Inspectors' Reports on Thomas Allen

The following information is on the public record.

The remarks have been transcribed by a Brisbane clerk from inspector's reports received by the Qld Dept of Public Instruction. The reports are roughly in date order from 1887 to 1903. Duplicate remarks have been omitted.

Eager to show good work.
Thoroughly honest and industrious.
Order very fair
Discipline fair
Records neat, almost correct and complete
The general condition is hopeful and promising and very fair progress has been made.
Records neat but neither correct nor complete.
Skill very fair.
Results pretty fair.
Org power fairly good.
Records complete and accurate.
Corporal punishment is too frequently resorted to.
Results pretty fair.
Suitable methods are applied with fair skill and very fair energy. The school is worked in an earnest and painstaking manner.
Moral tone fair.
Results pretty fair.
A hard working conscientious man.
The methods are generally satisfactory but weak in some directions.
The school is worked in a methodical and plodding manner.
School habits not quite satisfactory.
General behaviour fair only.
Mr A is a well meaning intelligent teacher but weak and yielding as disciplinarian.
Children noisy.
In bad health and unable to get enough energy to keep the boys under proper control.
The school shows improvement in condition and tone though the attendance is irregular.
Suitable methods are applied with fair skill and evident energy.
The school is worked in an honest, diligent and painstaking manner.
Tone honest and wholesome.
The general condition is satisfactory with steady but unequal progress. He is interested in his work and is reliable. The tone has improved.
The methods need revision; they are applied with fair skill and evident energy. The school is worked in a fairly efficient manner.
Tone honest and pleasant.
Not a good organiser - faulty classification and instruction.
He is bringing the school into a creditable condition.
Organisation shows improvement; patient unflagging energy.
Generally suitable methods are applied with moderate skill and energy. Slow of apprehension with a very imperfect grasp of his school as a whole. An insufficient standard of attainment.
The general condition is not satisfactory with shallow and unfinished work though sufficient in amount. He lacks judgment in many directions. The intellectual work is very uneven and very poor at best.
Lacks tact, sympathy and a sense of humour.
Revision insufficient.
Discipline weak and the boys take advantage of it. Records well kept and accurate. There is no sympathy between master and pupils and the register is full of daily entries of trivial punishments.
The general condition is fairly satisfactory with fair progress.
Standard not sufficiently exacting. His mind works slowly.
Faithful, industrious and discreet. A moderately competent schoolmaster.
Apparently not very strong; whether he will improve the discipline to any great effect is a little doubtful for the boys are rough, careless and idle.

[Extracted from Qld State Archives Sep 2001 by S, D & E Crawshaw]