- GR-0468
- Series
- 1865
Blank school register for Summary of Attendance and Payments.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
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Blank school register for Summary of Attendance and Payments.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Education Branch correspondence.
This series includes a suggested draft for the 1872 Public Schools Act by Thomas Nicholson (1871), correspondence regarding the school at Burton's Prairie (1882) and correspondence regarding a request for an additional teacher at New Westminster High School (1889).
British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary
The series consists of photographs ca. 1872 to 1971 acquired by the Department of Education library for the purpose of illustrating a special historical supplement to the one hundredth annual report. The supplement was published in 1971 and given the title “one hundred years: education in British Columbia.” The photographs include images of schools in British Columbia, school and education officials, children and classrooms and other education related views. Although some of the photographs were from the department library, many were copies acquired from a number of different sources including the Provincial Archives and the Department of Education's audio-visual services.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Register of teachers' certificates and examinations
The series consists of a register of teachers' certificates and examinations from 1880 to 1888. It states the type of certificate granted, course taken and marks obtained. There is an index on the inside front cover.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Records with regard to teacher training and certification
The series consists of records pertaining to teacher training and certification. It includes minute books of the Board of Examiners (1884-1949), teachers certificate registers (1892-1947), student registers at provincial Normal schools (1901-1938), high school examination results (1924-1927), and minutes of the Dept. of Education Appointments Board (1937-1945).
Prior to 1901, teachers in British Columbia were drawn either from outside the province or (after 1876) from graduates of provincial high schools. All teachers required teaching certificates, which were awarded by the Superintendent of Education. Teachers from outside the province were required to sit an examination set by the Provincial Board of Examiners. Candidates were awarded different grades or classes of certificates, depending on the results of their exam. High school graduates qualified for certificates in a similar manner, depending on their scores on terminal examinations. Standards of certification changed frequently over the years, as did the questions which appeared on the "Public School Teachers' Examinations." Basically, though, several classes of certificates were available: Academic and First Class (awarded to university graduates and/or to candidates scoring over 70% on the exam); Second class (awarded to candidates scoring over 50% on examinations); and Third class (awarded to candidates scoring 30% and above on a series of exam questions). First class certificates were permanent, 2nd class were valid for 3 years, while 3rd class certificates were generally good for one year, with the possibility of renewal. "Temporary certificates," valid until the annual examinations were held in July, were also issued under certain circumstances.
In 1901, the province's first Normal School for teacher training was opened in Vancouver. (A second school, in Victoria, was opened in 1915.) Thereafter, graduation from the Normal School replaced the "Public School Teachers' Examinations" for those seeking Academic, First, and Second class certificates. Only Third class certificates valid for a limited period of time were still awarded on the basis of candidates' high school examinations.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Superintendent of Education correspondence inward
Consists of correspondence inward to Superintendents John Jessop (1872-1878), C.C. McKenzie (1878-1884), and S.D. Pope (1884-1899). Types of records include petitions for school buildings, applications for teaching posts, minutes of local school boards, school trustees' reports, etc. This series may be used in conjunction with GR-0449 (Superintendent of Education, Indexes to Correspondence Inward, 1881-1915) and GR-0450 (Superintendent of Education, Correspondence Outward, 1872-1919).
Researchers should also be aware of the Correspondence Inward files of the Provincial Secretary, 1871-1892 (GR-0526). Since the Provincial Secretary was responsible for the Education Department, these files contain many records pertaining to teachers, schools, and education matters in general. Access to documents in GR-0526 is through GR-0524 (Provincial Secretary. Registers and indexes of letters inward, 1872-1924). Documents pertaining to education, etc. are indexed under the headings "SCHOOLS", and "EDUCATION, SUPERINTENDENT".
British Columbia. Superintendent of Education
Rural district assessment forms and account books
The series consists of records created by the Dept. of Education and includes rural district assessment forms from 1906-1909. The series also contains various account books, including two from the Belgian Children's Relief Fund, 1916-1919, and one from the Education Office, 1894-1897.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Department of Education newspaper clipping books
This series consists of Department of Education newspaper clipping books, 1903-1919; 1920-1931; and 1932-1938.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Department of Education records from inquiries
The series includes records relating to three inquiries into various educational matters, and include correspondence, transcripts of evidence and reports on:
Commission on the Board of School Trustees of Vancouver, 1913
Commission Re Board of School Trustees of the City of Nelson, 1912
Commission to investigate the charges brought by Miss [Agnes] Gertrude Donovan of Victoria against the Department of Education, 1903-1908
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Group portrait of the Education Department
Item consists of a mount of one photograph on card of unidentified women and men posed in front of an unidentified high school. "S.J. Thompson Photo" is printed in the bottom right of the photograph. Numerals "50" printed on paper have been adhered to the bottom left of the card. "Education dept 2 oak 4117 bank 1/2 [?] rd 285" is written in pencil and "Ed office" is written in blue on the verso.
The file consists of three certificates issued by the government of British Columbia and awarded to Katherine Isabel Davis: Roll of Honour certificates, North Ward School 1908 and Craigflower School 1912, and High school entrance certificate, Craigflower School 1912.
Letterbook and other material of Provincial Normal School (Vancouver)
This series contains records from the Provincial Normal School (Vancouver). The records include a letterbook, consisting of correspondence from William Burns, principal, to Alexander Robinson, Superintendent of Education.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Department of Education correspondence and other records
This series contains correspondence inward to J.W. Gibson, Director of Elementary Agricultural Education. The series includes reports on "Caring for School Gardens" [1913] and notes on correlation of rural science with manual training. It also includes "Remittance Forms" from "Patriotism and Production School Campaign" [1917], a patriotic fund-raising exercise held in schools to assist the war effort. The forms give the name of schools, teachers, and a description of projects undertaken by pupils. There are over one hundred (mainly) rural schools represented. This series may be used in conjunction with GR-0458 and GR-1446 (Elementary Education correspondence, 1915-1929).
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Elementary and technical education correspondence
This series contains correspondence inward and outward of the Director of Elementary Education and the organizer of Technical Education. Files include correspondence and reports regarding summer schools and night schools, manual training and domestic science, agricultural education and wartime Food Conservation Committee. The series also contains miscellaneous reports from school inspectors and correspondence regarding provincial university and college programmes. This collection may be used in conjunction with GR-0457 (Technical Education, 1915-1923) and GR-0458 (Elementary Agricultural Education, 1915-1929). This collection includes: correspondence (inward and outward) of J. W. Gibson, the Director of Elementary Agricultural Education Branch and John Kyle, the Organizer of Technical Education; the records of George H. Deane, the Supervisor of Technical Education; correspondence and reports pertaining to summer school and night school programs, manual training and domestic science, agriculture education and wartime food supply; miscellaneous reports from school inspectors; and correspondence concerning university and college courses. During this period, the Organizer of Technical Education (John Kyle) was responsible for night schools, domestic science courses, and manual training programs. The Director of the Elementary Agricultural Education Branch (J.W.Â\~Gibson) was responsible for rural science courses, schools gardening projects and acted as director of the Summer School for Teachers. Gibson was also the Provincial Organizer for the Wartime Food Conservation Committee. Both John Kyle and J.W. Gibson reported to George H. Deane, the Assistant Superintendent of Education as well as the Supervisor of Technical Education (19131917). Deane also acted as Inspector of Schools on Vancouver Island, and this collection includes correspondence relating to school inspection and to matters other than technical and agricultural education.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Elementary Agricultural Education records
This series consists of correspondence, circulars, and other records from the Director of Elementary Agricultural Education (J.W. Gibson). Records include correspondence regarding Gibsons' appointment, home and school gardens, and students' wartime agricultural work. Also included are minutes of meetings of Provincial Committee on Food Production, Conservation and Control; correspondence regarding Returned Soldiers' Aid Commission (1915-1916); and register of summer school pupils (1914-1923). There are also circulars describing soil conditions, landscaping, and general appearance of school grounds in primarily rural schools, 1915. Scale drawings on circulars show school buildings, outbuildings, wells, paths, position of trees, rocks, flagpoles etc. on school playgrounds.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Teachers Studying Rural Science In A School Garden, Victoria
Elementary School Agricultural Education correspondence
The series consists of correspondence between the director of Elementary Agricultural Education (J.W. Gibson) and school boards throughout the province, created between 1915 and 1929. The correspondence is mainly concerned with gardens in local elementary schools and includes detailed reports on the types of gardens being cultivated at various schools. Some reports also include plans and drawings of gardens.
The files are arranged alphabetically by name of community and chronologically by year.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Foods Laboratory At Templeton Junior High School, Vancouver
Correspondence of the Organizer of Technical Education
This series consists of correspondence of the Organizer of Technical Education. This officer dealt with night school, summer school, domestic science and manual training, in addition to technical education. The letterbooks of correspondence outward include the Director of Elementary Agricultural Education.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Parksville School Students On An Outing
Elementary School Agricultural Education reports
The series consists of records created by the Dept. of Education between 1915 and 1924. The records include teachers' "Reports on Instruction Given in Rural Science," submitted to J.W. Gibson, director of Elementary Agricultural Instruction. The reports show name of teacher, teacher's length of service at the school, qualifications in rural science, and previous experience with school gardening. The reports also contain information re: syllabuses, textbooks, equipment, etc., as well as monthly calendars of gardening activities of various schools.
The reports are filed alphabetically by teachers' names. Researchers should consult the Public Schools Reports for these years to determine the names of teachers at particular schools.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
George Jay School, greenhouse, Victoria.
School Inspectors reports and records
This series consists of district and municipal school inspectors' reports. Records include correspondence inward and outward primarily between inspectorate No. 2, and the Assistant Superintendent of Education (1916); and reports on teachers filed by inspectors' names (1940-1946).
Reports for 1916 were prepared for the Superintendent of Education, Alexander Robinson; reports for the period 1940-1946 were submitted to the Chief Inspector of Schools, Dr. H.B. King. Also included are reports from the Inspector of High Schools, the Inspector of Technical Education, and the Director of the Home Economics branch for the years 1941-1946. The reports for the 1940s deal with schools throughout the province and so provide a detailed record of the state of public education at that time.
Generally, the reports contain evaluations of school buildings, equipment and grounds, along with assessments of the organization and management of individual classes within the schools. The reports also included evaluations of the teachers working in the various schools.
The reports were originally filed under the names of the school inspectors, an arrangement which has been maintained here. However, to facilitate research on particular schools and communities, an effort has been made to identify the boundaries of the different school inspectorates.
Prior to 1946 and the advent of well-defined school districts, boundaries of the various inspectorates were sometimes imprecise; the inspectorates varied in size and did not always coincide with municipal, rural, or even regional areas. The inspector of schools in Agassiz, for example, also reported on schools at Alert Bay; similarly, the inspector responsible for Port Moody also looked after schools in Saanich and Powell River. Researchers are, accordingly, advised to use this collection with GR-01492 (Directories of School Inspectorates, 1937 - 1946).
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Elementary School Agricultural Education correspondence and reports
The Elementary Agricultural Education Branch was established in 1915 to promote nature study and rural science in the public schools of British Columbia. The director of the branch was John Wesley Gibson (1874-1954) who, with a team of district supervisors, established one of the most successful school gardening programmes in the country. As well as developing school gardens, the branch was also involved with patriotic fund raising projects, home garden clubs and agricultural fairs.
The series consists of records created by the branch between 1916 and 1929. It includes correspondence and reports from District Supervisors of Agricultural Instruction, submitted to Superintendent of Elementary Agricultural Education, J.W. Gibson. Included with the correspondence are the supervisors' monthly reports, giving the names of schools inspected, comments on school projects and details of events pertaining to horticulture and agriculture. It also includes memoranda and letters from applicants seeking positions as instructors.
The correspondence was filed alphabetically under the names of the school district supervisors. During the period 1916 1929 the branch supervisors and districts were as follows:
During the period 1916-1929 the branch supervisors and districts were as follows:
W.J. Austin, Kelowna/Vernon
J.E. Britton, Armstrong/Kelowna
W.M. Fleming, Duncan and Cowichan
W.H. Grant, Salmon Arm
H.A. Hallwright, Victoria and Saanich
S.H. Hopkins, Courtenay-Comox
T.H. Jones, Armstrong and Enderby, Penticton
A.M. McDermott, New Westminster
J.B. Munro, Armstrong/Enderby
J.C. Ready, Chilliwack
V.B. Robinson, Vernon/Penticton/Summerland
J.M. Shales, Murrayville [Langley area]
E.L. Small, Cloverdale [Langley and Surrey]
G.V. Van Talisk, Penticton
F.J. Welland, Cloverdale
Researchers should also consult the branch reports which were published annually in the Public Schools Reports.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
George Jay School, garden and greenhouse, Victoria.
Register of schools, school trustees and teachers
This series consists of 33 volumes of register of Schools, school trustees and teachers. Records include registers showing the location of rural and assisted schools (1 vol.), names of trustees of rural and assisted school districts, 1917-1946 (29 vols.) and names of teachers in provincial public schools, 1918-1921 (3 vols.).
Volume 1 is a register of rural and assisted schools, ca 1918-1946. The schools are listed alphabetically and the location of each school is described. For example: "JACKSON BAY - a post office on Lewis Channel - Topaz Harbour route of Union Steamship Company from Vancouver;"
Volumes 2-30 are registers showing the names of school trustees of rural and assisted schools. The registers are arranged by year, beginning in 1917/1918 (vol. 2) through 1945/1946 (vol.30). Each register is organized alphabetically by name of school.
Volumes 31-33 are entitled "Teachers' Index Books." These registers are arranged alphabetically by name of teacher. The registers also show where each teacher was posted and the teacher's residence or postal address.
The Teachers' Indexes for 1918-1920 (vols. 31 and 32) list teachers in all categories of public schools City, Rural Municipality, Rural and Assisted. The Index volume for 1920-1921, however, only shows teachers who taught in Graded City Schools and in Rural Municipality Schools; teachers at small country schools (i.e. rural and assisted schools) are not listed in Vol. 33.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
Education Department Central Office notebooks
The series consists of notebooks maintained by senior clerks in the Education Department's Central Office, showing financial grants to schools (3 v. 1917-1944). The series also includes a notebook [probably kept by S.J. Willis, Superintendent of Education] containing memoranda re: school programmes, applications for employment, membership of curriculum revision committees, school inspectors, school buildings grants and education financing, 1931-1945. As well, this notebook contains typescripts by S.J. Willis on "Accredited High School," "Teacher Training (1934)," "School Finance" and "High School Curriculum & High School Correspondence Courses".
British Columbia. Dept. of Education
The series consists of School Inspectors' reports created by the Dept. of Education between 1918 and 1957. The reports are arranged alphabetically, by name of school or community, for the years 1918-1938; thereafter, reports are filed alphabetically by name of teacher.
Evaluations of a number of private schools are included, as well as assessments of manual training and domestic science programmes in various schools. These reports contain evaluations of individual teachers and assessments of education programmes in all types of schools throughout the province.
The report forms varied over the years, but in most instances they contain information on teachers' qualifications, teaching methods and classroom discipline, pupils' progress, and the availability and condition of teaching equipment. Early reports on provincial elementary schools also contain information on the size and condition of the school buildings and grounds.
As a rule, the inspectors' reports were arranged alphabetically, by name of school inspected, and filed chronologically under various categories. During the years 1918-1937, the main categories were "Elementary Schools," "High Schools and Superior Schools," and "Manual Training and Domestic Science."
There were, however, frequent exceptions and alterations to this filing system. For example, during the years 1929-1931 Vancouver schools (i.e. those administered by the Vancouver School Board) were filed separately from other municipal schools; during the years 1934-1938 the Jericho Hill School for the Deaf and the Blind was accorded a separate file. Between 1928 and 1937 files pertaining to certain "private schools" were also kept separately. "Private schools" in this instance included some independent schools such as Crofton House, Vancouver, several religious colleges, and a number of Indian residential schools.
In addition, rural elementary schools were listed separately from other provincial elementary schools during the years 1928-1937. The "Rural Schools" reports were prepared by Miss Lottie Bowron, Rural Teachers' Welfare Officer (Women's). Her reports often contain detailed accounts of the conditions faced by teachers in small, isolated communities.
The Department of Education adopted a new filing system in 1938. From that year until 1957, when this series ends, all public school inspectors' reports, irrespective of school categories, were filed alphabetically under the names of individual teachers.
British Columbia. Dept. of Education