The purpose of the observation book was for the Inspector to record general remarks about the management of the school, the relationships and discipline within it and the range and effectiveness of the teaching. The Regulations under the Public Schools Act, 1866 noted “The Inspector’s remarks upon the state of the school visited by him, will be entered in the “Observation Book” of the school, which, as a School Record, should be carefully preserved. Entries therein are not to be erased or altered.” (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 83)

The nineteenth- and early twentieth-century volumes are pre-printed to record the Inspector’s remarks on each of the first five grades of the school, and on each of the subjects supposed to be taught in each grade. One full page is allowed for each visit of inspection. Provision is made for him to record each grade’s attainments, with his own suggestions and directions for the teacher to attend to, and his observations on the organisation and discipline of the school. A final section on each page asks for the Inspector to record any suggestions and directions given at his previous visit of inspection which had not been duly observed by the teacher, which information was also to be included in his report to the Minister.

The majority of entries made in post-1938 volumes are entered on a specifically designed form, which is then pasted into the observation book. The form details the school and the inspection date, which was normally only once a year. The form is divided into three main areas: organisation, government and instruction.

The ‘organisation’ section pertains to the school’s equipment, beautification programs, staff direction, records, educational agencies, smoothness and effectiveness of general management, and the standing of the school in relation to the general community.

‘Government’ comments on relations between staff and students, effectiveness of discipline in fostering ideals of conduct and stimulating independent thought and activity, and the socialising influence of the school on its pupils.

‘Instruction’, or general survey evaluates the co-ordination of lesson courses, preparation, general speech-training, teaching methods and their effectiveness in promoting intellectual growth and development, and an appreciation of the higher cultural values.

The present series is represented by eight volumes, which cover the years 1874-1881, 1885-1905 and 1963. Three volumes - for 1891-1895, 1896 and 1963 - relate only to the Infants’ Department of the school, which operated as a separate department with its own sets of records during the years 1891-1896, was re-amalgamated with the main body of the school in 1897, and re-established as a separate department in 1963. The Primary Department volume commenced in 1895 records one visit of inspection for that year, and is otherwise blank; a new volume commences in 1896, and continues thereafter as the volume of record for the whole school. One unused, completely blank volume also forms part of this series; it comes with a covering letter to the school dated the 22nd April, 1899.

The Public Works Department (VA 669) had wide-ranging responsibilities for all public works and buildings, including construction, maintenance and fitting out of these buildings. Other major responsibilities included roads and bridges, ports and harbours, local government and water supply.

This series contains letter-press copies of memoranda regarding the execution of contracts, the evaluation of requests for works and the obtaining of tenders and quotes for works. Memoranda were addressed to Inspectors of Works or Clerks of Works and to contractors carrying out work on schools.

Details of contracts may be found in VPRS 997 Contract Book State Schools or in VPRS 979 Contract Books and VPRS 981 Contracts Accepted and Gazetted or summarised in VPRS 972 Summary Contract Books.

This series consists of a single packet of materials relating chiefly to the centenary celebrations of Bulga Public School, held on the 19th October, 1968. The contents of the packet are as follows:

(i) Souvenir booklet, "Bulga Public School Centenary Celebrations, Saturday, 19th October, 1968." No author, printed at Argus Print, Singleton. (6 copies)

(ii) "The Singleton Argus," Monday, 21st October, 1968. Contains reports of Bulga Public School centenary celebrations.

(iii) "Bulga Public School – History" (typescript in folder). Compiled by Josephine Alexander, Research Officer of the Division of Research and Planning, New South Wales Department of Education, August 1968, from records held in the Mitchell Library and Government Archives. The text of this is incorporated in its entirety in the souvenir booklet, no. (i) above. Also in this folder (and also incorporated in the souvenir booklet) is “Oldest Ex-Pupil,” an account (typescript) of the recollections of Miss Ethel Sarah Woods, then aged 94, a pupil at Bulga Public School during the 1880’s.
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(iv) Archie Eather: "The History of Bulga from 1820 to 1921" (manuscript; 14pp). Part of the text of this has also been incorporated in the souvenir booklet, no. (i) above.

(v) Register, Variation of Routine and Principal’s Authority, Bulga Public School, 2nd April, 1963 – 10th July, 1968 (booklet).

(vi) Correspondence file, entitled “Bulga Public School Centenary Celebrations, 1968.” Contains (a) Bulga Public School Centenary Celebrations Programme (typescript, roneoed); (b) J. Stephens, Director of Public Education, to Mr F. Bridgement, Teacher-in-Charge, Bulga Public School: covering letter, dated 9th August, 1968, to accompany item (iii) above, forwarded with item (iv) above to the individual(s) responsible for the production of the souvenir booklet, item (i) above, and with a note from Mr Bridgement added at foot; (c) P.W. Beckenham, Director of Public Education, to Mr F. Bridgement, Teacher-in-Charge, Bulga Public School: letter, dated 27th October, 1967, informing the recipient that Bulga Public School would obtain its centenary during 1968, and attaching suggestions for centenary celebrations and guidelines for collecting historical information; (d) lists of past pupils (typescript, roneoed); (e) Charles Cutler, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Science, to F.L. O’Keefe, M.L.A.: letter, dated 27th May, 1968, asking the addressee to stand in for the writer at the centenary celebrations of Bulga Public School; (f) C.E. Rubie, Officer in Charge, Public Relations Branch, to Mr F.G. Bridgement, Teacher-in-Charge, Bulga Public School: letter, dated July, 1968, advising on matters of protocol concerning guest speakers; (g) Form of invitation to Bulga Public School centenary celebrations (typescript, roneoed) over the name of Mr F.G. Bridgement, Teacher-in-Charge, Bulga Public School. (h) correspondence with Mr E.A. Short of the Gould League of N.S.W., re subsidy for the erection of a commemorative bird-bath; (j) responses to invitation to attend the centenary celebrations; (k) orders for copies of the souvenir booklet, no. (i) above, 7th – 11th November, 1968.

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) measured proficiency on three scales: prose literacy, document literacy, and quantitative literacy. In addition, also background information of participants were assessed: general information (e.g., age, sex, country of birth, language); education (e.g., highest educational achievement, current education, participation in training); current status and work history; current and recent work (e.g., profession, self-employment, and income); skill use (Literacy, Numeracy) at work.

Background questionnaire:

1. General information: born in Germany; country of birth; highest level of schooling before immigration (ISCED); years of formal education completed; highest level of schooling completed (ISCED); second level program (academic/college preparatory, bunisiness (commercial) or trade/vorcational); reasons why the respondent stopped schooling; first language (mother tongue); forein language skills; language spoken at home; language in which the respondent can express himself most easily; information on respondent´s parents: born in Germany, highest level of schooling;

2. Information on current and recent employment: current work situation; employed in the past 12 months; year last worked; number of different employers in the past 12 months; full-time or part-time employment; reasons for working part-time; Major Heading International Standard Industrial Classification for the respondent’s primary employment(ISICR); Major Heading International Standard Classification of Occupations for the respondent’s primary occupation (ISCOR); size of business; employment status; hours worked per week; during the past 12 months: number of week worked at all jobs; wanted to work in the weeks without work; reasons why the respondent did not want to work;

3. Reading and writing at work: skill use at work (Literacy: e.g. letters or memos, reports, articles, magazines or journal, etc.); write or fill out as part of main job (letters or memos, forms or things such as bills, invoices, or budgets, reports or articles, estimates or technical specifications); use mathematics as part of main job (measure or estimate the size or weight of objects, caluculate prices, costs or budgets); self-rating of reading skills, and writing skills in German; extent of limitation of job opportunities by reading skills, and writing skills in German; rating of mathematical skills for the main job; extent of limitation of job opportunities by mathematical skills.

4. Adult education and training: training or education since August 1994; number of courses in the past 12 months; major field of study (up to three courses); training or education was financially supported by the respondent himself or his family, by an employer, the government, etc.; intended aim of these training courses (e.g. a university degree/ diploma/ certificate, a trade-vocational diploma, etc.); provider of this training or education; weeks the course(s) lasted; number of days per week; main reason for course particiaption; extent of using the skills or knowledge acquired in this training or education at work; suggestion to take this cours(es) by the respondent himself, by friends or family, employer, other employees, etc.; training or education was provided through: classroom instructions, seminars or workshops, educational software, etc.

5. Reading and writing general: frequency of activities (use a public library, attend a movie, play or concert, attend or take part in a sporting event, write e.g. letters more than one page in length, participate in volunteer or community organisations, reading newspapers or magazines, reading books, listening to radio, records, tapes cassettes or compact discs); hours per day watching television or videos; currently in the home: daily newspaper/magazines, weekly newspaper/magazines, more than 25 books, a multi-volume encyclopedia, a dictionary; frequency of how often the respondent needs help from others with reading newspaper articles, reading information from government agencies, filling out forms, reading instructions such as on medicine bottles, reading instructions on packaged goods in stores, doing basic arithmetic, and writing notes and letters; self-rating of skills needed in daily life: reading and writing skills in German as well as of mathematical skills; impairment by eye/visual trouble or/and a learning disability; problems occurred while the respondent were in primary or secondary school; impairments currently exist.

6. Household information: income sources (from wages, salary or self-employment, from government or state sources (social assistance or unemployment support), from government or state pensions, from interest, dividends, investment, property or private pensions, or from other sources); estimate of personal income from only wages, salary or self-emploment (quintiles); size of household; estimate of the total income of all household members (quintiles); ...

The Woman's Day Survey, conducted jointly by Woman's Day Magazine and the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women in 1984, is a major survey of women's political attitudes. Over one hundred sixteen thousand women completed an 83-item, precoded questionnaire distributed in Woman's Day Magazine, at the time the largest response ever to a magazine survey. Of the responses, 2,776 were selected in a systematic random sample for analysis. Reflecting the readership of Woman's Day Magazine, the sample was predominantly White, married, and from the Midwest and more rural areas. Equal numbers of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents participated in the survey, resulting in a sample that was over-representative of Republicans. The questionnaire examined attitudes toward the 1984 elections, women in politics, the women's movement, the economy, employment, schools, government spending, health care, crime, energy and the environment, foreign policy, and women's rights issues. Data on the respondent's race, age, family structure, political party affiliation, income, education, religion, employment, and community were also collected. Accompanying 1.4% of the returned questionnaires were unsolicited personal letters further delineating the political attitudes and demographic profiles of the respondents. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (uncoded surveys and letters from 1,607 respondents who included a letter with their responses). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data.