were both pupil teachers at the South Public School. Not all ot the pupil

teachers remained for the full training period of five years, several asking for

‘relief of their engagement’ including one boy who said he would rather be

a mason. By the time of the amalgamation in 1885 most of the teachers were

ex-pupil teachers who had completed their five years’ training in a school but

were not yet certificated.

Staffing was often difficult, and there were frequent changes, some who

left saying the work was not what they had thought it would be. Many times

when no appointment had been made, or during illness of one of the teachers,

Mrs. Findlay filled in, as did Miss Findlay even after she had left the school,

until a new appointment was made. The schoolmaster, as well as the other

teachers, was obliged to ask for any increase in salary. Increases were some-

times granted and sometimes refused, but almost always after the decision

had been deferred. In 1888 Mr. Findiay wrote to the School Board, after

having had his earlier request deferred some time before, ‘At the amalgamation

I was led to believe that the money to come to me would not be less than

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formerly’, and he went on to explain that his expenses in the ‘new’ school-

master’s house were great, ‘that he makes less than his neighbours under the

Board’ (i.e. those in St. Andrews), and that is was time to bring the subect

up again. The Board agreed to some minor improvements in the school-

master’s house, but they could not agree to increase his ‘emoluments’.

It was not that the School Board was always unsympathetic to requests for

increases in salaries, but Strathkinness was a relatively poor area, and the

amount of money that could be raised from rates was limited. The teachers’

salaries were composed partly of the government grant, assessed by what was

known as ‘payment by results’, partly by the school rates raised locally, and

partly by the fees which the schoolmaster had to collect himself. This was

time-consuming and not always successful. In 1889, the same year that

fees for attending a ‘public’ school were finally abolished, Mr. Findlay’s arrears

of fees amounted to £7-18-6, and the School Officer was employed to

‘endeavour to collect them on the understanding that he should be allowed a

commission’.

The annual reports on the schools made by the inspectors of the Scotch

Education Department showed that they were of an acceptable but not ex-

cellent standard. The reports on the South Public School were usually rather

better than those of the North Public School, although both were criticised for

such things as ‘lack of distinct speaking ... lack of “life” in answering questions

and in reading .. and a general weakness in reading’. After the amalgamation

of the schools the reports varied considerably, and one year the headmaster

was especially praised, particularly as the school was understaffed. Other

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