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carried out by specially trained teachers are generally
adopted, and the resulting improved standard of classperformance
has more than justified the provision of portable
gymnastic apparatus.
The empirical discovery during the past few years of
unexpected potentialities for gymnastic skill possessed by
the senior school child has established the subject s claim
for increased facilities for gymnastic work. The provision
of fully equipped gymnasia for Senior Schools is now an
urgent prerequisite for the subject's further development
and deserves the immediate and full consideration of the
Committee. Given such facilities, the potential values of
gymnastic work would not onlv be considerably increased,
but the introduction of new and interesting activities would
do much to create a desire amongst scholars to continue
this form of recreation during post-school years.
(b) Junior School.
Satisfactory progress has been maintained, particularly
in the management and practice of the Team System. The
further development of the group-leadership method has
been well featured, and the ability of children to handle
their own group activities is greatly increasing.
Although the general standard of class-teaching has
shown some improvement, there are still a few teachers
who are finding difficulty in appreciating the value of
precision in the performance of the more formal type of
exercise. As a rule with such teachers there is a general
lack of class control which gives their lessons the appearance
of looseness and confusion.
There is also a hesitancy on the part of teachers to
make the fullest demands upon the abilities of their pupils
for strong and accurate work, a factor which results in
the acceptance of standards of performance often far short
of the pupils* real capacity. As the values of physical
exercises depend so much on good teaching, the need for
specialisation in certain Junior Schools is clearly indicated.
(c) Infants' Schools.
The character and scope of the activities employed in
both the "Primary" and "Secondary" lessons for
Infants' Classes calls for urgent re-consideration of the
policy usually adopted in regard to the size of Infants'
School Halls. Classes of fifty infants require at least as
much room for their physical activities as is customarily
provided for junior classes.