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288
The past year has been an excellent one for swimming in both
Senior and Junior Schools. The number of proficiency certificates
awarded constitutes a record. There has been more interest
taken in Life-saving. Organised games on the playing fields and
athletic training and sports take place in school time.
Teachers have had opportunities to attend courses in Sword
and Morris dancing, the use of the portable Swedish apparatus,
and Life-saving. The monthly meetings of the specialist teachers
are still held.
The Croydon Schools Athletic Association has continued its
excellent work of organising inter-schools competitions in cricket,
football, boxing, swimming, and general athletics. This voluntary
work on the part of the teachers is extremely valuable.
Girls.
(Central, Senior and Junior Mixed, Senior and Junior Girls
and Infants).
The outstanding event of the year 1933 was the issue by the
Board of Education of the new Syllabus of Physical Training for
Schools. This syllabus had been expected for some months, and
when, by the courtesy of the Board, an advance copy was received
in September, courses for both Junior and Infants' teachers were
immediately arranged, and the Syllabus is already being introduced
into most of the Schools, with an enthusiastic response
from both teachers and pupi's. A demonstration of typical
exercises in the new syllabus was arranged for Head Teachers—
classes of boys and girls of the 6-7, 8-9, 9-10 and 11-12 age groups
demonstrating. This demonst: ation, which was well attended,
was followed by a Conference on the scope of the syllabus and its
application to the Schools, the Chairman of the Education Committee
presiding.
Swimming again proved one of the most popular and valuable
means of Physical Training from Mav till October. Well over
1,000 girls learned to swim for the first time, while the number of
certificates gained exceeded all records as, with the boys' figures
included, 100 per cent. increase on last year's figures was reached.
All Central, Senior and Junior Departments, with the exception
of three, sent girls' classes to the Baths regularlv throughout the
season. Twenty Schools organised their own Swimming Galas.