Report of the Royal Commission on Physical Training (Scotland).

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Physical Training (Scotland)
Date:
1903
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Royal Commission on Physical Training (Scotland). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    by the amount of time allotted to it in the school time-table. As a rule the pupils receive Rev^ J. Smith, instruction in some branch of physical training for half an hour a week. In some ^^Ub. instances more time is devoted ; indeed, in one or two cases as much as three hours per Mr Turnbull, week were set apart, without detriment to the ordinary work of the school, but these were very exceptional. 11. In many towns there appear to be considerable facilities which are not, however, Miss Stevenson, properly taken advantage of. Many of the more modern schools have gymnasia attached, - ^ whilst the use of swimming-baths can often be obtained. There are also covered sheds m Alexander, 2800. many playgrounds wherein the pupils can in all weathers receive instruction in physical exercises and drill. We are convinced that these are, as a rule, valuable adjuncts to Mr Bain, 4426. the school buildings, and that they may often be used with advantage, _ especially I'^fj^^'J^^.f country districts, where the accommodation in the class-rooms is more restricted than m Jj'^24.^ ' large town schools, which often have central halls. ^ i i 't w io-^q 12. One of the chief hindrances to the development of physical training in these schools ^l;^] ^ appears to be the utter lack of system and the want of qualified teachers. Individual ^ > > • eifort and enterprise have done much in certain schools, but we are convinced that a properly graded course of systematic instruction is indispensably necessary. We have elsewhere laid down the general principles on which, in our opinion, any such system should be based. , i i -n 13. But our enquiry has led us to recognise the importance and benefit of physical drill for all children, whether town or country, and we desire to see it constitute an essential part of any system. One practical advantage, which we ourselves saw in some of the largest schools, is that by means of the drill the school can be cleared in an expeditious and orderly manner. One headmaster told us that in the case of an alarm of fire all fears MrTaylor, 11,511. of panic were allayed by the simple and practical method of marching out the children to the accompaniment of music. ■ 14. Although we are fully alive to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient open spaces in towns for children's recreation immediately cont:iguous to the school, yet we do not think that this should present insuperable difficulties in the way of providing means for, and encouraging, games in connection with town schools, and we think that it is equally Mr Scougal, 1717. important to give such opportunity and encouragement in the country, where playing- Jigg^^^'*^' fields can more readily be obtained. The development of games has made some progress T,imbull, in those schools where the teachers have personally attended to their organisation, and 4565. the results have been entirely beneficial, not only on account of the direct good arising Mr Gillanderp, from the healthy exercise, but also on account of the personal contact of the teachers ]^j^^-^eattie with the children outside the class-rooms. And this might be extended were some means ^ ' taken to arouse the sympathies of former pupils, whose assistance would be welcomed by the teachers. (2) Industrial Schools and Reformatories. 15. We were informed that at eighteen out of twenty-three of these institutions for Mr Legge, 730. boys either free or applied gymnastics were taught; and at the remainder, some form of physical training. At the twelve schools for girls, instruction was given in physical drill, swimming, dancing and free gymastics. 16. The Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools, Mr Legge, besides giving us Mr Legge, 740. much valuable information, handed in the results of a physical census as regards his own schools, taken in 1901. Certain tables extracted from his report are printed in the Appendix. We were told that in such schools in England the physical training was Appendix I. much more fully developed than in Scotland, and this was attributed partly to the reason that the former schools possessed larger resources, inasmuch as they received greater support from the rates. The disciplinary results of the physical training were Mr Legge, 861, highly commended ; in fact, one direct effect appears to bs that lately the serious difficulties in the management of these schools have sensibly lightened. And it was maintained that, as regards the moral and mental improvement, it could be proved to demonstration that where the training was highly developed, the boys showed better educational results than in those schools where little attention is paid to this branch of education. 17. On a consideration of the evidence, we have come to the conclusion that, with very unpromising physical and moral conditions and previous training, an immense deal has in such institutions been done by a system properly applied and vigorously pursued on a scientific basis. 18. The experience of such institutions clearly shows that physical training is quite as important in fitting boys for civil life as it is for boys intended for the Army or Navy. And the case is not different with regard to the e'irls. We were informed that in ^'ss Hunter, consequence of systematic training on somewhat unpromising material, fully eighty ^jer ' '• 2
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