VIII - The School Log Book

Summary

For the local historian one of the most important developments in the records of nineteenth century elementary education came with the commencement of school log books in the changes brought about following the report of the Newcastle Commission. From 1863 onwards every school which received a government grant had to keep a record of happenings and events of significance. The best log books are a rich source, not only of what happened in the actual school, but also of local events, customs and attitudes. Like all records of this type, a great deal depended on the nature, personality and interests of the individual teacher. Some are dull and uninformative, with comments such as ‘School progressing as normal’ providing a large proportion of the entries. Many also display bias and distortion, possibly often quite unintentionally, but it does mean that certain comments have to be treated with a degree of caution. It is not uncommon, for instance, to find a new teacher commenting on the poor state of the school and the low achievements and standards of discipline among the scholars. Then, within a few weeks, amazing progress is being made under the new management!

Among the confusions that face the student of nineteenth century elementary education is the distinction between standards and classes. A pupil, on leaving the infant school, would be placed in Standard I. Provided he passed a satisfactory examination he would go into Standard II, and so on up the school until he left, probably after passing Standard V, although a few stayed on for the higher Standards VI and VII. Classes went the opposite way, so that the 1st Class would be the top class in the school, with the Standard V scholars and above in it. In the large town and city schools, where more stayed on for the higher standards, it probably would only contain Standard VI/VII scholars. The higher the class number, the lower the standard, so a Standard I scholar would be in Class 5, 6, or even 7, according to the size of the school.

Inevitably some log books have been lost, while others are retained by the individual schools.