286 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



purpose of enabling teachers to correct their perspective and to obtain detailed 

 information on matters of local importance about which the ordinary reference books 

 have little to say. It is imperative that the study should be systematic and 

 continuous ; if the lessons are unconnected the child misses the essential fact of 

 the far-reaching effects of simple properties and natural laws : incidentally it also 

 loses much of the value of the mental training. 



For the second part county histories, geography, and literature fall easily and 

 naturally as well as for the next part of the course. 



For the third part the best book would be a simplified and shortened version 

 of Lord Emile's ' English Farming : Past and Present,' combined with a general 

 account of the main movements of history. 



The technical side no longer presents the difficulties it did before the War. 

 A number of County Agricultural Institutes have been set up, with staffs trained to 

 give appropriate instruction. It is desirable to effect co-operation with these bodies. 

 It is not desirable to set up anything in the nature of a farm corresponding to the 

 school garden : the difficulties are too great and would overburden the teacher. 

 The County Institute has already the organisation, and it is the goal for which the 

 best of the scholars who intend to stay on the land should be aiming. The sooner, 

 therefore, they come under its influence the better. 



Into the details of the Technical Course it is impossible to enter. No rigid course 

 can be prescribed, but much must depend on the local type of agriculture and the 

 local facilities. If co-operation with the County Agricultural Institute can be effected 

 the details for the courses of instruction should be worked out in collaboration with 

 the staff. 



2 MEMORANDUM ON RURAL BIAS IN A COUNTY SECONDARY 



SCHOOL. 



By H. W. Cousms.i 



The Brampton County Secondary School, maintained by the Cumberland Countj 

 Council, draws its pupils mainly from an agricultural district of a population of 

 approximately 8,800. I 



It is a mixed school of 60 boys and 60 girls, established in 1908, with a curriculum ' 

 of a definitely rural bias. Practical experiments on the land have been carried out 

 largely by boys in the extensive grounds of the school ever since its foundation, and 

 the results have been made use of to illustrate laboratory work in science. In view 

 of the smallness of the school the problem became that of devising a single course 

 in science which should provide for the intending farmer a sure grounding in the 

 sciences underlying modern farm practice, but which would not penalise the boy 

 intending to study pure or applied (other than agriculture) science at a University, 

 or to enter any of the usual trades or professions. 



The principal difficulty has been that of reconciling the work of the school with the 

 matriculation requirements of the various Universities. The ground was cleared by 

 the Durham University School Examination Committee, who, to meet the needs of 

 the school, added to the syllabus of examination a special science syllabus termed 

 'Experimental Science in relation to Agricultural Life.' The University further 

 agreed to accept a success in this subject at the ' credit ' standard for matriculation. 

 Later, other Universities followed this course. 



The syllabus added below was introduced in 1918, and shows the nature of the 

 work up to the stage of the School Certificate Examination. The tables given 

 illustrate the character of the experiments carried out in the school gardens. 



It is important to note that the syllabus is in no sense to be regarded as final. 

 New methods of approach and fresh sources of lesson material are constantly being 

 sought and tested. Thus, at the present time, since butter-making has been added 

 to the curriculum for the girls, experiments are being made to find how far the course 

 can go in the study of bacteria, etc. 



It is unfortunate that few boys intending to take up farming remain at school 

 after the age of 16, and consequently post-matriculation developments of the course 

 have not been possible. It is hoped, however, that in this direction there may be 

 improvement in the future. 



1 Mr. Cousins left Brampton in 1928. This memorandum was in 1925. 



