Schools in Tyree 1863

Caolas – Free Church Ladies Society School, Arch^d Colquhoun Teacher – it is not usual to open this school on Saturday so that it was empty when I reached it but as I expressed a wish to examine the scholars a number were soon collected in the neighbourhood 14 girls and 9 boys – they were mostly young and the appearance was unfavourable as the most advanced did not appear to understand what they read, but went on by rote. The school roll was regularly kept and the attendance entered for July was 24 boys and 21 girls. The day previous to my visit the number present was 36 – 19 boys, 17 girls. The attendance is irregular – two of the scholars on the roll had only been one day each in school in July. The teacher attends to the religious instruction of his scholars and does so in Gaelic. Like most of the other teachers of this Society Mr Colquhoun is a student preparing for the Ministry, this being the second summer during which he has taught in this school, having been at College in Glasgow last year and in Edinburgh the year before. He is married to the daughter of a crofter in the district and his wife remains with her parents during his absence in winter. No-one connected with the Island has visited the school which was last examined by the Revd Mr Graham F. C. Kilbrandon.

Kirkapol – Parish School – The teacher Malcolm Livingston has a fixed salary of £25 but receives a grant of £20 from His Grace the Duke of Argyll and is Registrar of the District. This school meets on Saturdays and I found 21 scholars present, 10 boys & 11 girls. The day previous the attendance per Roll had been 48 – 28 boys and 20 girls. The earlier days of the same week it was 55 on an average. The children read fairly and give intelligent replies to the questions which were put to them. The teacher has a Government certificate and when the new school house is finished, it should be placed under Government inspection. He has taught here since 1857. The Minister of the Parish and also Mr Campbell the Chamberlain and Mr McQuarrie have visited the school occasionally. The teacher appeared anxious for the progress of his scholars and would I doubt not exert himself to secure the greater efficiency of the school. The present school room is on the second floor above the teacher’s house, about 24 feet & 15 x 7½ in the centre of the room, the roof being sloped on the sides but is plastered and well lighted.

Ballymartin Monday 3 August 1863 F. C. Ladies Society School, Mr Sutherland Teacher. This school room is a thatched building 36 feet x 15, the unplastered side walls are fully eight feet high inside and very well lighted by six windows (six panes in each). The floor over the greater part is boarded and below the fixed desks where it is not closely boarded flooring deals are placed for each form for the children’s feet to rest upon. The school is well supplied with maps, and two black boards, a good fireplace and grate, and no appearance of smoke.

I found 56 scholars present, 31 Boys and 25 Girls. The classes made a very good appearance and the school as a whole seemed a very successful one. The teacher neither translates into Gaelic nor gives any instruction in that language as he thinks it a disadvantage to introduce Gaelic at all in the school. The attendance per Roll was 82 but several of those on the roll had ceased to attend, not having been once present in July. The number present on the Friday previous was 63 – 37 boys and 26 girls. I learned from Mr McQuarrie who joined me before I had finished the examination of this school that a number of the pupils are the children of persons employed at the Lighthouse premises in the neighbourhood, and this may account for the ease with which the Teacher finds he can dispense with the use of Gaelic – he explained however that he had been accustomed to do the same in Islay where he was formerly a teacher in a district where all the parents spoke Gaelic. This is Mr Sutherland’s first season in Tyree.

Hillipool Parish School, Mr Donald MacLean Teacher has been 4 years at College with a view to enter the Ministry, a substitute taking his place during the winter with the approbation of the Duke of Argyll. I found 34 children present, 21 boys and 13 girls. He had no roll, but informed me that there might probably be 110 names upon it, but the average attendance was only from 50 to 60. The class room is a low thatched building, the side walls only about 5 feet high, neither floored nor plastered and very badly lighted. The appearance of the classes was as unfavourable as that of the building itself. The advanced class of 5 boys read imperfectly and did not understand the words, nor could they translate them into Gaelic. The testament class could read very little nor could I discover any indication of progress, as the religious instruction of the scholars seemed to be as defective as the literary.

Grianal School – supported by the Society for propagating Christian Knowledge, Allan McDonald Teacher – has no roll, present 27, 12 boys 15 girls. The appearance of this school is somewhat like that of other schools of the same society which I have seen elsewhere. The children do not understand what they read and read with difficulty. The teacher was well spoken of as to his personal character but does not appear likely to benefit the locality in which he is placed as an instructor of the young, having been with them for 15 years.

Croish – a Free Church Ladies Society School taught by Mr McAskill who has only taken charge this summer, he seemed an energetic successful teacher, both the advanced and lower classes having gone well through their lessons when I examined them, had a well kept roll of 74 pupils, 40 boys 34 girls, of whom there were 60 present at the time of my visit, 38 boys and 22 girls. If this school should continue to be conducted with equal ability and energy it will do much good.

Hynish. Mr McLeod, a Free Church Ladies Society Teacher who has been here only this summer. The class room is one of the ordinary thatched houses having the floor boarded over half of its area. The roll for July has 47 names, 23 boys 24 girls, and there were present only 16 boys 8 girls and as the teacher was previously aware that I intended to visit the school, I fear this limited attendance is an indication of the want of energy on his part, an impression which was [corroborated] by an examination of the school itself. The advanced class read tolerably well, but there appeared a want of life or vigour in the classes as a whole which made me fear they are making little progress.

Tyree like most other parts of the Highlands has a sufficient number of schools if they were all effective. This however is not the case. There are only three which appeared to me likely to make a good impression. These are the Parish School at Kirkapol and the Free Church Schools at Balemartine & Croish. The other five may do some good in the districts in which they are placed but they are not so efficient as they ought to be.