NRS-17304 | Visitors' Books [Wingen 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.The most frequent signatures in these two volumes are those of clergy or their delegates visiting the school in order to provide religious instruction to the pupils. From 1928 until 1934, the number of pupils receiving Anglican instruction on the occasion of each visit has been entered alongside the signature.Other regular visitors include the Inspectors of Schools on their normal visits of inspection, officers of the Child Welfare Department, and the supervisors of the Primary Finals Examinations (until 1936) and Bursary Examinations (most years from 1938 until 1952, and again in 1958). From 1928 until 1930 the Inspector of Schools has added to his signature a note of the number of pupils in attendance, out of the total enrolment, on the day of his visit. Physical Education instructors appear in the record from 1956, and the school was attended by visiting Sewing Mistresses from 1954 to 1958. Medical and Dental Officers occasionally appear in the record, and parties from the Department of Public Health (including the Scone Shire Council’s Health Inspector) were at the school in February, 1959, and March, 1961.In 1933 mention is made of the school’s Empire Day celebrations, and in 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961 the record contains lists of visitors to the Education Week Open Day displays.In 1943 the school was visited by a party headed by the Minister for Education, Mr Clive Evatt, and Mr R.B. Watt, the Member for Liverpool Plains. The latter dignitary visited the school again in 1956.