economics and Needlework reports are also regularly given alongside the main Inspectors’ reports from 1954 to 1957, and also in 1959 and 1960. It is noticeable that from 1944, the time at which Nabiac became a Central School, reports tend to become progressively longer and fuller, with the super-primary/secondary divisions of the school receiving separate treatment from the Inspectors.